Help, My Friend Turned Christian

C

cato

less hate, more science
Registered Senior Member
calling all defenders of logic! (Atheists)

I have a friend, she is the smartest person I have ever met, and she turned to the dark side (became a Christian). she is a whiz at math and gave me a run for my money in physics [somehow ending up with a better grade even though we studied together]. what should I do? she knows I am adamantly apposed to christanity, I have told her all of my arguments against religion, but she still turned. she even agrees that some things don't make sense. moreover, she has told me that she has a hard time believing in it, but she wants to.

so what should I do?
 
Wow....sounds like she is not only smarter at physics, she is just all around smarter than you.....

I find it interesting, that most Atheists want to be left alone, but want to pester the shit out of Christians!! Why is that??? You don't want to listen to Christians cram their religion down your throat, but you sure want to cram your atheism down Christians throats....
 
Now that's a strange one...why exactly does she believe in something that is obviously hard to comprehend for her? May it be social pressure or personal problems? It is a bit difficult to think up logical arguments or ways of action when there is not so much information.

I would just talk with her, get deeper into her motivation for such a conversion. That is the most useful strategy I can suggest on the basis of your (relatively) short text.
 
dreamwalker - It is called faith....you believe it because you believe it...no other reason.
 
I find it interesting, that most Atheists want to be left alone, but want to pester the shit out of Christians!! Why is that??? You don't want to listen to Christians cram their religion down your throat, but you sure want to cram your atheism down Christians throats....
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A bit of your own medicine and you start complaining? People give and people get.. That's life.
 
Bullshit, you just do not simply believe, especially if it is hard for you to believe because you doubt the doctrine. And surely you do not suddenly become infected by Christianity, there is always a reason why someone believes as long as he got two braincells to rub together.
 
snakelord - My own Medicine?? I've never cramed shit down your throat!!! What are you talking about?
 
Cato,


Will you stop liking/loving her because she became a Christian?
Do you feel that because she is a Christian, *your* liking of her/ *your* love for her is now in danger?


Also, why exactly do you think it is bad that she became a Christian?
 
dw - Why not? Do you understand faith?? Obviously not...or you wouldn't have said it. Faith, by definition, is believeing in somehting with out knowledge.....otherwise, it is belief in a fact....
 
And where again is the connection between reason and knowledge? Reason can be any form of motivation, it can exist without any kind of proof, so faith does not exclude reason, and there is still a reason why someone converts to a religion.
 
OK, if it can be any form of motivation, it can be just 'cause she feels like it....right??
 
Wow....sounds like she is not only smarter at physics, she is just all around smarter than you.....
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no, we were often equal in physics when were were studying, but I am a bad test taker. moreover, I knew a lot more about modern physics, but she didn't need to take the second semester of physics (mostly modern) in which I was at the top of the class.
Now that's a strange one...why exactly does she believe in something that is obviously hard to comprehend for her? May it be social pressure or personal problems? It is a bit difficult to think up logical arguments or ways of action when there is not so much information.
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she has no personal problems, most of the people around her are not religious, and she has discussed religion countless times with the gang and I from school. although, she is the kind of person to go extremely out of her way to please people. I am not sure how religious her parents are, but maybe she feels like it will make them happy, I don't know. she is normal, down to earth, and probably the nicest person you would ever meat.

there have been countless times I have argued with people about morality and religion around her, and she almost always agrees that christanity does not make sense. I hope I didn't push her, she did advocate christanity in most of our arguments. however, she was only playing devils advocate, and admitted to being soundly defeated.

my theory is that she turned because she is 20 now, and feeling more like an adult. this might cause her to want to emulate her parents, whom, I think, are mild Christians.
 
And, if this is her choice, whom are you to tell her it is wrong? Does she not have the right to choose for herself whom she should emmulate? Are you simply jealous that she is not emmulating you? Perhaps, she simply wants to believe that there is more out there than you are happy believing in....is that so wrong for her to choose her own thoughts???
 
In that case, it might just be a spontaneous decision, if she just emulates mild christians...

Anyway, as long as she does not suffer under blind faith, as long as she sees the shortcomings and errors, I do not see any harm in it. Religion is, in my opinion, opium for the people, if it makes her happy, I would just let her be. After all, it is her choice.

I suppose that her Christianity will wear off, since she is not under influence of hardcore believers or fully convinced of the doctrine, it cannot be very longlasting.
 
"I suppose that her Christianity will wear off, since she is not under influence of hardcore believers or fully convinced of the doctrine, it cannot be very longlasting."

I just don't want her to be pulled in farther.
 
Then tell her so, sad as it may seem, it is her choice, and she is entitled to it, not much to be done against that. Just tell her how you feel about all of this. Of course, I would still question her concerning her sudden conversion. But I found out that an outright talk about such matters are better than (sometimes manipulative) measures that are born out of people's good intentions.
 
I always wondered how a few of my professors from college had believed in any faith-based religion. They had so much knowledge and taught about the beginnings of this faith and/or that faith. They would show the similarities between religions and the way they have converged and grew or failed. I always felt that these few teachers were disappointing in that they had the knowledge but were content to follow religions that required for them to put their intellects on hold. So Cato, I can understand why your loss bothers you. I think everyone feels the loss when the intelligent community loses a member.
 
getts said:
Wow....sounds like she is not only smarter at physics, she is just all around smarter than you.....

I find it interesting, that most Atheists want to be left alone, but want to pester the shit out of Christians!! Why is that??? You don't want to listen to Christians cram their religion down your throat, but you sure want to cram your atheism down Christians throats....
Click to expand...
could please show some instances for that thank you.
 
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