[Cathryn Crawford]

I am asking if you think it is possible for a person who does agree with that premise to be persuasive to someone who does not? Is there, in some cases, an unbridgeable language gap?

Good question. That has a lot of side issues, and it's very complex, but the simplest and shortest answer would be - yes. I think that it would be close to impossible for a group of people who did not understand the reasoning of another group to persuade one another on an issue, expecially if it's an incredibly divisive one.

That's the simple take on it.

[William McKinley]

Taking one of the side issues then...

I think that it would be close to impossible for a group of people who did not understand the reasoning of another group

What if they did understand the reasoning of the target group?

Taking another side issue...

expecially if it's an incredibly divisive one.

Is it an incredibly divisive position, to believe that spirituality and morality are critical to the survival of a society?

And taking that side issue and opening up a few forks in the road....

If you do believe that is divisive, how did it get to be that way? It used to be commonly accepted, so how did it suddenly (or not so suddenly) become divisive?

What moved people away from it? What was the motive force acting on the psyche of 'the people'?

Can a countering force be found?