Reply #26: I disagree with "You gotta go on the offensive"

[TechBear_Seattle]

Right wing religious people are, by and large, fanatics, regardless of which religion they follow. As with any fanatic, direct attacks only strengthen their conviction that they are right and the Enemy Of Truth is out to destroy them. All too often, even polite discussion is impossible: any rebuttal of a doctrinal point or religious conclusion will only "prove" that you are hopelessly drowned in sin, which puts you right back as an enemy of truth out to destroy them. Goodness knows, I've had plenty of conversations along those lines. :eyes:

I think the most effective way to deal with such people in the long run is to A) work to maintain the First Amendment separation of Church and State, thereby preventing the right wingers from moving our country towards a theocracy, B) maintain a constant public education program of basic civics, such as the United States having been founded as a secular nation by Deists who made no mention of God or Jesus in the Consitution, and C) either treat them with respect or generally leave them alone to the extend that points A and B allow that to happen.