A Contradiction of Coercions Can We Have a Christian Explaination?

[robvalue]

How come Tim O'Neil and Bart Ehrman are still atheists?

We're always being told how they understand all the evidence far better than us, and they have concluded there is a historical Jesus. We're all just being stubborn if we'd question it for a second.

However, even with their deep understanding of all the evidence, they still do not believe the God of the bible exists. What can we learn from that I wonder? Does the Christian throw them under the bus at this point as stupid and unrealiable?

Also, if God is so against influencing our decisions in whether or not to believe in him, why is he fine with his followers constantly attempting to brow beat us into belief? I can only conclude from this that he wants us to believe in him while there is no evidence to do so. Then he will "reveal" himself. The problem is, that is the very definition of a delusion. Believing something when there's no reason to believe it. So we already have to be literally deluded before we can see the "evidence". And I don't trust the judgement of people who are deluded on a particular subject. It's far more likely to be just a continuation of that delusion, when they can't present me with any evidence.

Why does God want deluded followers? What does that say about him?

Someone trying to convince me of something based on no evidence is a con artist. Whether or not they're aware they are a con artist is a different matter.