I have noticed that there are a lot of believer/atheist threads right now. I don't think that is bad, in of itself, but I do think it could be done without the condescension. I was thinking about this lately and it occurred to me that one reason people keep fighting to hang on to their belief in a diety is that you are taking something away from them (faith) while giving nothing back other than cold, hard facts. If you do not understand that, then all the logic in the world will not work.
When I realized TTATT, I feel as if I suffered a loss. My JW belief system was a construct that neatly explained all the bad in the world and gave me hope for the future. Losing that was uncomfortable, I had nothing to replace it with. Eventually I came to terms with it and realized no one had all the answers, and that was OK, but that took years.
There is a reason why religious belief is so common, I think mankind has a need to believe in something greater than themselves, and to share that belief with others. Most studies show that people who are involved in a religious community are happier and healthier on average than those who don't. It's not surprising really, those in a religious community provide social contact with those of similar belief, it provides support to its members in times of trouble, helps them think about something other than themselves and engage in charitable works, which makes them feel better about themselves. Atheists are asking them to give that up because their belief is not logical. Of course they are going to push back.
It doesn't mean you give up and don't discuss it. If the poster is not ready to give up on the idea of God, there may be others reading that are ready. But it might be good to keep in mind why others might cling to a belief that seems ridiculous to you. Most of here were believers at one point, so don't look down on someone that isn't giving that up as quickly as you did.
