Rules of Engagement
Recently, I watched a few youtube videos from Brother Sam Singleton, Atheist Evangelist. In his latest video, Brother Sam talked about the Rules of Engagement that he employs when discussing religion with Christians. While I disagree with many of Brother Sam’s rules, I do think he is right to have rules. And while his rules certainly don’t work for me, my philosophy is to each their own when in comes to other peoples rules of engagement with respect to religious discussions.
So for me, my time is valuable and so while I try to discuss religion with anyone who chooses to discuss the subject with me, I simply don’t have that much time to waste. So being inspired by Brother Sam, I think I will develop my own rules of engagement.
Law 1: The other party must be open to thinking critically about their own religion in an objective fashion.
Law 2: The other party should be knowledgeable about their own religion and other religions as well.
Law 3: The other party must have some idea of the reasoning why they believe what they believe other than an appeal to emotion.
Law 4: The other party should not be insulted by the term “ignorance” as we are all ignorant of some things and ignorance on particular subjects can often be corrected through education. Stupidity on the other hand cannot be corrected.
Law 5: The other party should know at least some of the basic arguments against God before attempting to argue with me. If they don’t, that is what google is for.
Law 6: The other party should have a basic understanding of science and the scientific process before attempting to argue with me. If they don’t, that is what 9th grade science class is for. In lieu of that, google might be helpful.
Law 7: The other party ought to come to the discussion with a willingness to learn and not to insult when backed into a corner (again, the term “ignorant” is not an insult). In other words, keep your emotions in check.
Law 8: The other party must realize that they do not have the monopoly on divine knowledge. They must be able to justify their interpretation of divine knowledge and realize that it is just that, “their interpretation.”
Law 9: Mr. Garrisons Law, There are no stupid questions, only stupid people.
Law 10: All lists of laws must be no greater or lesser than 10. That shit is biblical!
While I will certainly entertain discussions with some people who don’t respect my laws, doing so is purely at my discretion and should be considered generous on my part. I also encourage everyone to check out Brother Sam Singleton because he as fucking funny as a B on Easter Sunday.
Filed under: Religion
