Is the Effort at DC Worth it?

Sometimes I wonder. Other times I'm encouraged. Recently cipher wrote:

John...As I told you recently - I can't understand why on earth you want to waste your time arguing with these imbeciles. The evidence now suggests strongly what I've suspected for decades; they're neurologically impaired and are incapable of change. They are, for all practical considerations, developmentally challenged (fundies, let there be no mistake - yes, I'm calling you mentally retarded), and giving them occasion to view themselves as being on equal footing with you is a fatal error. If you want to continue to waste your time - this is America, knock yourself out. I have better things to do. Even when I have nothing else to do, it's still more worthwhile than this.

I understand the sentiment.

Some of the Christians who comment here are ignorant and ignorant of their own ignorance. They cannot be reached by us at this time. A Biblical scholar recently concurred:

Everyone is an expert on the Bible. This is one of the factors that provides professional biblical scholars with generous ulcers. Everyone is an expert because they know what they believe about the Bible. The difficulty is very few people actually know much about the Bible. Link.

Dealing with these type of Christians is annoying and I attract them here like flies because I write so people can understand. I don't use Greek or Hebrew nor do I use symbolic logic or math. I can in varying degrees. I just don't. So any Christian who can read can also understand what I say. I do this on purpose because I want to reach Christians. But most of them cannot be reached. Not at this time, and not by me. That's why I do not respond to some Christians here, because I can see them coming. And that's why I appreciate so much the skeptics who do, because I would get way too frustrated on a daily basis if I had to do so.

But keep in mind one thing; these Christians are reading what we write and that is a good thing. We are planting seeds of doubt. I think one of the goals on this Blog and on other forums should be to plant enough seeds of doubt that Christians will want to read a whole book that expresses these same ideas, and you know which ones I would recommend. ;-) Keep in mind that most people cannot be reasoned out of their faith because they were never reasoned into it in the first place. They were brainwashed, indoctrinated and/or enculturated to believe (however you want to describe it), as David Eller shares in the first chapter of The Christian Delusion. So to skeptics I say, try to keep this in mind. Although, ridicule can be effective and it's a great way to vent.

David Eller recently emailed me that Christians have "a different set of eyes then we do, and they cannot see what we see. Criticizing them, even poking them in the eye, simply does not improve their vision. They are deep inside a Christian box, and until they see the box and the world outside of it, their view is fatally limited." My goal, as frustrating as it is sometimes, is to help them step outside the box and see it for what it is. And I think I'm doing this as best as is possible, so I will continue.

I have found that more times than not it takes a personal crisis before a Christian is willing to consider our arguments. The crisis could potentially be an intellectual one, but most times it is some sort of tragedy. Then he or she will be willing to consider the seeds of doubt we planted. Coupled together with the loss of a loving Christian community and bingo, they can become skeptics. Also keep in mind that since there are many former believers who have become skeptics we know these believers can become skeptics too.

I get emails from readers of this Blog who have never commented here. Many silent people are reading this Blog. And DC is making a difference. That I know for sure. So I keep on keeping on. While changing the minds of brainwashed people is one of the hardest things a person can do, especially by simply typing words on the internet like I do, it's precisely because it's such a big challenge I like to do it. And I have learned quite a bit myself in the process. Learning is it's own reward.

Just so you know, I am dedicated to helping change the religious landscape and I will do so as long as I have breath. I do so for the countless numbers of people who were forced to keep silent their whole lives or risk persecution, torture, and even death. I will not let their tears and blood be shed in vain. I stand on their shoulders. They gave me the freedom to do what I do with only minimum annoyances. I do so for Voltaire, Thomas Paine, Robert Ingersoll and Joseph Lewis who were our fore-bearers and my heroes, as are others like the so-called New Atheists who all pioneered the way for the rest of us. And most of all I do it for the women. Historically they have been oppressed by religion in all parts of the globe down through the centuries. I hate what it has done to them given the patriarchal nature of man-made religions, and I do mean man-made. They need liberated from this pious nonsense, although in our day the women are doing that job on their own without any help from me.

Thanks so much for all of your support. Thanks also to some of the Christians here. Some of you make me think and have actually helped make my arguments better. ;-)