Why do you assume the answer others give you.

[Spirit of Light]

Often in discussion one can hear "I assume you mean this"
And what the assumption is, are far apart from the actual answer given.

Why do you assume you understand the answer is something else than give to you?

And why do you twist an answer given to you to suddenly mean the opposite of what was said?

 

[ChristineM]

Often in discussion one can hear "I assume you mean this"
And what the assumption is, are far apart from the actual answer given.

Why do you assume you understand the answer is something else than give to you?

And why do you twist an answer given to you to suddenly mean the opposite of what was said?

Often enough because they don't want to accept your point of view. What you say goes against their belief so they make assumption that what you really mean is what they want to hear.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Often enough because they don't want to accept your point of view. What you say goes against their belief so they make assumption that what you really mean is what they want to hear.

The strange thing is that most often i get the assumption toward something I say, it comes from people who have no religious beliefs.

Other believers seldom assume to know what was said.

 

[Heyo]

The strange thing is that most often i get the assumption toward something I say, it comes from people who have no religious beliefs.

Other believers seldom assume to know what was said.

Funny how that is directly opposite to my experience.

Sometimes a position is so strange to some people that they can't even imagine to contemplate it as a hypothesis. It's like a believer asking an atheist why they "hate god".

 

[Spirit of Light]

Funny how that is directly opposite to my experience.

Sometimes a position is so strange to some people that they can't even imagine to contemplate it as a hypothesis. It's like a believer asking an atheist why they "hate god".

Well since atheists don't believe in God, they can't hate God. They may dislike/hate scripture that they disagree with. Or parts of scripture.

 

[KWED]

Often in discussion one can hear "I assume you mean this"
And what the assumption is, are far apart from the actual answer given.

Why do you assume you understand the answer is something else than give to you?

And why do you twist an answer given to you to suddenly mean the opposite of what was said?

Words have meanings. Based on those meanings, statements often have implications that the person may not have intended or realised. This often seems to happen in religious apologetics - possibly because the apologist repeats platitudes with no thought to their implications.

Example.
A: "Evil" is not following god's law
B: So homosexuals are evil, because homosexuality is not following god's law
A: I didn't say that!

 

[KWED]

The strange thing is that most often i get the assumption toward something I say, it comes from people who have no religious beliefs.

Other believers seldom assume to know what was said.

That's because religionists rarely seem to think beyond the surface, especially if it is a platitude that corresponds to their existing position.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Words have meanings. Based on those meanings, statements often have implications that the person may not have intended or realised. This often seems to happen in religious apologetics - possibly because the apologist repeats platitudes with no thought to their implications.

Example.
A: "Evil" is not following god's law
B: So homosexuals are evil, because homosexuality is not following god's law
A: I didn't say that!

Sorry but your example was a poor attempt on blaming it on the believers

 

[Spirit of Light]

That's because religionists rarely seem to think beyond the surface, especially if it is a platitude that corresponds to their existing position.

You know very little about religion if that is what you think religious people do.

 

[Heyo]

Well since atheists don't believe in God, they can't hate God. They may dislike/hate scripture that they disagree with. Or parts of scripture.

Exactly. But the simple hypothesis that there might be no god, doesn't enter the mind of a believer who asks such a contradictory question.
I myself have difficulties to imagine things that are, to me, clearly self contradicting (such as tri-omni gods). And for me it is especially hard as I can't refer to prior experience that atheists who have de-converted have.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Exactly. But the simple hypothesis that there might be no god, doesn't enter the mind of a believer who asks such a contradictory question.
I myself have difficulties to imagine things that are, to me, clearly self contradicting (such as tri-omni gods). And for me it is especially hard as I can't refer to prior experience that atheists who have de-converted have.

I can only speak for my own belief. But yes I Believe in existence of God. That means my current belief could be wrong, or somewhat wrong. I still have a lot to understand

 

[Heyo]

I can only speak for my own belief. But yes I Believe in existence of God. That means my current belief could be wrong, or somewhat wrong. I still have a lot to understand

One typical situation when I get in trouble for assuming meaning is when I read a post that is, in my eyes, so ridiculous that it makes me laugh out loud and I reward it with a smiley frubal.
Then it turns out the poster really has that ridiculous opinion and didn't mean it as a joke.

 

[Spirit of Light]

One typical situation when I get in trouble for assuming meaning is when I read a post that is, in my eyes, so ridiculous that it makes me laugh out loud and I reward it with a smiley frubal.
Then it turns out the poster really has that ridiculous opinion and didn't mean it as a joke.

Redicilous to whom? You that does not hold that belief? That is judgemental

 

[Brian2]

Often in discussion one can hear "I assume you mean this"
And what the assumption is, are far apart from the actual answer given.

Why do you assume you understand the answer is something else than give to you?

And why do you twist an answer given to you to suddenly mean the opposite of what was said?

I do that as clarification and to make sure I understand what is being said. Sometimes what is said can be ambiguous.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I do that as clarification and to make sure I understand what is being said. Sometimes what is said can be ambiguous.

Isn't it easier to ask " what do yoi actually mean by that?"

 

[Heyo]

Redicilous to whom? You that does not hold that belief? That is judgemental

Humour is like taste, a bit different for everyone.

 

[osgart]

Perhaps it's because they are anxious to debate their own points without agreement on defined terms.

They perhaps want you to follow their script.

Maybe the chaos of informal debate is a way to make the believer seem foolish.

Or maybe they want you to have faith in their experts without demonstrating the reasons for their points of view.

Most of these believer vs. non believer debates is usually a one way q and a. The non believer doesn't often get into defending their own positions.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Humour is like taste, a bit different for everyone.

Is it humor to tell someone "what you believe is redicilous" ?

 

[Heyo]

Isn't it easier to ask " what do yoi actually mean by that?"

No. That doesn't help the interlocutor to know what you didn't understand. The ideal, in a debate, is to repeat the argument in your own word and have your interlocutor agree. Sometimes (rarely) it helps to exaggerate.

 

[Spirit of Light]

No. That doesn't help the interlocutor to know what you didn't understand. The ideal, in a debate, is to repeat the argument in your own word and have your interlocutor agree. Sometimes (rarely) it helps to exaggerate.

So asking for a clearer answer by saying "I did not understand, can you explain again?" That is not good because you would look like you was not wise? Or you are afraid of losing the debate?