How do you guys who visit other forums deal with particularly stupid, ignorant but stubborn creationists?
(1) respect them as people.
(2) keep it simple, keep your focus on a point at a time.
Understand
cognitive dissonance and it's effect on people.
quote:
In simple terms, it can be the filtering of information that conflicts with what one already believes, in an effort to ignore that information and reinforce one's beliefs. In detailed terms, it is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, where "cognition" is defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior. The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.
If you make any kind of side comment while discussing something that conflicts with their beliefs they will seize on that to the exclusion of the point/s you are trying to make, and they won't even realize it.
(3) avoid "trigger" words. "Evolution" for instance. There is an anecdote of a biologist traveling by plane back from some field experiments. The person next to him asked what he did, and the biologist told him about studying fish in different ponds along a stream and seeing how, where predation was low, colors were bright to attract mates, but where predation was high, colors were subdued. The other passenger was fascinated and they talked at some length and detail, when the passenger remarked something about how somebody should develop a theory to explain it. When the biologist said it already was, and the theory was evolution, the passenger got angry and said he didn't believe in evolution and refused to talk further. The word triggered a denial\anger response.
(4) enjoy what you are doing, not in scoring "points" but in laying out concepts clearly and simply with evidence to support it.
(5) do something else so that this is only a hobby, not your life. Beating your wife on alternate weekends or driving the wrong way on the highway don't count.
Enjoy.
we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
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