Amazon Impulse Purchase of the Week

I really don't like fundies. They make the rest of us look bad. And I have had many more respectful, enlightening conversations with atheists than I could ever have with a fundie. If someone is that certain, and that completely closed off to being persuaded or changing his/her mind - then what would be the point of discussion or debate? It's all settled before the conversation begins, and no matter how hard I try, and how much I marshal evidence and make compromises or suggest other positions or ideas, the fundie can just go "Nuh-uh!" or "The Bible says this!" (when I would never base an argument on "Socrates says this!" or "Aristotle says this!" w/o making some further argument to show why that might be persuasive). I believe we approach truth little by little, in dialogue and exchange with other people, none of us ever possessing the full version of "truth," so the fundie position is much more antithetical to me than an atheist one (atheists can be very arrogant and self-assured, of course, but even the most obnoxious have always seemed more open to considering evidence and argumentation, in my experience).

But, anyway, I'll probably read this book (recommended by the love of my life, Rachel Maddow) and get scared all over again at the prospects for sane, peaceful human life on this planet.