It's a sweet scam: they want us to convince ourselves that they're telling us the truth. And some people actually fall for it! I sometimes wish I could compromise my integrity enough to tell a Christian (sorry, it always seems to be a Christian behind this tactic), with a straight face:
The reason you believe in God is that you haven't tried hard enough to stop. It's such an important question, you owe it to yourself to explore it seriously. Try not believing in God for a few weeks. Do your best to convince yourself that God is not real. Paul said we all know God in our hearts so we are without excuse. If that's true, no matter how much effort you put into convincing yourself God is not real, you'll know in your heart that he is. So if God is real, you'll know it, and it will reinforce your faith. If God is not real, there will be nothing to stop you from not believing, and you can enjoy your friends and family without worrying that they'll suffer eternal torture if they don't agree with your theology. Either way, you win. Just give it a sincere effort, that's all I'm asking.
Eh, I feel kind of dirty just writing it as a hypothetical. It's so manipulative! I might use it as a reply next time someone tells me I have to try believing before I'll believe.
The reason you believe in God is that you haven't tried hard enough to stop. It's such an important question, you owe it to yourself to explore it seriously. Try not believing in God for a few weeks. Do your best to convince yourself that God is not real. Paul said we all know God in our hearts so we are without excuse. If that's true, no matter how much effort you put into convincing yourself God is not real, you'll know in your heart that he is. So if God is real, you'll know it, and it will reinforce your faith. If God is not real, there will be nothing to stop you from not believing, and you can enjoy your friends and family without worrying that they'll suffer eternal torture if they don't agree with your theology. Either way, you win. Just give it a sincere effort, that's all I'm asking.
Eh, I feel kind of dirty just writing it as a hypothetical. It's so manipulative! I might use it as a reply next time someone tells me I have to try believing before I'll believe.
