I understand most will say "to be knowledgable about what they oppose." but ... that doesn't make sense to me. If something isn't important to you or interests you, then why study it? Some will say they study it so that they can debate with theists, but that right there shows to me that it is very important to you, and as a former atheist I don't understand why arguing religion is important to someone who claims that religion... isn't important to them because it's non-sense.
If I read Harry Potter books it's because I love wizardry, but I don't study/memorize it. so obviously there is some deep like/need you have for religious texts that pushes you to study, highlight, and quote it so that you can deem yourself to be better read than the average theist.
I am not trying to be offensive, but I just could never understand why because when I remember when I gave up theism--that was it. I just simply said "there is no God" and went about my normal life without ever thinking about it again. This was years ago... I decided to become Agnostic a year or so ago...
so.... why?... do you feel that you need that knowledge to be better respected as an atheist?
It just reminds me of a racist person who commented how "racists aren't ignorant". He studied Black people and used his findings to back-up why he hated Blacks and to show that he wasn't an ignorant racist, but simply a racist.
It's that it? You don't want to be seen as an "ignorant atheist" who doesn't know anything about various religions... but why would the opinion of those you deem to be "living in La la land" be important to you?
I just don't get it.
If I read Harry Potter books it's because I love wizardry, but I don't study/memorize it. so obviously there is some deep like/need you have for religious texts that pushes you to study, highlight, and quote it so that you can deem yourself to be better read than the average theist.
I am not trying to be offensive, but I just could never understand why because when I remember when I gave up theism--that was it. I just simply said "there is no God" and went about my normal life without ever thinking about it again. This was years ago... I decided to become Agnostic a year or so ago...
so.... why?... do you feel that you need that knowledge to be better respected as an atheist?
It just reminds me of a racist person who commented how "racists aren't ignorant". He studied Black people and used his findings to back-up why he hated Blacks and to show that he wasn't an ignorant racist, but simply a racist.
It's that it? You don't want to be seen as an "ignorant atheist" who doesn't know anything about various religions... but why would the opinion of those you deem to be "living in La la land" be important to you?
I just don't get it.