That Point in the Conversation

[Absurd Atheist]

You now that point, that moment where your having casual discussion about life and eventually some talk of religion, faith and spirituality comes up. Someone suggests God might not exist or someone blips out that homosexuality is a sin and expects everyone to nod along. This moment underlies many conversations, dozens before they even began as you know it's possible that the moment may occur if you decide to talk to this person. Everyone denies the moment will happen and that their open-minded, but as soon as the wrong sentence is said or the idea entertained, the conversation either dies immediately or things get a lot worse.

Any tips on how to circumvent or navigate these moments of discussion so that you can have friends who don't have to believe exactly what you do? I mean you can just ignore the topic or never reach this point, but that doesn't always work as sometimes someone's just roaring to convert you, or for example it's a group thing and your not just going to walk out of the hotel room to wander the halls at 4 in the morning.

Any of you have these experiences?

Edit: Sorry this is in the wrong section, how do you move it?

[Baruch]

1. of course, don't bring up awkward topics yourself
2. if someone else does, then cough ... to get attention, and tell people you need to find the nearest men's room or lady's room .. and let the topic go on without you.
3. if they are still talking about it after you get back from the lavatory, then say you have other business you need to attend to

[aitm]

On the homophobes, my stock is: "you DO realize that there are babies born with both sex organs right?" And when they say yeah, I ask them, "so what sex are they and which sex do you think they will prefer when 16?" And when they stumble around that, I simple say, "I think if you can be born with physical androgyny you can be born with psychological androgyny. So while we consider it an aberration, in actuality it is a recurring common percentage of humanity and therefore it is a minor trait in our species. Not going to go away. Ever.

And religion: I have read that there have been over 10,000 gods that humans have worshipped in our history and from what I have seen, not one seems overly intent on convincing us that IT is the real god....so....meh, I am not much into trying to figure out which myth is right and which one is wrong.

[Cavebear]

You now that point, that moment where your having casual discussion about life and eventually some talk of religion, faith and spirituality comes up. Someone suggests God might not exist or someone blips out that homosexuality is a sin and expects everyone to nod along. This moment underlies many conversations, dozens before they even began as you know it's possible that the moment may occur if you decide to talk to this person. Everyone denies the moment will happen and that their open-minded, but as soon as the wrong sentence is said or the idea entertained, the conversation either dies immediately or things get a lot worse.

Any tips on how to circumvent or navigate these moments of discussion so that you can have friends who don't have to believe exactly what you do? I mean you can just ignore the topic or never reach this point, but that doesn't always work as sometimes someone's just roaring to convert you, or for example it's a group thing and your not just going to walk out of the hotel room to wander the halls at 4 in the morning.

Any of you have these experiences?

Edit: Sorry this is in the wrong section, how do you move it?

Sometimes a simple quiet statement "wrong" gets the conversation going.  And usually makes the first speaker expand on his statements to his exposure as a fool.  It lets the other people in the room know there is disagreement and sometimes that permits them to speak for themselves.