You just don't get it, do you?


I think the discussion is more like this...

Me: [ happily picking daisies by the side of the road ]
BC: [ dancing on the double yellow broken line ]
    "Come on out and play on the highway!"
Me: "Why?"
BC: "The highway was put here for people to be on.  We must work towards
     fulfilling its purpose."
Me: "But --"
BC: "Look, the highway has been here for several generations.  Look, I
     have a story about how it was actually created by a divine being!
     And several people actually saw Elvis bless it!"
Me: "But --"
BC: "Look, are you going to come out here, or not?"
Me: "But --"
BC: "You probably think that picking daisies is fun.  Well, you're wrong."
Me: "Where in blazes did you get this silly idea that you're supposed to
     be playing on the highway?  You'll get yourself killed!"
BC: "Better to be killed on the highway than to live an empty life off
     of it.  Besides, you're just asking pointless questions.  You know
     you really want to be playing on the highway too; you're just
     denying it."
Me: "If you want to get run over, then fine, but I'd much rather enjoy
     the daisies, if you please."
BC: "Why do you shun me like this?  The Creator of the Highway will flatten
     you with a steamroller if you don't see the light and come join me!"
Me: "Well, if he's gonna be THAT way about it, maybe I want to get as
     far from the highway as I can..."
BC: [ incoherent but quite familiar righteous sputtering ]

Brian C., don't you see?  I do not believe that your god is:

	(a) real, or even

	(b) beneficial.

In fact, I believe your religion is imaginary and, carried to
extremes, harmful.  I would like to help you see its shortcomings, and
perhaps someday finally become strong enough to see it for what it is:
an elaborate lie, kept alive by the elite priesthood to keep the
masses properly submissive to their influences.

Please offer me an argument that's more convincing than "you just
don't believe 'cos you don't want to."  Everything you've said so far
could apply equally to any religion -- why do you believe yours is the
real one?

(Note that saying "it's the only one that promises eternal life" or
something like that isn't an answer to my question, unless you show
that (a) no other religion promises eternal life and (b) it is
unarguably true that eternal life must be a reality.)
