Atheism and Christianity -- Why Atheists and Christians Cannot Talk to Each Other About It
Being a Christian myself, I have long been troubled by this dilemma. Atheists have come into and out of my life and some were quite good friends. I have known Atheists that are completely about being right, and logical debate was an excuse to hear themselves think out loud. On the other hand, I have known plenty of Christians that do the same.
If we throw out this group of Atheists and Christians, and deal simply with those that are logical, then the problem begins to come a bit clearer.
When you put a reasonable Atheist and Christian in the same room, and bring up religion in any form, it seems that an argument is inevitable. From all of my experiences, I feel that the problem is actually two-fold. One, the Atheist has no idea what is actually in the Christians heart. Secondly, the Christian does not know how to properly approach the subject of eternal salvation.
As to the first theory, the Atheist often sees the Christian as an enemy naturally. Here is this person that intends to try to convert them to a religion they want no part of. Even if the Atheist does not view the Christian as an enemy, they still may view them with trepidation due to the general viewpoint of Christianity that the Atheist may have. This is the root of the problem, and here is why.
True Christians have noble intentions in their hearts. If a Christian knows that someone is not walking with Jesus Christ, then it is their duty to tell them the good news. If you question this theory, then let me give you an example that might bring it clear.
If you saw someone parked on the railroad tracks, and saw a train coming, would you not warn the person on the tracks? Atheist and Christian alike would do what they could to try to save them. What if you had a family member that was going to hurt themselves? You would have an intervention, and try to help them out of concern for their well being. To a Christian, testifying and inviting others into the warmth of Christianity is no different than seeing someone on the tracks about to be smashed into pieces. Of course they cannot help themselves but to try to help. This brings me to problem number two.
Christians sometimes forget that there is free will. I would never tell a Christian not to spread the word. I may as well ask them not to breathe. I also would never tell an Atheist that they must be a Theist. There is a distinct difference between telling of Jesus Christ, and judging someone in their personal walk with God. Christians must remember that giving them the news is the key. Helping them when they ask for it is also good. Spreading hellfire and damnation to an Atheist ear is like inviting a cat to party full of dogs. They will not feel welcomed. We are not Christians to try to affect free will. Each person has the right to choose, and deal with their own choices.
Next time you decide to argue the point over Christianity and Atheism, try to remember what is really on the other side's mind. It might lead you to a new place in your life. We can all learn from one another, and being able to rationally discuss a subject so important is vital.
Published by Rodney Southern - Featured Contributor in Sports
My name is Rodney Southern and I have a lovely wife, Julie, and two beautiful twin daughters, Brooke and Valerie. Also, I was the 2008 Ultimate Call for Content Winner, and awarded a Top 100 badge for Associ... View profile
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66 Comments
Post a CommentFirst part below -- sorry.
I guess I needed something to summarize in concise detail how I felt deep inside -- what she didn't really comprehend. After reading this article, she did fully understand the depths of my/our inner religious conflicts -- and our friendship has grown better, because now we fully understand each other's point of view.
I still don't understand her POV, but the mutual understanding is there. Thanks for helping make a virtually life-long friendship stronger for everyone involved.
Excellent article. My best friend (next to my wife, of course) is a "pray 10 times a day", attend 3-4 churches, Christian woman that I have known for the past 15 years, through good times and bad. I am a 41 year old, "keep it to myself" atheist, and have been since I was a young boy. Several years ago, I tried to understand her "invisible guy in the sky" believing point of view, but I almost went insane in the act. I can not rationalize that state of mind that a God-believing person goes through. Discussions about these subjects turned to arguments, mainly because I just did NOT want to hear about God and all those things in her life. After that experience, we do not discuss or mention anything about religion, praying, God, church, her wedding, her church friends and family -- ie anything that has to do with her belief system. In return, I don't tell her of my atheism and my views. She didn't see how just talking about God and her church insulted me -- and that bugged me..
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For these reasons, an atheist finds it difficult to discuss matters honestly with a non-atheist. I think for most true atheists, our "beliefs" are more-or-less discovered through personal experiences and thought experiments over many many years. It's not something that can be related through a brief conversation. You have to have gone through the same experiences, yourself. Only then do two people have enough common knowledge to fruitfully discuss what an atheist "believes" or even how an atheist relates/differs from a non-atheist. With that said, atheists are inherently very diverse amongst our own "category." There is no atheist Bible through which we can all unify. The best replacement is to suggest that everything is our Bible. Everything you see is self documenting if you manage to find an understanding that proves beneficial to your livelihood. Tell me, why does an atheist need to sit down with a Christian after all? What's the motivation? Should atheists have one?
Hmm, I wonder if I am able to post another comment... Let's see. I want to add that I admire anyone who tries to understand all parties involved, as this article clearly demonstrates. My father is a Catholic turned atheist. My mother is a devout Methodist. I was once a Methodist myself, which ironically, gave me a chance to think outside of my religion as they are a very open religion, or so was the case with the church I attended. I have nothing against discussing the topic with anyone who has more than just a curiosity to see what the other side will say in a brief response. The hardest thing to come by in my life is finding people who are willing to fully concentrate on the discussion. Unfortunately, with atheism, it seems the only type of person willing to do so is someone in the same position as I. Atheism, as it seems to me, is something you stumble onto yourself. No one can ever tell you how you must think and what you must believe to be an atheist.
I imagine many atheists are of the impression that Christians (or people of any religion) have good intentions. As an atheist, I do not feel there is a significant misunderstanding from (most) atheists at all. Most of the atheists I know simply do not wish to be bothered with the topic to any degree. Even the faint suggestion of religion is like having a door-to-door salesman wake you up every morning just to hand you a flier and walk away. No, they are not pushing their product on you, but it is a constant nagging that you wish would just go away. It's like the telemarketer that keeps calling you at 10:45 every day and hanging up as soon as they get your answering machine. It's just a nuisance. I, for one, have put many substantial years into my understanding of what I feel is the truth. (No, not everyone agrees with free will.) As a graduate student studying AI, my beliefs have been pondered heavily. They serve me well. I just wish the fliers would stop piling up...
Hey Rodney -- the only thing I really want to say about this is that Atheists know all about Christianity. No one needs to share the news with us, we already know it, and we've made our own choice. A Christian shouldn't "preach" to an Atheist without expecting a little "preaching" in return.
Excellent article. As a pastor's son & youth leader/speaker I've had my share of encounters and debates w/ atheists in college courses. This is a great piece of writing!
If more Christians shared your viewpoint the world would be a safer place for atheists. However, I still think it's incredibly rude to knock on people's doors or approach their children to push a belief on them. I'd never dream of going up to a Christian's child and lambasting them with my non-beliefs as they lay in the hospital or on their way to and from school. Atheists also fear being bashed by Christians. This fear of religious violence makes it hard to get along.
Interesting topic.
I will never understand why an Atheist has a problem with me believing in eternal life. What's it to them? My faith insists that I must spread the word, therefore I witness! There is no faith in Atheism so I do not understand why so many feel the need to spread the "truth" that they so believe in.