christians who constantly justify their belief with logic, morality, tradition, or utility aren’t believers. they’re functionally atheists in denial. they don’t actually trust in god — they trust in the idea of belief, in what it does for society or their personal sense of order. god isn’t real to them, he’s a useful narrative. they’re not following faith, they’re roleplaying it.

a real believer doesn’t need to explain god. he knows. but the average christian today? he explains, defends, rationalizes, moralizes — everything except believe. deep down, he’s already left the church. he’s just too afraid to admit the silence behind the stained glass. so he clings to the motions, the script, the social shell. that’s not faith. that’s atheism with extra steps.