The repentent thief on the cross didn't need nor had time for "reason", all he knew was what he thought , what he believed ... what he wanted to believe and that was Christ was in fact LORD and could/ would "save" him and take him to be with Jesus in HIS Kingdom ... a place he believed actually existed.
and what was Jesus' reply .... ?
The Good Thief was repentant.
Knarf — the thing is that it is not emotion or reason, rather emotion and reason. God appeals to us spiritually, emotionally, through reason etc. It is not one or the other to exclusion. some 19th century groups veered too much to reasoning while others veer too much to just raw emotion (see Benny Hinn) — sticking to either extreme is incorrect.