I suppose it all comes down to what you think you can achieve with an individual theist. Sometimes you just realize you are wasting your time and they are just becoming ever more entrenched. I experienced this very recently where it became obvious that however badly the theist was arguing his position he wasn't going to change - even against an overwhelmingly logical argument.
At other times this is less important - the theist is still not going to budge but they do acknowledge that there are other paths that could be valid.
And then there are the times when you can help a theist see the light (LOL). In some cases it might be ridicule that works and in other it might be understanding, tolerance and patience where you lead them to the conclusions but let them make the final leap on their own.
For me that last possibility is a problem. If I have convinced someone that their theism has mislead them then I am honour bound to be there to support them as they struggle with their new reality. This can be extremely onerous. To me - convincing someone that they were wrong but leaving them suicidal is not much of a victory.
At other times this is less important - the theist is still not going to budge but they do acknowledge that there are other paths that could be valid.
And then there are the times when you can help a theist see the light (LOL). In some cases it might be ridicule that works and in other it might be understanding, tolerance and patience where you lead them to the conclusions but let them make the final leap on their own.
For me that last possibility is a problem. If I have convinced someone that their theism has mislead them then I am honour bound to be there to support them as they struggle with their new reality. This can be extremely onerous. To me - convincing someone that they were wrong but leaving them suicidal is not much of a victory.
