As a Christian is their anything different I can do when witnessing to Atheists?

Question

Seriously, now don't be rude! I think most of you Atheists are funny, completely lost but funny. Are you ever willing to change your ways or are you completely content with your lifestyle and are always going to argue when talking with a Christian and now I am just babling on and on!

Answer 1

Ask the atheist to draw a circle representing all knowledge.


Then have them draw a circle representing everything they know. (it would be interesting to see how big a circle it is).

Last, ask them to draw a circle representing everything that is yet to be known.

Then ask them how they can be so sure that God isn't outside the realm of their knowledge and walk away.

Answer 2

As an atheist, I'll show you something interesting that I found. (It's not mean or insulting or anything like that.) It's an article written by an atheist giving advice to Christians about how to speak to atheists so that they'll at least respect what you have to say. I read it, and I personally agree with pretty much everything it says.
http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/theistguide.html
http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/hownot.html

And here's another article showing a lot of the myths that believers are often taught about atheists. It would help you to understand this, also.
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheismmyths/p/AtheismMyths.htm

**The number ONE key to getting an atheist to listen to you is to understand what atheism is, and understand how the typical atheist thinks and believes. And what the typical atheist thinks and believes has *nothing* to do with what most Christians are TOLD atheists think and believe. If you buy into the myths that believers love to tell each other about atheists, then any atheist you try to talk to is going to shut you down before you even get started. Even in your own question, I guarantee you lost any chance of most of us listening when you started in with " I think most of you Atheists are funny, completely lost but funny. Are you ever willing to change your ways or are you completely content with your lifestyle and are always going to argue when talking with a Christian..." Think about it...would you listen to or respect someone who started out saying something to you like, " I think most of you Christians are funny, completely delusional but funny. Are you ever willing to change your ways or are you completely content with your brainwashing and are always going to argue when talking with anyone who doesn't share your beliefs?"

Answer 3

Hey. Many Christians attempt to persuade atheists to change by using Pascal's Wager (though many don't use that label and seem unaware of its origin). They argue that it's "safer" to "bet" on the existence of their god because, if it exists, then believers go to heaven and the rest go to hell. This is a very poor argument and there are many flaws, but can atheists offer an alternative?

my wager is that if there is a god, and it is a just god, then living a just and moral life will be acknowledged regardless of ones beliefs. If there exists an unjust or immoral god, then I could never satisfy both my conscience and such a god. My wager is that if the Christians are right about god being just and all-knowing and all-loving, I will be rewarded if I act in morally sound, justified ways.

I don’t know if there is a god. To me, the idea of a god, or even of an afterlife pales in importance to what we experience everyday. Life. Life is the only thing that I “know” I have and when that is gone, I doubt I’ll be around to care, however, others will. I must live my life as I please, and since I believe I will only ever get one chance at it, I want to live it in the best manner that I can and help others do the same. I'v tried to make similar observations myself. A just and moral deity wouldn't condition "eternal bliss" or "eternal torment" on a single belief. Such infinite fates aren't even morally just consequences of a finite life and a finite set of actions, but how much less just are they for a single belief? There is no morally just system under which either reward or punishment would be imposed for a belief (or lack thereof) that isn't even chosen in the first place.

Answer 4

What's most effective is what you do and who you are, not what you say. That's a person's biggest witness for Christ. Being an honest and true Christian. Living what you believe. I think that has a much greater effect than any amount of words could.

And there's always prayer. Pray for them. Talking can just push them further away from God. That's why I never bring God or the Bible up to people... I let them bring it up. The real witness, as I said, is in your actions.

Answer 5

I think it's important to realize that most atheists are more knowledgeable about Christianity and religion in general than most fundamentalists give them credit for. Also, I think it's also best to only preach to them if they want to hear it, and not force it on them. And don't get into a theological debate, because you will probably lose (sorry, but it's true). This is because you cannot argue Christianity with logic and reasoning, which are precisely the tools that the atheist(s) will be arguing with. This isn't to say that Christianity is a bad path to follow; it just means that, if you believe in it, you have to believe that God is on a higher level than us (as any higher power would be) and for that reason does things and makes rules that, to us, seem illogical.

Also, please don't use Pascals Wager (if you don't know what that is, just Google it). Most atheists have heard that time and time again, and will shoot it down in thirty seconds.

Answer 6

Do you get that your wording is more than a tad condescending? Not a great start when you're asking people not to be rude LOL.

While not strictly "labelable" as an Atheist, I'm not what is commonly defined as a Christian either. I have my own belief system,. I like to think I'm open minded, but I WILL come to my own decisions.

The problem most people (even many Christians) have with what you refer to as "witnessing" is that we see it as you shoving YOUR opinion down our throats and presenting it as the only valid one.

To the "unindoctrinated" this practice is unacceptable and offensive.

While I may not share the same faith as someone, I do respect their beliefs, and I do expect them to afford me the same courtesy.

Religions advocating "witnessing", for the most part, show no respect for anyone's beliefs but their own.
I understand that this is what your church teaches, and what you feel the need to do, but you, in turn, must understand that many of us find it offensive.

So - to finally answer your question - I don't think there is any more you can do. Present your case if you must, and respect people's right to accept or reject it.

Answer 7

I'm always open to changing my ways, but that will come from within. Every time someone witnesses to me it is the exact same thing, over and over and over. I know all there is that I need to know about Christianity, I just don't believe it yet. Do you all think that if you hit someone over the head with a hammer enough times they'll eventually give in and turn their life over to Jesus? Most atheists are smart enough to have processed all the facts and information, it's simply a matter of personal faith.

Answer 8

Seriously? I would start with NOT pulling out the Bible, or some other random religious pamphlet full of biblical quotes... becasue we've already read it, thank you very much, we just don't believe a word it says. Re-reading it to us like school children isn't going to sway us, and it's most likely going to irritate.
If you want to swing an atheist, be able to provide solid concrete proof. Lots of it. And be willing to rationally answer questions. Some of which will be aimed at you personally. Note my keyword was rationally, not just "because the bible says so in this passage" - going back to the whole don't read the bible to us issue...

Answer 9

Now, you are being rude, aren't you? Calling atheists to be completely lost when you are praying to imaginative creature, in which is classified as losing your mind. So are you ever willing to change your ways or are you completely content with your delusion and are always going to argue when talking with an atheist about your fantasy without any proof but blind faith? Now I am just babbling on and on.

Now, how does that phrase sounds to you, totally rude? So how do you expect others not to be rude when you sound totally rude in the first place?

Answer 10

Jesus said to his 12 I send you out to proclaim the good news, He never told us to do the same. Why are you so concerned with people who believe different than you? Every one in America Has heard of Jesus but every one has not seen people actually live for jesus.l The best way to witness to anyone and not just Atheists is through the way you live. (A dog is not a good dog because he is a good barker, and neither is a man a good man because he is a good talker. Another thing if your heart was really of Christ would you be calling people funny because they choose not to believe as you do.? Maybe you should check yourfself and remove the dirt out of your own eye first because it appears to me you still have alot to learn about offending others.

Answer 11

I am totally content on MY choice of MY views and how I personally see the world and universe at large. No you don't need to try to change me, that would just be rude and disrespectful of my choices for my own life as an adult. And I'm sure most others like me would tell you similar.


P.S...Just so you know, things like "Are you ever willing to change your ways..." is pretty condescending and rude...