Michael, I read your piece with great interest looking for answers and found you have the same questions — namely, how can one have rational discussions with folks who have completely rejected the idea out of principal?

The “I show my love for people by telling them they are going to hell because their beliefs are wrong” folks.

The “The bible tells me everything I need to know, and covers every situation I might encounter (in 21st century America)” folks.

The “Every verse I point out to you from the bible is proof you will burn forever” folks that conveniently overlook/dismiss a verse that is shared to rebut their argument.

Jesus was neither white, nor American, yet these folks just know that every word was written to enable them to justify their own lives and beliefs while condemning anything that fails to mesh 100% with what they heard from their specific church.

Sigh…

Leviticus 19: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” — but it’s ok to split up families at the boarder and lock kids in cages because they are not yet “residing among you”??

If someone ever finds the answer to having a rational discourse with folks who’ve got the universe figured out by cherry-picking parts of a 2–3 thousand-year old translated text, please let me know…