Mind giving your thoughts on this?

Question

An old friend of mine who also posts on here got a bit annoyed by another friend of mine, who is a preacher for the Church of God. They had the average atheist/theist go 'round and my preacher buddy said "You must have brain damage if you can't see that god exists". My other friend smiled and said "I have a 7mm bullet in my head, so what's your excuse for talking to imaginary friends?". For some silly reason, my preacher friend got offended, and I had to step in and tell them both to drop it. Why does anyone, regardless of beliefs, make wise cracks and then get offended when their target retaliates?

Answer 1

the first believes that they are right and questioned the intelligence of the other. Whenever the other retaliates, it undermines the firsts intelligence and power.

Answer 2

The preacher caused more lack of faith by his unChristlike insult. Does he attribute his own faith to himself in a self righteous pride God and Jesus hates and condemns like the pharisee and publican? Sounds like he is a preacher of himself not Jesus. His own faith or whatever part is real is a grace and gift from God as it is for everyone else. Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead is the proof God is real. The answer to the excuse question is to read one whole Gospel. But it is not possible to reason with someone who is not willing to be reasonable.
Making a wisecrack about lack of faith to a person causes a natural response of the same to the unwisecracker who deserves what they get for it.

Answer 3

Religion has become an integrated part of some people. In other words it is their entire life and if someone is questioning their religion it is the same as if they were questioning them personally. When you therefore spot a week point in their religion, you are in fact threatening them in person. People who has a religion ( or opinion ), have fought hard to find a place and identity with their religion. If you take that away from them, they have NOTHING, and then they react like this.

Answer 4

Misplaced anger. It is all theory or opinion can't prove it during this life. So respect the rights and opinions and beliefs ofothers. However don't let some that would judge you hurt your personalbeliefs. No one gets out alive and as far as I know there is no diffinitive proof for anything we theorize, that is why it is called belief. Please people stopwaisting your life hating people for that which we choose to have faith in. Don't use your beliefs to belittle others. That behaviour goes against the root of almost all spirituality as it is.

Answer 5

Because insults hurt us. I really can't give you a better answer than that. The preacher buddy shouldn't have said what he said, he opened the door for the insult.

Answer 6

Because people get sadistic pleasure out of it. That is a sad but true fact that "One upmanship" feeds their egos. Your preacher friend needs to pray for tolerance for your atheist friend and to get his ego in check.

Answer 7

If a preacher told me those words, I'll be rather upset too and further drawn away from their religion, not toward it.

Answer 8

It seems that people often forget that they asked for it. Someone commented on a habit of mine the other day, and when I brought up one of theirs they got quite angry.

Edit: How would we stay sharp without others to criticize us anyway?

Edit: I wouldn't be a true friend if I didn't in turn criticize them also. (do you like my rationalization?)

Answer 9

Talk about preachers who should be tolerant people.

Answer 10

I cannot imagine. The debate should confine to what evidence there is to support a particular view, since there is no other way of establishing truth.