We all know that nothing clouds our judgement more than emotions, and Christianity is often viewed as an emotionally intense relationship. Christians are told stories of how they are all guilty and how much God still loves them, much like a verbally abusive boyfriend conning his “undeserving” victim into believing she is fortunate for his acceptance and “love”. Even the smaller churches also rile the crowd up through rock shows, theater, and overly charismatic spokesmen preaching similar stories.
If you were to discard the theatrics, put aside emotions, and take a deep breath do you think the stories would remain convincing or compelling on their own?