Deconversion Tactics
Helping people unlearn the ridiculous things they've been taught.
This may not be for you. It addresses the art of leading the believers astray and setting them on the path to atheism. There are legitimate reasons for doing this but if it is not something you feel comfortable with, then so be it. Please do not let it keep you from considering other course of action.
Why try to turn people toward atheism? Because most of us would agree that our country and our world would be better off without religion. We're not going to see it go away completely in our lifetime but we can reduce it's influence. The more atheists and less Christians, the better.
For starters, it should go without saying that not everyone is a good candidate for deconversion. Some people will come right out and admit that they would not behave morally were it not for their religious beliefs. Leave these people be! Others are too weak to deal with life without their religious crutch. These should be left alone too. The ideal candidate would be someone who was indoctrinated with Christianity and follows it more out of fear than devotion. These people would be much happier as atheists. They would also be the most likely to become foes of religion.
Generally, the most effective way to turn someone away from Christianity (or any other religion) is to get them to think. The best way to do that is to ask questions under the guise of being a fellow believer, perhaps one who is struggling with his faith. This removes any element of confrontation. If you talk to them as an atheist, you get absolutely nowhere. They think you are a mouthpiece of Satan, or used by God to test their faith, or you are so blinded by your sins that you don't know anything. Speaking to them as one of their own creates a relaxed, non-confrontational setting in which they will be more ought to open their minds to serious discourse. Needless to say, this method is not suitable for people who know you well. It's great for on-line religious discussions. If you really want to get ambitious, go to churches and meet Christians to deconvert.
Once you have a non-confrontational dialog established, it's time to get your subject thinking. Remember: You can't actually deconvert anyone; they have to do it themselves. Maneuver them into questioning things they wouldn't otherwise have questioned. Some suggested topics:
* Origin of Faith: Why do people believe as they do? When it comes to matters of faith, people mostly believe what they were raised to believe. What they were raised to believe was probably a determined by where they were born. How does geography determine truth? This takes faith out of the equation. What makes faith in one religion any more valid then faith in another - when geography determined what they had faith in? Now they are forced to consider their religion on it's merit.
* Ambiguity of the Bible: No two Christians can agree on interpreting the Bible. This is true at the highest levels of church leadership, not just amongst the flock. Paul said, "God is not the author of confusion." Yet people are confused. It does no good to claim that people are too flawed to interpret God's word because that's the same as saying the Bible is useless to us.
* Bible Problems: Discuss the myriad problems of the Bible. If you need to brush up on the "good book", check out the excellent Skeptic's Annotated Guide to the Bible.
* Pagan Origins of Christianity: If you have well researched, well documented facts, this one can be pretty shocking. The fact is, we know the history of Christianity and it's based on earlier pagan religions. Check out some of the Christianity Origin and History links listed on Web of Reason.
It's best to take it slow, one thing at a time. If you've made progress in a particular area, try to nudge them toward the next logical step. Suppose you got them to accept that Genesis cannot be taken literally. You might want to explore the implications for original sin next. Just don't push them too far, too fast or you'll lose them. Be patient. If you can just keep them thinking and questioning and reading the Bible, they'll stand a good chance of deconverting themselves.
This information came via Rational Responders who acquired it from Active atheism and they were inspired by this thread from the Internet Infidels Forum. so it had a bit of traveling to reach here, but at least it got here.
if people wish to discuss this, I sure we will accommodate, as there is bound to be some religious angst, but they are doing this sort of thing all the time. so lets discuss?.
Helping people unlearn the ridiculous things they've been taught.
This may not be for you. It addresses the art of leading the believers astray and setting them on the path to atheism. There are legitimate reasons for doing this but if it is not something you feel comfortable with, then so be it. Please do not let it keep you from considering other course of action.
Why try to turn people toward atheism? Because most of us would agree that our country and our world would be better off without religion. We're not going to see it go away completely in our lifetime but we can reduce it's influence. The more atheists and less Christians, the better.
For starters, it should go without saying that not everyone is a good candidate for deconversion. Some people will come right out and admit that they would not behave morally were it not for their religious beliefs. Leave these people be! Others are too weak to deal with life without their religious crutch. These should be left alone too. The ideal candidate would be someone who was indoctrinated with Christianity and follows it more out of fear than devotion. These people would be much happier as atheists. They would also be the most likely to become foes of religion.
Generally, the most effective way to turn someone away from Christianity (or any other religion) is to get them to think. The best way to do that is to ask questions under the guise of being a fellow believer, perhaps one who is struggling with his faith. This removes any element of confrontation. If you talk to them as an atheist, you get absolutely nowhere. They think you are a mouthpiece of Satan, or used by God to test their faith, or you are so blinded by your sins that you don't know anything. Speaking to them as one of their own creates a relaxed, non-confrontational setting in which they will be more ought to open their minds to serious discourse. Needless to say, this method is not suitable for people who know you well. It's great for on-line religious discussions. If you really want to get ambitious, go to churches and meet Christians to deconvert.
Once you have a non-confrontational dialog established, it's time to get your subject thinking. Remember: You can't actually deconvert anyone; they have to do it themselves. Maneuver them into questioning things they wouldn't otherwise have questioned. Some suggested topics:
* Origin of Faith: Why do people believe as they do? When it comes to matters of faith, people mostly believe what they were raised to believe. What they were raised to believe was probably a determined by where they were born. How does geography determine truth? This takes faith out of the equation. What makes faith in one religion any more valid then faith in another - when geography determined what they had faith in? Now they are forced to consider their religion on it's merit.
* Ambiguity of the Bible: No two Christians can agree on interpreting the Bible. This is true at the highest levels of church leadership, not just amongst the flock. Paul said, "God is not the author of confusion." Yet people are confused. It does no good to claim that people are too flawed to interpret God's word because that's the same as saying the Bible is useless to us.
* Bible Problems: Discuss the myriad problems of the Bible. If you need to brush up on the "good book", check out the excellent Skeptic's Annotated Guide to the Bible.
* Pagan Origins of Christianity: If you have well researched, well documented facts, this one can be pretty shocking. The fact is, we know the history of Christianity and it's based on earlier pagan religions. Check out some of the Christianity Origin and History links listed on Web of Reason.
It's best to take it slow, one thing at a time. If you've made progress in a particular area, try to nudge them toward the next logical step. Suppose you got them to accept that Genesis cannot be taken literally. You might want to explore the implications for original sin next. Just don't push them too far, too fast or you'll lose them. Be patient. If you can just keep them thinking and questioning and reading the Bible, they'll stand a good chance of deconverting themselves.
This information came via Rational Responders who acquired it from Active atheism and they were inspired by this thread from the Internet Infidels Forum. so it had a bit of traveling to reach here, but at least it got here.
if people wish to discuss this, I sure we will accommodate, as there is bound to be some religious angst, but they are doing this sort of thing all the time. so lets discuss?.
