As someone who at one time oscillated between vague religiosity and more robust involvement in religious activities (even though I think I always had a certain level of skepticism) it's hard to pin point where or how I became an atheist. But the one factor that stands out is, there was a period in my life when I had the opportunity to gain distance from religiosity, and that distance reduced my affinity for religion and enhanced my willingness to question its underlying precepts. I'm not sure how something like that can be accomplished via debate. It's easier with younger people, especially in less religious areas, but with people beyond traditional college age, I feel like maybe gentle appeals to rational thinking can be helpful to plant the seed, but the more confrontational you are, the more deeply entrenched your adversary becomes. So debating and arguing can actually be counterproductive. This doesn't mean that the confrontational approach is useless in all circumstances. I think having public figures like Richard Dawkins speaking out on this issue is very helpful, but that's very different from debate (which is more personal).
Okay .... that's my two cents
Okay .... that's my two cents
