There are no souls going to eternal punishment that could have been saved. Acquisence to the Christian messege is not the result of slick believer sales talk.
Faith is indeed a gift.
The best positive effect, I think, is that it ties the Bible together very well. In my experience, readers of the bible tend to pass over or ignore verses that do not make sense or fit easily into their doctrinal bias. The bible is more unified. The problem is in accepting realities that appear harsher that one's previous mind-set. Truth is not dependent upon personal preference.