I’m not sure sweet reason will work. I do remember a sophisticated theist friend coming back from visiting our local Church of England, which is low enough church to be about one notch above the local Pentecostal churches, and includes recruits from the higher end of there. People who quite literally believe in a simplistic karmic model of the world, where good things happen to good people, so if bad things or good things happen to you it’s because you’re bad or good. He was horrified. I then ran EY’s concentric series of retcons theory of religion past him and he had to concur to some degree. I’ve since given him The God Delusion to read, after I caught him bitching about it without having read it. I am now biding my time. Muwahahaha.
I’m not sure sweet reason will work. I do remember a sophisticated theist friend coming back from visiting our local Church of England, which is low enough church to be about one notch above the local Pentecostal churches, and includes recruits from the higher end of there. People who quite literally believe in a simplistic karmic model of the world, where good things happen to good people, so if bad things or good things happen to you it’s because you’re bad or good. He was horrified. I then ran EY’s concentric series of retcons theory of religion past him and he had to concur to some degree. I’ve since given him The God Delusion to read, after I caught him bitching about it without having read it. I am now biding my time. Muwahahaha.