This kind of puts all those exorcist movies in a new light, eh?
This is going to sound gratuitously derogatory towards atheists. I do not mean it to be. Nevertheless, please recognize that I see atheism as THE most serious problem for civilization (truly Matthew 10: 33).
TO WIT, I shame on purpose, but I never intentionally shame the specific individual. I endeavor to shame the behavior and the thinking (e.g., atheists are NPCs) driving them. It works. But it takes time. Success is not the acknowledgment of truth. Success is observed (by me) as a change in behavior.
Critically, I seek to remain true to the pursuit of absolute truth (God’s truth). If a genuine argument is offered in opposition, I authentically consider it since I do not claim to know God’s truth.
Fallen people, however, regularly shame other individuals to drive tribal thinking. In other words, they are not agents of absolute truth (Grace). They are cognitive soldiers for their tribe. That is, their statements are not made with respect to absolute truth. They are made purposely to support/protect the tribe.
So I ALWAYS ignore their emoting. If I can find a way, I shame their lack of reason–that is, ONLY if I can find a way that THEY might perceive as shameful (I never lean on the Bible). Still, I do not get drawn into their emotion. If you shame their process, they will quickly move on (sometimes block). However, later, they will adapt since shame works because THEY consider their behavior shameful. Dysrational people do not like to be shamed. This is why SIN works. Unfortunately, Biblical sin only works on the religious.
If you react in a debate, however, the cognitive tribal-soldier has struck a blow. As a result, they will keep coming back using similar shaming tactics. You must not react. Instead, just sew your cognitive seeds (using what THEY consider to be shameful) and move on.
The above thinking puts all those exorcist movies in a new light, eh?
