This is not their true rejection, and everybody knows it.
So? Just because they weren’t personally convinced by an argument (because they don’t go for arguments at all) doesn’t mean they can’t legitimately believe they have an argument that could convince someone who doesn’t do the faith thing.
It’s no different from wanting someone to do X and trying to convince them that X is in their own self-interest. That’s probably not why you want them to do X, but so what? It’s a valid reason for the purposes of convincing them.
Of course, there is good reason to be wary of someone who isn’t giving you their true rejection, because motivated reasoning increases the chance of mistakes, but not giving you their true rejection isn’t automatically dishonest.
It means they’re lying about their motivation and you give them false respect for it.
The practical reality is that they will use arguments as soldiers in a religious culture war and innocent people are going to be the victim of the practical social consequences of it.
Practical ethics implies practical memetics; if you are faced with a culture war you would do well to remember it’s a war, not a benevolent debate in good faith.
So? Just because they weren’t personally convinced by an argument (because they don’t go for arguments at all) doesn’t mean they can’t legitimately believe they have an argument that could convince someone who doesn’t do the faith thing.
It’s no different from wanting someone to do X and trying to convince them that X is in their own self-interest. That’s probably not why you want them to do X, but so what? It’s a valid reason for the purposes of convincing them.
Of course, there is good reason to be wary of someone who isn’t giving you their true rejection, because motivated reasoning increases the chance of mistakes, but not giving you their true rejection isn’t automatically dishonest.
It means they’re lying about their motivation and you give them false respect for it.
The practical reality is that they will use arguments as soldiers in a religious culture war and innocent people are going to be the victim of the practical social consequences of it.
Practical ethics implies practical memetics; if you are faced with a culture war you would do well to remember it’s a war, not a benevolent debate in good faith.