Q&A for How to Persuade a Christian to Become Atheist

Many of them do. But some people just feel strongly enough about the rightness of their own beliefs, and the wrongness of other people's beliefs, that they want to convince others to believe what they believe - particularly if they perceive the other person's beliefs as being harmful or disadvantageous in some way.

If you don't want to, you don't have to. Some atheists are bothered by religion, feeling that it's illogical or often used as a justification for immoral behavior. Other atheists don't mind religious people as long as they are decent human beings. If you don't want to convince someone to be an atheist, you don't have to.

Atheism is based on logic, not faith. Most atheists take a logical look at the universe and find no evidence to clearly say that God either exists or doesn't exist. Thus, they don't know, and decide not to believe in God unless God is somehow scientifically proven to be real. It's quite dispassionate, and atheists may feel emotions like acceptance, annoyance, or indifference when it comes to religion. A minority of atheists are very angry, usually because they've seen abuses or ridiculous behavior by religious people and institutions. But most atheists are simply comfortable not believing in God for logical reasons, and are happy to accept a vision of a world where goodness is its own reward with nothing waiting for them afterwards.

Whether or not either thing is "wrong" is determined by a person's own value system. Neither thing is inherently right or wrong. If you want to try to convert an atheist, go right ahead. No one's stopping you.

Pretty much. Though not precisely the same, the two religions are rather similar, and both have believers fully willing to participate in intelligent discourse.

If that's the case, you can't have a discussion with them. As an atheist, it isn't your duty to change others' beliefs. You can't argue with people like that. And, honestly, some people mentally need to believe in a higher power to be stable.

If they win the argument consistently, maybe they aren't on the wrong side of the fence.

Many do become atheists on their own, but people who are very settled in their faith and narrow-minded in their religious views need someone from the outside to get the non-biased thinking process started. For an atheist it really shouldn't be the goal to "convert" believers, rather to engage in a rational, polite dialogue once the topic has been introduced.

Those atheists who would choose to do this tend to believe that changing people's minds about their religious beliefs is similar to telling them that Santa Claus doesn't exist. To them, religious beliefs are basically adults playing make believe and fighting over it when they disagree. Of course, beliefs are much more nuanced than that. Where they see a fairy tale, you see a literal life or death situation, on an eternal scale. That said, many of them might be inclined to ask you why you and your church are so intent on convincing them that a fairy tale is true.

Atheism and agnosticism are not mutually exclusive. One has to do with what religion you believe and the other has to do with whether you are certain. How you converse with others about faith is a separate thing as well.

Of course! I'm a Christian, and God and science go hand in hand, at least in the sense that God created science.

As far as we know, humans are the smartest creatures on Earth. However, researchers believe that chimps also feel a sense of wonder, and they have been observed doing ritualistic behaviors around beautiful waterfalls. Undoubtedly, early humans also felt wonder about the natural world. As humans gained intelligence, we began to ask questions about the world, its mysteries, and why things are the way they are. Religion allowed us to create answers when we had none. At best, it offers community and positivity; at worst, it can be a tool of oppression and control. Religion is complex because the human mind is complex.

God has revealed why there is suffering, but he has given us intellect and will to seek the answer and either accept it or reject it. There is an answer. Whether you accept or reject the answer will affect how you live your life. When you die, you will be judged by how you lived. But you will be judged by his standards; not yours.

Nutrition science is not untrustworthy, it's just a very challenging area to study and an underdeveloped field. Diets are extremely complex and inconsistent, and it is impossible to control people's diets 100% for long-term study. Individual foods are also complex, and a single food can have certain components that are beneficial and others that are not, among other complexities which are increasingly being recognized and slowly being addressed, with a ton of research still needing to be done. Most scientists are appropriately wary of making strong claims about findings in nutritional science. It's the media that tends to take the modest findings of studies and exaggerate them into big claims. There are other, better-understood areas of science about which there is more widespread agreement and confidence. If the scientific community as a whole - which is very skeptical and wary of making strong claims - is confident about something, there has to be exceptionally strong evidence for it

Good Christians follow good morals, but sadly, sometimes people need reminders. Talk about good values and how to act in a way that expresses them. Try saying things like "I'm surprised that a good Christian like you would behave this way" or "I want [victim's name] to feel loved and welcomed." Most people want to believe in their principles, so invite this person to behave better. If they are a reasonable person, it will work. If not, you may want to distance yourself. Toxic people exist in every religion.

If you don't believe in a god or a higher power, you're an atheist. There is no specific process or "way" to become an atheist. I became one gradually after I was shunned by the church and my parents because of my sexual orientation.

Anything is possible. People lose their faith all the time, though it is usually through personal experience, not coercion. Remember, no one likes to be constantly argued with about their personal beliefs.

Scientists have stated that matter (stuff) and energy cannot be eternal. Thus, nothing would logically have been in the very beginning. Some scientists believe that something unknown caused the singularity (making nothing into something physical)

Some feel that the “right faith” is wrong. Others may have been hurt by the faith in some way. Before leaving a faith, however, it is important to understand what the faith actually claims to be. It’s own merits should be examined and evaluated. Don’t just discount a faith solely on the actions of those who claim to follow it.