Richard Wade here.

Are you interested in actually influencing a religious believer to start thinking critically, rather than just scoring “points” that only you are counting? Are you bored with doing the same old song and dance with faith-based minds, assured that your arguments were better, but knowing they had no effect? Would you like to make a difference rather than just make noise?

Dan Fincke, who writes the very astute blog Camels With Hammers, has written a series of ten articles titled “Tips for Reaching Out to Religious Believers.” Dan has a PhD in philosophy, and is a highly skilled teacher at six different universities in the New York area. He is adept at getting his students to challenge their own beliefs and assumptions, and to grow beyond their initial self-expectations.

I highly recommend reading these thorough and cogent short essays, each delineating approaches and techniques that are essential in the art of rational persuasion. Dan explains what works, what doesn’t, and why. If you use even some of these tips, I think you will find yourself less frustrated and more encouraged after interacting with religious believers.

Here are the links:

1. Don’t Call Religious Believers Stupid.

2. Make Believers Stay on Topic During Debates.

3. Don’t Tell Religious Believers What They “Really Believe”.

4. Clarify What Kinds of Evidence Warrant What Kinds of Beliefs.

5. Help Break The Spell Of Religious Reverence.

6. Don’t Demonize Religious People’s Motives, Focus On Their Objective Harms.

7. Take Philosophy Seriously.

8. Both Refute The Best Counter-Arguments You Can Think Of And Create Gestalt Shifts.

9. Be Unapologetic, Rigorous, Patient, And Gracious With Religious Believers.

10. Love Religious People.