My friend is an evangelical christian who believes Bible should be read literally. She is also my boss. Some time ago we were talking, and the subject of evolution was mentioned. In Poland when I grew up Catholicism dominates and as catholic church is not questioning the theory of evolution it is accepted as a fact. In school you learn about it, clergy never question it and in my catholic university no one has problem with it. Basically before talking to my boss I didn't realize someone might believe organisms do not evolve and human female was made from a rib of first human male. As this belief was very intriguing I started talking with her about it. she accepts that farmers pair their best animals so that offspring is of high quality. Step by step in our conversation I was going through humans becoming more intelligent and less hairy. When we were close to the moment she would have to (continuing her thinking) logically conclude that yes humans evolve too she realized direction of our conversation. She excused herself and left. As I could see how uncomfortable she was with that conversation I didn't go back to it. We just laughed that I gave her a headache. I also told her about cognitive dissonance that if she sees a contradiction she will always find a solution that doesn't destroy her values. We talked about Jehovah Witnesses and how they got over unfulfilled prophecies about end of world. But basically as she was uncomfortable with the subject of evolution I didn't talk about it.

Another issue was that she told me she wouldn't vote for an atheist. As for an atheist it was a bit offensive. We started talking about it and she admitted she simply didn't know atheists before, didn't think about it much, but she was also saying that atheists go to hell. Of course for me it was implying that atheists including me are horrible people because of course God wouldn't put good people to hell. As at work I have an opinion of good and helping person and she also is of such opinion this was purely contradictory. Her solution was that I am not really an atheist. Atheists go to hell. God wouldn't send good people to hell so atheists are horrible people. I am a good person but i also say I am an atheist. But I can not be because than Bible would be wrong which it can not. So I am not an atheist. Problem solved. And again I showed her that this is a cog dis. One needs to find solution that will help him/her keep deeply ingrained value system. I also told her that when Catholics had to struggle with that issue they started believing that Bible is not a literal word of God. Which is why it is ok in Poland to be an atheist or "believe" in evolution.


And now as most of you also had to deal with cognitive dissonance. Could you write how you experienced it, struggled with it and overcame it. Did you believe what critics of Mormonism or literal interpretation of Bible were telling you or were you trying to push it out. How did it look like in your conversations when someone did push out inconvenient truths. Maybe some videos or articles about cog dis. I will show this thread to her (you can call her Judy - not a real name).

Thanks

You might find this interesting:

http://www.thereligiouscondition.com/e1.html

Tell your boss that Christians aren't necessarily good people, but they believe they are saved by grace. Atheists can be good people and just fall short of God so they are not saved, and thereby doomed to hell. You don't have to have religion to be loving and use your conscience. So it doesn't make sense that all atheists are bad people and therefore are sent to hell: being bad and being atheist are not at all the same!

But if you are good and God sends you to hell does not it make him cruel. She goes kind of your logic but than one has to say that either god is cruel sending good atheists to hell or that all those who are in hell are bad people hence atheists are bad people. If one states that "you are good being an atheist (or Jewish for that matter) but you are short of being saved by grace and that is why you go to hell" Than this person admits that God is cruel to use non offensive language. How can one believe in a cruel God.

Well kolonko, that is exactly my problem with Christianity and why I don't believe in it! But that IS the message of Christianity: that Jesus came here to die for our sins and if you don't believe in him you can't go to heaven. It has nothing to do with being good or bad, it has to do with being saved.

But...there aren't any atheists in hell.
Or in heaven, either.

Those places are made-up nonsense, not real places.

So, since there are no atheists in hell, god doesn't send atheists to hell, so atheists aren't bad people!

Game, set, match! :)

That argument won't hold up with her boss though, will it?

Wow! You have a great boss! I would have been fired if I disagreed so vocally with my boss.