What do 25% of male British travelers bring with them on business trips?

[Elok]

Not in response to crap arguments like that, they don't.

[giblets]

Yeah but reasonable people like Imran, Jon Miller, etc. stop supporting them and join the right side.

The assumption here seems to be that whether someone is religious or not is a matter of rational decision-making. (just to make things clear I am NOT saying religious people are necessarily irrational)

[Jon Miller]

There are many good religious people who have views on doctrine that I very much disagree with. I am perfectly happy to worship next to young earth creationists, those who think that some people burn in hell for all eternity, and those who say they take the Bible literally (but as mentioned by Elok, doing so is impossible and unreasonable).

JM

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yeah but I say that in an attempt to undermine the disease known as religiosity.

And yet you fail so spectacularly and make yourself look like a fool.

[Imran Siddiqui]

There are many good religious people who have views on doctrine that I very much disagree with. I am perfectly happy to worship next to young earth creationists, those who think that some people burn in hell for all eternity, and those who say they take the Bible literally (but as mentioned by Elok, doing so is impossible and unreasonable).

JM

Agreed on all accounts. Heck, I'm marrying someone who believes those things (though I'm trying to move her to my positions ).

[MOBIUS]

It'll all end in tears.

And I'll enjoy rubbing this thread in your face when you finally come to your senses and realise you actually were right after all when you were an atheist...

[Imran Siddiqui]

You are such a wonderful person. Why wouldn't anyone want to be like you?

[Elok]

You are such a wonderful person. Why wouldn't anyone want to be like you?

You're not pushing too hard on your fiancee's opinions, are you? That kind of bugging can screw up a relationship fast, and it's not like odd private opinions are going to cause real problems. My wife firmly believes a number of things which I'm fairly sure are crazy--she's a libertarian/anarchist, FFS--and I simply don't comment and continue to love her regardless.

[MRT144]

How could anyone marry a young earth creationist? Exceptional cooking skills, blowjob skills and frequency, income?

[Elok]

Differences in political or religious beliefs are generally quite irrelevant provided you can agree to disagree. If the young-earth creationist decides to lecture you night and day about how carbon-dating is notoriously unreliable and whale hips are important for muscle attachments and blah blah blah, the issue isn't that she's a young-earth creationist--it's that she's pushy and doesn't respect your right to your own opinions. The only sticking point is what they'll teach their kids, if they have any.

[MRT144]

It's one of the only beliefs I can imagine that is symptomatic of far greater irreconcilable belief differences.

[Jon Miller]

How could anyone marry a young earth creationist? Exceptional cooking skills, blowjob skills and frequency, income?

Nice person? You are in love with them? They are kind? They want to help others? They are a good person? They are genuine? They make you laugh?

What makes being a young earth creationist so terrible that it makes someone marriageable?

I could see if they had a drug problem, or were part of a cult, or had an incurable disease. But (baring some other thing) how is that one thing so bad?

JM
(I know quite a large number of young earth creationists, many of them are good people.)

[Elok]

I don't see why it'd be irreconcilable at all. She could believe the earth was pooped out six days ago by the cosmic koala and it wouldn't affect the way they relate to one another, unless one or both of them chose to make it an issue. If he thought such a belief automatically made her stupid and didn't respect her, that would be a problem, for example. Or if she thought he was damned to hell for swallowing Darwin's lies and set out on a 24-hour campaign to lead him to the light, their relationship would belly-up. Otherwise, it's just a strange, irrelevant opinion. Maybe she likes pickled-egg-and-yogurt sandwiches too. Does it matter?

[giblets]

Young earth creationism tends to make me suspect that a person might be bat**** insane.

[Boris Godunov]

Or really stupid. Or just woefully intellectually uncurious/dishonest.