How do you know God isn't dead?

[smax]

hehe... that's a was me trying and failing hard (as usual) to be witty... god doesn't exist, hence god-forsaken. It wasn't meant as a hostile remark.

I see. Maybe you are not the only one who has trouble reading between the lines. Duh! LOL.

SW wrote that, clearly pointing at the fact that you are enabling the existence of god in the argument.
I'm utter shit at reading between the lines... always have been.

Well, when and if you do figure it out, please keep it to yourself for a while.

I'm not done yet.

My approach? No approach works.
No argument is possible. That's why I'm in this forum and not in one of the thousands of religious fora out there.
I'm not looking to change other people's beliefs.... just understand why it is that they believe.

Deconversion is a process each person undergoes on his/her own when they see the world failing to meet the expectations set by their religions.

We may make it easier for those who leave religion, but only by pointing out that it's not the end of the world, there is no hell to go to, etc... life goes on, regardless of religious belief.

With all due respect, I think it's a bit presumptious of you to assume that no approach works. However, I do agree that the individual ultimately takes their own journey and is only aided along by others. I went down that journey myself, and I've aided others along the same journey.

Call me arrogant, if you will, but I like to think I'm just applying what I learned during my own journey, and what I've learned since.

For me, science had nothing to do with my conversion, although it's very interesting to me now.

I'll tell you what did compel me, and what I've seen compel others: every religious person holds some aspect of their faith very sacred, critically sacred in fact. If you can figure out what that is, and demonstrate to them that it is either meaningless, powerless, or wrong, you will have forced them to take the first inevitable step toward non-belief.

The rest of that journey is very long, complicated, and confusing. You don't just delete a brain wash. It takes time.