Changing
Matters
A
Mind:
Respect
“Ridiculous beliefs deserve ridicule…”
Introduction
For those atheists that discuss and debate religion, we should
ask ourselves what the purpose behind it is. Why do we do the
things we do? For the Christian evangelist, or the Muslim
performing Da’wah, this is a simple question to answer. They
do it because they are attempting to spread their religion.
They believe their way is the way, and their religion teaches
them that they should be spreading the religion. What of the
atheist though? We have no such doctrine, we have no doctrine
at all. Yet it is common, especially in this modern era, to
find atheists discussing and debating religion. So we should
ask ourselves why we attempt to discuss religion with the
believer. Is the purpose simply to mock those that do not
think like us, or is the purpose something more?
Is the
purpose to change minds?
Ridiculing the Believer
It is common to find atheists in debate groups, especially
amongst those that act like echo chambers for atheist thought,
using the phrase ‘ridiculous beliefs deserve ridicule’. There
are many who seem to be content to insult and mock the
believer, because they hold the idea that the theist has
ridiculous beliefs. What of the theist though? There are many
who hold the idea that the atheist has ridiculous beliefs. We
often see attempts from various theists to mock the nonbeliever, not just the atheist but those that hold a different
religion. So does their belief that others hold ridiculous
beliefs entitle them to ridicule those beliefs, as the
statement implies? The atheists who hold to this idea justify
their actions by claims of atheism being logical, reasonable
and rational. Yet the believer holds that their beliefs are
these things too. Each group believes that they are the ones
with the correct beliefs, the rational beliefs, the logical
beliefs. What does ridicule achieve though?
Ridiculing can be used to bully people into conformity of
course. Is that all we as atheists want though, for those that
do not believe to simply conform to our ideas? How does that
make us any different from those believers that simply want us
to conform to their ideas? If our goal is to attempt to
promote rationality, and reason, and logic, then surely we
want more than simple conformity? Surely we should want more
than to simply look good, or look clever, amongst our peers
and those that are in our in-group?
Unless those are our goals then of course we should want more.
In order to achieve more though we must understand what it
takes to change a person’s mind. We also must understand why
it is people believe in religion, beyond memes such as ‘too
stupid to understand science’. We need to understand why
people believe their God exists, and their religion, beyond
the simple answer of indoctrination. One of my colleages here
at Answers In Reason presented an article in to the science of
belief which you can read here at your own leisure. We already
face an uphill battle when it comes to the believer changing
their mind, especially in cases of religions like Islam, in
which it is taught that it is perfect and beyond reproach, and
that it cannot be wrong. If our goal is to change their minds
then we must understand at least the bare minimum of what it
takes to change a mind, and the approaches necessary in order
to change a mind. In this article we will attempt to discuss
some of the various approaches and ideas put forward about
‘changing someone’s mind’. So, what does it take to change a
person’s mind?
An Interest in What is Being Said
The first step towards the acquisition of knowledge of course
is an interest in the topic at hand. If we are not interested
in the topic then we will rarely seek out the knowledge.
Sometimes it is curiosity, other times it is necessity, but it
is usually some kind of interest that begins our journey. The
reason behind our interest is often a factor in what
information we seek out, or what information we accept, as
well. If we are simply interested in debunking an idea, often
we will seek out that particular information. The same is true
of the opposite as well, we will seek the information that
supports the idea that we are interested in. However, interest
is only the beginning of the journey. It is what leads us to
begin our acquisition of information and knowledge, and not
the deciding factor on where and who we get our information
from.
A Little Bit of Respect
It is often respect that is a major contributing factor in who
we listen to. For if we do not respect the person, or at the
very least their grasp of the topic they are speaking on, then
we will reject the information that they present us. We can
often not respect the person giving us the information, but if
we respect their authority on the subject then we will still
listen to what that person has to say on the subject; even if
we dismiss their opinions on other subjects. Showing us that
respect has much to do with our ability to change another’s
mind. Here is where the atheist faces something of a problem
though. The knowledge we have is not something that most
believers have a genuine interest in, most are not seeking to
acquire knowledge of atheism but instead to convince the
atheist that the position they hold is incorrect. They are
seeking to convert, rather than be converted. They also do not
have a respect for the average atheists authority on certain
subjects. The authority that they respect as far as knowledge
goes is their God, and their scriptures. Made even more
difficult in cases such as Islam, in which it convinces the
believer that
Muslim cannot
taught in the
bias in their
challenge.
