debate-points, resources-referencesWhat ways are most productive to make a person reject his religious beliefs if he or she has grown in religious family and society.
I suggested a person to read God Delusion by R. Dawkins and he did that and accepted many thoughts in this book but still sympathizes with priests and native religious customs.
It depends on the values of the person you are talking to. For example:
If the person is very compassionate who doesn’t like anyone to be hurt, the concept of hell, eternal torment, and the other uncruel aspects of his/her religion could make it very difficult for him/her to continue practising that religion.
If its a person who is a big skeptic and big on things being proven with evidence, then its an easy case of pointing out the various errors/contradictions in the religious scriptures, as well as learning more about scientific concepts like evolution, abogenises, etc which rule out the need for a supernatural creator.
If its a woman and she is a believer in Islam, pointing out the massive inequalities between men and women in islam and the very male oriented nature of Islam, could help.
And so on. Once you have targeted the area that would be the most effective on the person, he/she would be more open to objectively studying their religion rather than attempting to justify it.
You do it very slowly. Be nice. Be a friend. Ask questions and point out what is obvious to you. In time with enough people doing the same, the person will or will not rethink their beliefs.
Donatelo answered it pretty well already - how to change a believer into a disbeliever depends entirely upon what kind of person that believer is. People have been spending entire careers studying how different people think to answer that, and similar, questions, and we haven't gotten The Answer yet, but we have a few leads. Find out what that person gets out of religion first, and then you'll have a good idea on what standpoint you'll need to convince them (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924124549.htm). Find out what kind of communication style they favor (there are lots of schools of thought on this in the various psychology disciplines) to figure out the specific approach ("just the facts ma'am" or fuzzy happy feeling talk?). Then, find someone of a similar background and social-status to that person to deliver the message, since it seems that people only dig their heels in when presented with opposing evidence from someone who differs too much from themselves (http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=110837)
Suggest they think like a sceptic for a day or two. To seriously question what it is their religion is proposing and to read their religious book dispassionately. However, reason and rationality may not come easy to many. They would have to work at it.
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