"Oh, well, actually Jesus wasn't really crucified. He was fixed to a tree, because...they didn't have the technology to make crosses back then"

This is an ample opportunity to tell the short story of one woman's ignorance of history . I was in hospital (visiting) and vaguely listening to the visitors at the next bed, one of whom was trying to convert a male muslim nurse to Christianity . The guy politely explained that, yes Jesus is revered under Islam - but he is not given the same consideration as he is by Christian s. Sadly, this did not seem to deter the evangelical visitor ("have you ever considered.... Jesus ") - it also prompted a nearby female nurse to say:

I know this is a small point, but it seems to exemplify ignorance of many subjects, not just religion. Jesus was crucified by the Romans! The same people that made huge catapults, ballistae, forts, and so on. One of the most technologically advanced people around at the time. How could they fail to fix two pieces of wood together?

I don't think that theologians or scientists consider the kind of wilful ignorance some people would have to wade through to grasp the arguments they make. Uninformed opinion will only ever be swayed by emotion, not facts or reason. Perhaps we are entering a new 'twilight age' where half the people are in a self-imposed dark age and the rest aren't. Despite freely available information and relatively high literacy, many just don't bother.