Do you guys remember that I grew up with a guy who became the pastor of the church I went to school at as a kid, and was subsequently convicted of sucking off fifteen year old boys at the school?

Here you go: http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2010/06/y...ettlemoir.html

Sickening, I wonder why he gave himself in though, was he already suspected?

The mother of one of the kids found disturbing text messages from him on her son's phone.

As I said in a previous post, guys tend not to think clearly when they're horny. I suspect that most of those priests would probably screw a lamppost if they thought they could get away with it. So, I agree with those who suggested that those priests turn to paedophilia because they see it as easier and less likely of getting caught.

Bear in mind that there are also priests who have affairs with adult women and men. It's just not reported as loudly or as often.

After reading people's objections to my post (and, frankly, I was hesitant about it when first typing it), I'm going to water it down slightly to 'challenge our dogmas'. Whether anyone actually reconsiders them is a different matter.

You're right. People in general are shit at seperating respect for a person and respect for an idea. I just object to the suggestion that it is something that religious people do more often than atheists. In my experience - and bear in mind that I know a lot of ultra-orthodox people - atheists are just as close-minded about different viewpoints as religious people are.

It turns out that minds don't change when exposed to something new. They change some time after when the ideas have had time to settle. But people aren't around to see that like they were for the argument. Look at LDG519: I had no idea that his views had changed so much since he last spoke, and from the sounds of it the change was fairly smooth and gradual, which is consistent with other stories I've heard.

I think usually it's passion or rudeness that is mistaken for closed-mindedness. Or else, the refusal to accept a shit argument. If you start out right and with the facts to support it, whichever side that might be, it's hardly closed-mindedness to not change your mind when handed bullshit.

Oooookay... but that has nothing to do with attacking a person rather than an idea.

I know, it was to do with the thing it was about.

it was definately a slow process and it was pretty smooth for me, but I don't think it was smooth for my christian family, which given what they think will happen to me is understandable, I was already most of the way to atheism when I watched this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-jQUHUF1MU

it was about 30 minutes after that that I completely changed

Sigh... always good to be proved right.

Huh? what does that prove.

It was in response to your comment, Nathan.

How?

.

I didn't ask what; I asked how.

I don't see the link from me responding to your post about respecting people but not ideas, to your post about why people are naturally close-minded.