(Not the words of Andrew2448...although I do agree)

I live in the Bible Belt in an area that is infested with jehovah's witnesses and I despise Television and because of that I have spent literally hundreds of hours over the past decade debating Evolution, Scientific Theories and religion both online and in person. And I have also spent the same amount of time just listening to their reasons for rejecting facts, evidence and theories and the conclusion I have come to is this. Theists have been taught that something is true because they "Believe" in it. To them "Belief" is a synonym for Knowledge. And they can choose to either "Believe" (accept the "claim" as true), or "Not Believe" (reject the claim as false). It all comes down to that word "Believe"

How many times have you quoted a proven fact to a theist only to have them smugly look at you and state; "I don't believe it!" Or the old standby; "Well, That's just a theory!" To them a Theory is just a guesstimate. To them facts and evidence are synonyms for claims. How many times when asked for evidence for their god have they quoted claims from their bible? Showing them examples of Transitional species or pictures of Archeopteryx is a waste of time. You're putting the cart before the horse. Before you can give them examples of Evolution you need to change their way of thinking and how they come to the conclusion of what is really true (or what is as close to the truth as we can come).

Look at your original post. See the word Believe there? She has been conditioned by her religion that a claim is true only if she believes in it. Conversely if she chose NOT to believe someone's claim, then in her mind it is false, despite the evidence supporting the claim.

Look at the definition of believe; Websters definition of Believe; Believe; 1 a : to have a firm religious faith. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe To say that you believe in something implies that you are given a choice to accept a claim by believing in it, or rejecting the claim by NOT believing in it.

Atheists have learned to use Logic, Facts, Evidence and Critical Thinking Skills to arrive at what is true. We do not believe in things. We listen to the claims and when the evidence, observations, facts and logic support the claim then we accept it as true, no belief needed nor allowed.

Do Atheists have a firm religious belief in the Heliocentric Theory? NO, we looked at the evidence and accepted the fact that the Earth revolves around the Sun, No religious faith (belief) needed. If I were to tell you that I do NOT believe in Newtons Theory of Gravitation does that mean Gravity ceases to exist and we all float away? Nope. Not a chance. Beliefs have nothing to do with it. Anyone here "Believe" in Atomic Theory, Germ Theory or The Electromagnetic Theory? OR do you understand them and accept them as true? Einsteins Theory of Relativity is over one hundred years old and has been proven over and over, and yet it remains a Theory and always will be a Theory.

As a former christian I recall having the idea pounded into me that Belief is the greatest virtue one could possess. Those that did not have Belief were to be pitied or scorned. For those without Belief we're doomed to eternal torture in a fiery pit.

One tactic that I have successfully used is this; When you are with her pick out an object that you both can see. For example, ask her; "Do you believe your monitor is in front of you"? Her reply will most likely be; Yes, she believes that monitor is there. Then ask her; "If I told you that I do NOT believe that monitor is there, would it disappear?" She will then tell you; "Of course not"! That is when you can tell her that belief is a faulty system for determining for what is true and what is false.

This is the method I have had the most success using, causing theists to start doubting their thought process and start asking questions. Then you can go on to teaching them how to use Logic and Critical Thinking Skills to determine what is really "true", or as close to the truth as we can get. It also helps to introduce them to Logical Fallacies in a way that is not confrontational. Explain to them that facts and evidence are not synonyms for claims. Belief is NOT a synonym for Knowledge. No need to even mention their religious beliefs at this time. If they learn to change their way of thinking they will start to see the fallacy of their own religion. I'm not saying this will be successful with all theists but I have managed to change the mind of a few theists including a couple of Jehovah's witnesses, And they are a tough nut to crack.

Sorry for the long rant but I want to leave you with a parting thought, Be vewy vewy careful how you use that word nasty "B" word. Th Tha That That's all Folks!