I have this lingering suspicion that many believers suffer from bad consciences. However firmly they feel their beliefs to be correct, they are also aware of how idiotic their beliefs appear to others. Arguments from design, first cause, etc. strike me as face-saving philosophical window dressing meant to bestow some patina of intellectual respectability to the 21st Century adult who believes absurd ancient myths for no good reason.
In most cases, I suspect, destroying their "reasons" results in resentment rather than deconversion because the reasons they give are superfluous to begin with. They didn't reason their way to Yahweh, Christ, the Trinity, etc. Their attachment to these myths is emotional and irrational, and many will cling to these beliefs even more tenaciously when their spurious arguments are exposed as such. Of course, their holy book assures them that their faith is but foolishness to the world, so they have one last fatuous appeal to authority up their sleeve whenever they are bested in debate: God told us there'd be days like this!
Why won't these bad arguments die? Because bad arguments are all they have, but they are too proud to jettison them. It's not enough for them to believe. They want you and me to also think they are reasonable for holding their beliefs.
In most cases, I suspect, destroying their "reasons" results in resentment rather than deconversion because the reasons they give are superfluous to begin with. They didn't reason their way to Yahweh, Christ, the Trinity, etc. Their attachment to these myths is emotional and irrational, and many will cling to these beliefs even more tenaciously when their spurious arguments are exposed as such. Of course, their holy book assures them that their faith is but foolishness to the world, so they have one last fatuous appeal to authority up their sleeve whenever they are bested in debate: God told us there'd be days like this!
Why won't these bad arguments die? Because bad arguments are all they have, but they are too proud to jettison them. It's not enough for them to believe. They want you and me to also think they are reasonable for holding their beliefs.
