# Kanicbird. Yeah, It's probably pointless, but.. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 30, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanicbird-yeah-its-probably-pointless-but/483711 "2009-01-30T14:37:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 117
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanicbird-yeah-its-probably-pointless-but/483711/117 "2009-01-31T18:39:33Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Now, I think both **kanicbird** and my uncle are…touched…on issues like this. But they’re not making arguments that are entirely illogical (even though both arguments are idiotic). What makes the arguments idiotic if they’re not illogical? > [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > My point is that courage is easy **if you think** you’ve got people backing you up. bold added Interesting argument. So you’re saying that all you have to do to have courage is to **think** that someone is backing you up? You don’t need evidence of it or any proof that it’s true? If that’s the case, you’ve basically made the case for faith, which is the belief in something unseen and for which there is little or no evidence. Let’s say that someone told you that there are snipers all around you who will kill off anyone who tries to harm you. Would you have instant courage for any activity given this fact even if there’s no evidence that these snipers actually exist? If someone told you that they exist but they hide themselves very well, does that give you more courage? What if you saw glimmers of someone moving quickly out of your sight, would that give you more proof that these snipers really exist? And would it give you more courage? Can you make yourself believe? Try it. What takes courage (or stupidity since there’s a often a fine line between the two) is to believe the first assumption. Then as you say, acting with conviction if you take for granted the first assumption is less difficult. > [@mhendo](#): > > I’m afraid i don’t understand this thread. > . . . > But if you argue with believers _as if_ their non-existent deity were real, then you shouldn’t be surprised when the responses you get sometimes reflect the more bizarre extremes of interpretation. Exactly. The question in the linked thread is: > [@BELIEVERS: why does God act so circuitously in freeing the Hebrews from Egypt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-does-god-act-so-circuitously-in-freeing-the-hebrews-from-egypt/483289/1): > > What are Yahweh’s motives in acting thus? which is pretty much a nonsensical question. If you ask a stupid question, you get answers that are easy to criticize. And **Skald the Rhymer** seems to have made of hobby of doing this with religious questions. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanicbird-yeah-its-probably-pointless-but/483711)._