A lot of atheists are always saying how Christians try to "convert" non-believers??

Question

But how is what you do any different? Many of you post several questions per day either ridiculing Christians or reducing Christianity to some fable. One can argue that you also try to convert believers to atheism?

So, why the double standard? Both sides have their agendas so why aren't you acknowledging yours? And don't say you don't have agendas because there are a ton of you who have some version of the word "Atheist" as your screen name, or some other phrase that denounces religion. Sounds like an agenda to me.

Funny how many down thumbs i'm getting for a pretty valid question? I think this actually supports my position. And, there are hosts of atheists, not a few, who do exactly what i've mentioned on a daily basis. Let's be honest, people.

Mark M - See, you said "nonsense". You've proved my point. And you're selling your non-belief just like Christians are selling their belief. To disagree is just arrogance.

This is really frustrating. No one wants to at least admit that there is at least SOME truth to my statement. Coming from such scientific minds, too. Why the denial. And if there is no agenda, what's the point then?

Phoenix - Thank you for your honesty.

Answer 1

On either side of the issue, one could say they are simply trying to help others see the truth. What "the truth" is depends on who is promoting it.

As for some of the questions and answers here, I see a lot of what you are talking about. There is no question that lots of people try to sway others to their own views. Another thing I see, however, is an attempt to show the fallacy of many people's arguments and/or challenge the assumptions people make. I honestly believe I have seen this done more by those challenging religion than those promoting it. I see challenging the assumptions as a very good thing.

But, hey, there's a hypocrite in all of us.

Answer 2

I am not an atheist. I do believe in god but I do have to admit that I do feel that Christians believe they have a Duty to "help show people the way" so to speak. What I have a problem with is so called Christians telling me if I don't except Jesus Christ as my savior that I will surely go to hell, and they say they can prove it cause the bible says so. They act like because I do not choose the christian way that I am ignorant to the subject. but I tell you I have studied the subject of faith and spirituality. I believe in love and compassion with respect and honesty and do not judge others because they will surely judge you. I have made up my own mind on how I believe our soul goes through eternity and why I don't turn to the man made bible. When I need advice I go within and go on my own true feelings because to me that is truly god inspired.
As for agendas I've said it before and I'll say it again "The problem with people is they decide what they like and they forget the rest" everyone has an agenda and more often than not there agenda is what serves them.

Answer 3

It is a little silly for an atheist to react with indignation at Christian conversion efforts. The Christian might as well be asking someone to become a cabbage. The persistence can be annoying, but it’s hardly cause for a fit of righteousness. There is no insult possible, even though it is frustrating to attempt communication with a person who’s convinced that were it not for your stubbornness, you could be turned into a blissful vegetable by merely believing that was a good thing to be.

I think the problem may be different when a converter goes on the attack against another religious dogma.

Answer 4

I agree with your statement. I wish the atheists would give reasons for their beliefs, or lack of beliefs.

If a believer believes, let them, don't mock them. Even better, try to understand them, for many have good reasons for their beliefs.

For example, I do not believe that I or anyone is a random quirk of nature. Science cannot prove that I am, and I cannot prove that I am not. Based on some general calculations of probability between these 2 concepts, even with tremendously favorable assumptions to prove we might be random quirks of nature, this hypothesis fails and is impossibly unrealistic.

But in such a discussion, I am not trying to convert, I am trying to reason and see if agreement can be reached. If not, then what is still missing, or we may need to agree, to disagree, and that is ok.

Anyways, keep asking the question, maybe it will influence some people on this site to be more civil.

Answer 5

Sorry, but my questioning of why you believe something as fanciful as Christianity is not a conversion tactic. I am perfectly happy for you to believe whatever nonsense you want to believe, so why are many Christians not equally happy for me not to believe it? The reason why Christians are the ones doing the "converting" is because you're the ones selling something.

EDIT: Fine. If the word "nonsense" bothers you, take it out. Does it change the meaning of the answer? Not one bit. You still have something to sell to me that I don't want to buy. I don't have a product. How can I sell it?

Do I think you have a flawed product? Yes, I do, but I have no interest in talking you or any other Christian out of being one. Can you say the same about atheists?

Answer 6

There are some Christians and Christian organizations that actively attempt conversion. I'm talking about advertisements on TV (when's the last time you saw an atheist commercial?), missionaries going to other countries (when's the last time you heard about atheists going overseas to spread the "secular" word?), preachers standing on park benches and evangelizing to anyone who'll listen (when's the last time you saw someone screaming in public about nonbelief?), going door to door and handing out literature (when's the last time you got an "atheist pamphlet?).

QUESTIONING isn't an attempt to "convert". It's simply an attempt to get people to THINK. THINKING isn't an agenda..... or if it is, why get so worked up over it? If a Christian QUESTIONS an atheist, I have no problem with that. I can explain my position just fine and if a Christian wants an explination, fine. If an atheist QUESTIONS Christians, same thing.

It's PREACHING and PROSELYTIZING that Christians do and atheists do not.

Now... I HAVE noticed some particularly belligerent atheist individuals on this site that like to argue and stir up trouble, but speaking in terms of the entire world, it's the Christians who attempt to convert and the atheists who attempt to get people to think. If those are both "agendas" then so be it.

Answer 7

I agree, I'll be happy to admit i have an agenda. My agenda is to try and pull people back to reality that have gone more or less insane with the notion that there is some super complex invisible man in the sky that created everything because anything complex has to be created, however this incredibly complex being didn't need to be created for reasons that none of you have been able to communicate to me.

Seriously, the world would be a much better place if people let go of their fantasies and took responsibility for themselves.

Answer 8

I'm not necessarily trying to convert. I'm trying to prescribe some rational thought. There are only two Christians on here that I can think of off the top of my head that actually live up to the name. Everyone else is a pretender that doesn't live according to "the word".

As an atheist I try and point out fallacies and obtain reasoning behind why people think what they do in light of evidence suggesting they should otherwise. Also, I'm not trying to convert them to anything directly. I'm just pointing out faults and letting their minds figure out what to do with them.

Answer 9

Oh, I've said it straight out many times. I think theists are fools who are holding society back from answering the real question -- which in my book is, "what is the final culminating equation of physics, the one from which all others can be derived?" Creationists of any religion especially get in the way of this one. I think people should be living the life they can see and observe, not some mythology that drains their resources from being able to be responsible for themselves.

Religion is an excuse to abdicate personal responsibility for failures at the cost of accepting responsibility for success -- "I couldn't have done it without God," vs. "Oh, I messed it all up, but I could feel god was with my trying!"

The best of all possible worlds is the one where religion and spirituality are gone for good, humans realize they are nothing but tiny parts of one huge electrochemical reaction that started a few billion years ago and continues by the good graces of continual energy input from the sun, and that when they die, that's it, game over, no more them, the end.

Answer 10

I side with Flanders. As an atheist or agnostic, I feel that I'm merely pointing out that I trust my own experience over a book and that I suggest you do the same. If your experience is with God, then good for you. I feel that Christians are against choice ... the Bible says this, the Bible says that so you better do it. I can't help it if my favorite pastime is convincing people to think for themselves. Free your mind from the box which is your fears! You won't go to hell for questioning a book or your parents.