Different things work for different people, there is no written-in-stone recipe . . . . . my mind was changed after a debate with a non-believer. It did not happen immediately, but it did, and I am grateful to this person.

It is true, I had little choice when daughter was little where her mother took her to church/brain washing. All I could do was let it happen and wait for her to grow and start questioning. She is an adult now, doesn't go to church on her own and seems just fine with it. Wasn't easy to just let it happen but there really wasn't any other way.

That is a very enlightening post that whole world needs to follow.

Some of their ideas might have value. Maybe we should allow them to plant their seeds in our minds also.

If it turns out to be a weed we can hoe it out later.

Yup, it can be a slow process.. I think people also need to be shown a way out, or an option. Let them know not everyone’s their oppressor; coax them, nurture them ..like a seedling

yes no point in trying to force something.

I agree. There are people who planted seeds of sanity in me. Eventually, it helped me find my way out of religion. I would like to have thanked the good people who planted the seeds, but it took time for the seeds to grow, and by the time they bore fruit, those people were long gone. So, I plant seeds in others, without expecting immediate changes in them.

It’s a beautiful sentiment, and sometimes a clear message can strike someone at the right time. It’s worth trying, as long as you don’t belabour the point. I also think it’s important to combine any message with the right measure of kindness and compassion.