How to convince someone to become atheist?

Question

Only atheists please...My cousin has fiercely fallen into Christianity in the last six months, and I am afraid for him. I am afraid he will be ignorant, intolerant, and delusional like the rest of them. I tried to give logical arguments for the absence of god, but he shot back all sorts of stuff, sometimes having nothing to do with what I said. For example, I asked if native Americans went to hell since they didn't know about Jesus before we came. He first said maybe they did. Later he said they know the presence of god even if they don't know Jesus. I then said "but god is a jealous god which means they were worshiping the wrong god(s)" and he somehow sideswiped that. How? Why? I feel defeated even though I know he didn't really answer my questions. I am worried about him. How do I convince him?

He is 20 years old.

To Sparty035: because he is my best friend in the world. We have never disagreed about anything. Now we are so different that it hurts, and I believe that being a Christian will teach him to be complacent, among other things, and that it will hurt him in the long run. It is killing me.

Answer 1

Try these links - but unfortunately, he's not likely to explore them himself, you'll have to memorize and summarize.


How terrible the bible in particular is:
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/
http://www.evilbible.com/

What's the origin of the Jesus stories?
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5.htm
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen048.html

How silly and horrible religion in general is:
http://godisimaginary.com/
http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/

The alternative:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/
http://www.infidels.org/
http://www.positiveatheism.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism

And the biggie:

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/

I find it disturbing that many people find it so easy to believe in a sadistic god that tortures people eternally for what amounts to be guessing wrong. Imagine if a human person did something like that. Plus god of the bible killed babies and drowned kittens.

Answer 2

Not all Christians are "ignorant, intolerant, and delusional "

You need to get him to read the bible. Talk about the contradictions and scientific inaccuracies in there.

If he has a belief that he has a connection to God, then at least make him realize that the bible is not an absolute and literal truth, but a series of distorted histories and allegorical stories on a good way to live.

I doubt that you want him to actively try to make you believe in God and Jesus, so you need to respect his own thoughts on his belief. Just help him to realize that when his belief contradicts known scientific facts that he needs to adapt his belief to those facts, because it does not matter how hard he, or anyone, believes it will not change those facts.

You may want to point out the church's changing position on geocentricism, gravity, lightning, evolution, etc. as examples of this.

Answer 3

How old is he?

Edit: I don't know, if he's twenty and he skirts around the subject. I'm just afraid he may be too old. If he is really capable of using logic then do some fact and probability gathering. If you present what's more reasonable, then you should be able to change his mind. Good luck.

Answer 4

You can't force it. If the brainwashing has worked its way deep into his psyche like cancerous tentacles, there's really nothing you can do to remove it. Ask him to read "Atheism: The Case Against God", that's the first real skeptical literature I read and it was really helpful. It may help him think things through with a bit more clarity and guidance.

Answer 5

No, it truly is totally complicated to persuade human beings to renounce faith and superstition, yet i imagine i have managed to plant a seed of doubt in some. in spite of everything, conversion isn't my purpose. My purpose is to take faith out of our faculties, hospitals, and courtrooms. My purpose is to stay in a global in which atheists and different religious minorities are literally not discriminated adversarial to; to stay in a global the position 2 human beings can married regardless of their sex, to stay in a global which children may have an practise unadulterated by different peoples religious agendas, to stay in a global in which scientists can keep on with research that would want to save lives. i do not quite care what human beings trust, as long as their beliefs do not get contained in the way of social and medical progression.

Answer 6

Sorry - not an atheist here. But why are you worried that he doesn't share your non-belief. Why can't you two just agree to disagree and move on?

Answer 7

Get him AWAY from them ignorant christians before he ends up being a FOLLOWER and not LEADER....
im not athiest but most things about them evil christians is they are TWO-FACED..
man, keep talking to him .....
just my opinion...
good luck...

Answer 8

Make him read the Bible...so then he will realize how ridiculous it sounds, thus making him feel like an idiot to buy into the hype of religion.

Answer 9

Tell him to go on Y!A R&S section for a few weeks. He'll be convinced in no time.

Answer 10

Bring him onto this site, that would be enough to frighten anyone.

And you can thumbs down me all you want you "All Forgiving
Christians". Huh!!!!!!!!!!!

Since being on this site i really see why i left christianity, and it has made my beliefs stronger......