Why, Why,Why!

[max-greece]

The strange thing is that I don't know a single believer who was convinced to believe by the evidence. It always seems to boil down to either some personal revelation or the simple inability to deal with the ideas of true mortality, no-one is actually out there looking after you, there isn't an afterlife where justice is served etc. etc.

Take all of that and then recognise that even if there were a Biblical God he demands faith, and faith denies evidence - therefore there cannot be any definitive proof unless their God is really incompetent.

Kinda makes you wonder WTF?

[Tonus]

I do not understand why some theists come on with bullshit like Pascal's wager and go all you just don't wanna believe! When you refute their argument

I think that many of them are exposing themselves to skeptics and counter-arguments for the first time. If you're sheltered enough you are unaware that those arguments have long ago been considered and debated. When I was a believer, many of those arguments seemed rock solid.

That is probably also why they react so obstinately; they're in a suddenly very uncomfortable spot. Either they have to consider the counter arguments and put their previously unassailable ideas to the test, or they can simply shut their minds against any conflict. When you do the latter, the only option is to assume that it's everyone else who doesn't want to consider the alternative.

Don't discount the value of presenting them with new ideas and new thoughts to consider. Some who seem to otherwise expertly deflect your reasoning may still be affected by it in the long term. Many of us who left religion for reason have skeptics to thank, even if many of those skeptics never saw their labors bear fruit.

[Doubting Thomas]

I honestly think that none of them have ever considered the idea that anyone would see Pascal's Wager as worshiping out of fear, and any god who threatens the most terrible things imaginable for an eternity would be a monster not worthy of worship. So they fall back on the "Hell is reserved for the evil people" idea and continue to think that we must be truly evil if we don't want to be saved from this eternal torture punishment that their god has reserved for us and never realize that it is entirely possible to be a good person without worshiping a god.

[Cyberman]

Well, we got a taste of that the other day, when a certain member condemned another for not wanting to spare his relative from hell. Whatever gives them the warm 'n' fuzzies, I suppose. Shame they can't seem to do it without putting others down though.

[Doubting Thomas]

Good thing that God blocks all memories of our condemned loved ones from our brains so that while we're in ecstatic joy and infinite happiness in Heaven the thought of them burning in Hell isn't a downer. Of course it's going to make it awkward when someone asks you where your brother is and you don't know who they're talking about.