[luckyme]

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The one thing a believer has in an argument that you don't is that he's most likely been on both sides in his life and is therefore aware of both perspectives.

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Interesting. Do you have a source for that?

The only data I remember seeing is that the huge majority of people worldwide have their parents religion.
Non-anecdotally, the only other source I can think of is that 100 years ago the bulk of the western world was religious, the percentage of non-religious is up now which would seem to indicate that non-believers were at least raised in religious homes. hmmmm, non-conclusive.

As a personal note, not meant to be evidence of anything other than it may be clouding my judgment, I don't know any personally that went through an atheist stage (bunny here is a possible net-person) and that includes a huge family that most have switched sects in all directions but stayed xtrian ( we now even have a couple mormons, if they are xtrians). We have gigantic family reunions and religion is not an off limit topic.

If you don't have any data, that's fine, I'd still be interested in your personal experience that leads you to believing that most theists have gone thru an atheist phase, since it is so opposite to what I've seen.

To your point that his having 'been there', how is that an asset to him? If I'm having a discussion with a theist, what would he add to his claim if he was formerly an atheist that a crib to coffin theist couldn't?

thanks, luckyme