The Mormon Test

Last updated on: March 26, 2012 at 12:27 am by Leah Libresco

The Mormon Test 2012-03-26T00:27:27-04:00 Leah Libresco

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Another day, another post at Daylight Atheism (and jeez oh man have I been catching flack in the comments sections). Today’s post tries to give an example of the kind of challenging but not condescending conversations with Christians I’ve been trying to sell the commentariat on. This one’s inspired by seeing The Book of Mormon, but is focused on talking to non-Mormon Christians. If you want something more focused on talking to Mormons, click back to my dialogue with Mormon e-missionaries. So, without further ado:

The Mormon Test

When in argument with Christians, it can be hard to find a good way to explain why you doubt their precepts. John Loftus has a good idea with his Outsider’s Test for Faith, but most Christians believe that their faith can pass the test; it’s hard to show them how their faith looks if you haven’t been steeped in it.

Sometimes I’ve tried comparing and contrasting with other, conflicting denominations and asking why I should find one compelling over the other, but it’s easy for Christians to escape that maneuver by claiming that they do agree on the most important aspects of God’s nature. According to them, I should be convinced by what binds them together. It’s also easy to end up in an endless cycle of counter-citations and courtier’s replies if you try to get technical with objections and apologetics.

I have a couple standard questions, but, after seeing The Book of Mormon on Broadway, I’ve got an idea for a different opening gambit.

[Read the rest at Daylight Atheism]

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