Why can it be so difficult to maintain religious faith? No doubt there are many answers to this question. I think that one of the biggest reasons is that all the religious person can do is tell people why they believe what they do. Believers have nothing to show for their beliefs nor can they demonstrate any of their religion's claims. If tough skeptics come along who want more than words, then the believer is left empty-handed.
Nevertheless, psychological bulwarks are available to the religious person to maintain the otherwise most defenseless religious claims. Defenders of most faiths are ready to offer the doubting Thomases of their sects food for faith. Books, websites and videos meant to convince believers with floundering faith to continue to believe are not hard to find.
Another way believers fend off tough skeptics is to demonize the skeptics and critics of their beliefs, very often literally. The skeptics are bad people, "fools and blind," who are not to be believed nor trusted. If possible they are to be silenced and very frequently silenced by force if necessary.
If all else fails, the faithful will simply avoid the skeptic. If the dialogue with a skeptic gets too hot, and the promises of the religion appear to be ready to crash and burn, then the believer will flee. As he does so, he may lob some barbs at the skeptic as a way to get him back for inflicting the painful doubt.
Nevertheless, psychological bulwarks are available to the religious person to maintain the otherwise most defenseless religious claims. Defenders of most faiths are ready to offer the doubting Thomases of their sects food for faith. Books, websites and videos meant to convince believers with floundering faith to continue to believe are not hard to find.
Another way believers fend off tough skeptics is to demonize the skeptics and critics of their beliefs, very often literally. The skeptics are bad people, "fools and blind," who are not to be believed nor trusted. If possible they are to be silenced and very frequently silenced by force if necessary.
If all else fails, the faithful will simply avoid the skeptic. If the dialogue with a skeptic gets too hot, and the promises of the religion appear to be ready to crash and burn, then the believer will flee. As he does so, he may lob some barbs at the skeptic as a way to get him back for inflicting the painful doubt.