[Chicago Twister]

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lol i hate debating religion. there isn't ever a right or wrong answer and you're never going to change the other person's mind. right?

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Bah. The point of conversation does not need to be to sway the other person to your point of view. It can be to simply expand your mind.

Most people who avoid arguing religion & politics say thier reasoning for avoiding that argument is just what you said -- because it's all just opinion anyway, and everybody's opinion is set in stone. I don't think that's the real reason however. I think the real reason in many people's instances is because they know that they don't know the truth and that scares them away from the conversation. Not just because they don't know the truth, but also because the truth is unknowable.

Everyone believes whatever they believe based on faith, and this conversation weakens the foundation of their faith. This is true also for atheists, who cannot themselves prove that God doesn't exist. They base their entire belief system on the faith that either (or both) of these are true:

1) It's impossible to prove that God exists, and therefore it is logical to assume that God does not exist.

2) They believe what they believe -- that God doesn't exist -- for whatever reason. But since this is also impossible to prove, they can only have faith that this is in fact true.

Anyway, I do enjoy debating these things because I enjoy understanding other people's views and challenging them. Not because I want to make them squirm, but because the conversation expands my understanding.