I normally don’t, frankly I don’t know them well enough to put up a decent arguement. I stick to science when I get engaged in religious debate. Normally I argue evolution, global warming or other sciency things the person/people I’m debating with refuse to believe or has a very poor understanding of. In my opinion people can believe whatever they want about religion, just so long as they don’t approach me and start shoving it my face.
That is good of you, for if you are trying to explain to people that you are an atheist because of what you see in science then science should be your basis for your argument.
I have find that many times when I try to explain my postion on political and other matters, though it has bases on my faith, my argument many times will make sense also on scientific and philosophical terms. But time and time again those that believe faith has no place in the public forum will spend more time trying to debunk my faith then presenting a true reasoning on their position, other then they are right. It almost seems that it is more important to prove there is no God, then to explore all the arguments. It really gets to me, when someone trys to pigion hole me as being the same as some extreme tele-evangelist or hate group that uses Christ name in distortion.
The Catholic Church embraces science. Evolution can fit within our faith (though the current theories I see as lacking they don’t shake my faith), global warming should be debated and that debate fits within the teachings of the Church about taking care of the earth, and etc.
Historically our culture, laws, mores and morals in the West has been shaped by the teachings of the Church and too many want to ignore that history or distort it.
*Getting back to the subject of this thread… *
As it comes to non-Catholics using scripture against us, I think they are stuck on themselves, they want to control themselves and others and don’t want to submit fully to the will of the God, unless it is on their terms. many are also ignorant on the history of scripture or the Church. Many are trully sincere in what they believe, that is way it is important to respond in love as we deepen our own understanding with prayer as we learn more about our own beliefs and the teachings of the Church.
Peace…