Precisely. Which reverses the onus of the burden of proof, etc. Rather than arguing from the side requiring the proof you can argue from the side for which proof must be shown.

It’s a device of rhetoric, but useful nonetheless.

There are more converts under 18 than any other age so yeah I’d say there is an increase in children or youth.

Assuming that’s true, that doesn’t establish that the majority of converts are under 18 and located in Utah, which is what would have to be the case for your previous assertion to be true.

I understand a strawman argument. ANY arguement that draws attention away from what is the true matter.

That’s a red herring. A prime example of this is your first comment on this thread.

A strawman is when one person misinterprets the argument of another person and then bases his response on that misinterpretation.

[my beliefs are based on] science and reason.

Really? So in which scientific journal can I read empirical evidence that God is imaginary?

Whereas a statement like,”God is irrelevant” holds much the same spirit, but is not a case of belief and is a fact.

I don’t know that it’s that easy to say, Rick. Without being able to reliably determine his existence (or lack thereof), how can one say absolutely (or as fact) that such an existence is irrelevant. I would think that in order for your statement to be fact, we would need to be able to establish whether he exists.

Whereas a statement like,”God is irrelevant” holds much the same spirit, but is not a case of belief and is a fact.

The only way to disprove the statement would be to assemble correlations etc. and in the end would be a waste of time.

I suppose what I would call evidence is more like common sense.

So basically, your claim that God is imaginary is simply a belief since it is unsubstantiated by evidence. Which of course means you are taking an odd position: tearing down others’ beliefs while trying to present your opinions as fact.

so really it’s all in where you are brought up or what religion is crammed into your noodle when you were too young to know the difference.

If that really were the case, the LDS Church would see growth only among children in Utah.

I have none. But I also have no evidence that unicorns, mentioned in countless tales of old, aren’t either. I suppose what I would call evidence is more like common sense. Look around and say to yourself, wow, what an unusual number of religions! So many of them are screaming they are the ONLY church (slight cough, gestures toward nearest Mormon) More still, what about the numerous similarities among stories of crucifixtions, rising fromt he dead after several days DEAD, ascending to heaven after rising, all of these things are told in stories long before Jesus is supposedly suppose to have come along.
The world is far grander a place to live in when you think of how fragile the time we have alive is. Besides, why would anyone wanna be watched around the clock by god? or judged by him for things this “god” supposedly made them feel such as lust least that’s how it.
And to be honest with you, had you been born in the middle east what do you think the odds of you being Mormon are or thinking it’s correct….slim to zero, so really it’s all in where you are brought up or what religion is crammed into your noodle when you were too young to know the difference.

I didn’t say you ‘were’ agitated, only that you seem so. And you haven’t answered Kim’s question. Perhaps you can’t?

But do all those missionaries tell you you are wrong and an idiot because you don’t believe what they believe?

But to what you said about me being agitated– that’s kind of silly to say. I didn’t say anything to imply a shakiness in my beliefs but rather a passsion for them which you misconstrue as agitation. On the other hand yes I am agitated by the many many LDS members around me but that’s only because of where I live. And you clearly think that it’s some stretch of the imagination or me being pious in someway to say that you ALL are wrong but not really. If you saw millions of people with their head buried in dirt you’d think what they were doing was silly and you could clearly see the harm in doing it. Likewise for Mormonism. Besides, the LDS are NOT a major religion, more of a fringe gathering. But I’m done talking with you as you clearly are lost to your delusion . . . and before you say that I too am lost to a delusion, stop and ask youself why my delusion is shared with the vast majority of the world when at least considering the LDS? Mormons are a doomsday religion waiting for the second coming and are wasting their time.