Quiz the atheist

I just had a fun time with some Mormon missionaries. Three of them passed by as I was walking my dog and they started the conversation (I made sure it wasn't me since that could be unethical). After a general discussion about mormanism I revealed I was an atheist. They (politely) started asking me questions when I made it clear they could not ask me anything that would offend me. With slow simple answers and reference only to very basic ideas I answered all their questions. Although there questions where designed to try and make me turn to a religious belief or lake of (where they could jump in and tell me), my answers seemed to genuinely interest them. The fact that they changed question lines many times and only ask follow up questions to try and stump me showed they were well trained. But after a while one of the guys realized the reverse effect was happening since the other two were starting to ask follow up questions out of interest! I was even able to make them understand how a persons theism makes some discussions impossible (like the merits of political systems) and that some questions don't make sense (they liked this one, I asked what does a ball of negative radius look like). What was priceless was when I made the point that the message was more important than the messenger. I told them that philosophies attributed to Jesus had legitimacy regardless of whether he was a man-god or fiction, just like St. Nicholas could be revered without believing Santa Clause is real (Christians really respond to the St. Nick and Santa example of reality becoming fiction, there faces where priceless).

Interestingly this all happened as I was thinking what a funny thing it is in genesis when it says god rested on the seventh day. Why would god need to rest? And how did god count days? Does he have a god calendar and mope about Mondays too? They found this quite amusing but where stumped.

Overall I don't think there will be any lasting damage to their indoctrination, maybe just a chink, but the reason it was enjoyable was the tone. They were always polite, never yelled or got hot-under-the-collar and did not interrupt me! It's been soo long since I spoke to a non-atheist about religion with having to be cut off before finishing my answers. If only all religions taught manners we may be able to have more of these types of discussions.