the scripture cannot be wrong, and that the
be wrong if they are indeed following what is
Qu’ran. It creates an almighty (pun intended!)
thinking, one that is incredibly difficult to
It is not an impossible challenge though. What it means that
what we must rely on is their respect for us as people, and as
human beings. We could argue that it will never happen, this
is true. After all, it is included in some scriptures that we
are not to be respected. That we are only worthy of hell fire,
that we are fools, and that the wise are the one’s that follow
‘the true religion’, which usually tends to be the one that
the particular believer is a member of. However, this is not
always the case. There are many that are willing to engage in
dialogue and discussion, and there are many that treat those
who believe differently with respect. So long as they are
worthy of respect of course. They generally tend not to engage
in discussion with those whose behaviour is bullying and
insulting. They are indeed looking for reasonable discourse,
just as many atheists are simply looking for reasonable
discourse.
This is something that we should be using to our advantage. By
creating and reinforcing slogans such as ‘ridiculous beliefs
deserve ridicule’ we immediately alienate those we should be
having reasonable discourse with. We earn no respect from
those we should be seeking to gain the respect of when we lead
with the idea that we will ridicule what they believe.
Especially when we factor in some of the stereotypes and ideas
that many believers already hold of the atheist.
Stereotyping of the Atheist
When we enter into a conversation with many believers, the
non-believer is already confronted by certain prejudices and
stereotypes. Ideas such as the angry atheist, or that atheists
are arrogant, or are atheists simply because we do not want to
behave, and much more. Many atheists will have come across
this in some form at some point in their lives, especially if
they are active in discussion and debate. We are also seen as
irrational by many believers, as they believe that the
rational conclusion is that God exists and to believe
otherwise is irrational. The Bible claims that those who do
not believe in God are fools, and the Qu’ran promotes the idea
that we are less than cattle (cite sources).
This means that even before entering into a conversation with
many believers they have a particular image of us. An image
designed to impact the amount of respect that the believer has
on first contact. In order to overcome this we must show that
these stereotypes do not hold weight, and that what they
believe, what they have been taught to believe, is a
falsehood. That we are not angry, and arrogant, and foolish,
and immoral, and less than animals. That we are indeed
reasonable and rational people, and we are good people.
“I will never respect religion”
There will be those who will reply that they will never
respect religion, or religious beliefs, or believers. However,
this is not the point being made here. The point is not that
we must respect these things, but instead that one of the key
conditions to getting someone to listen to you is that they
must respect you enough to actually listen to what is being
said. If they do not respect a person enough to listen to
them, then there is little chance that person will have the
opportunity to get them to question their beliefs, or listen
to their criticisms of their belief, or to listen to reasons
why they do not hold the same belief. Therefore if the goal is
these things, then the approach used must be considered.
Conclusion
This is not to say that all believers are approachable, or
will listen, or will ever respect anyone that does not believe
the same thing as they do. For these people clearly exist, and
the atheist active in discussion and debate will have come
across these people on a regular basis. These people may or
may not be unreachable, however it should be considered that
even the most ardent of believers in particular ideologies
have changed their mind when they have come across people who
had certain extant qualities that made them consider their
beliefs.
However, to approach all believers as if they hold this
mindset would be an error in judgement. For there are those
that are willing to have polite discussions. There are also
those that criticise others for similar reasons the atheist
does, such as the exclusion and harassment of the LGBT+
community and the like. Just as the atheist community is
diverse, and is made up of many different ideas and beliefs,
so to is the theist community. Some are not of the Abrahamic
faiths. These things should all be considered in our approach
to discussion and debate and criticism. Just as we atheists
are unfairly lumped together, or faulty conclusions are made
based on faulty premises, we must also not make the same the
mistake of theists.
If our goal is to get people to consider their beliefs
carefully, or to understand our criticisms of their beliefs,
or to listen to our questions, then our approach needs to be
considered by each and every one of us. Our goals too need to
be considered; and if our goal is the things that are
mentioned here then one of the main factors in even getting
close to them is that we must have a minimum amount of respect
from those we are in discussion with, enough respect to
actually get them to listen to us.