atheism and evangelism…

after reading this blog post, i’m hopeful and even more firm in my atheist convictions.

perhaps some newly converted atheists are there simply because it’s easier than having to attend church every sunday but i think the majority are there because they have been enlightened. they have learned to look past the dogma and fear and see that reason and logic work.

the argument in this blog is that because of the evangelical fervor and that groups lack of listening skills they are ‘allowing’ the young believers to fall away. as the author says ‘it’s just more fun to have a drink with the non-religious crew.’ i would agree that it’s more fun but it’s also less judgmental, more welcoming and more intellectual.

the author states that atheism is….just easier. (occam’s razor) he thinks the new atheist will ’start thinking more about his friend who recently left his youth group and stop believing anything except the joys of rock climbing.’ he couldn’t be more wrong!

atheism is hard, very hard, especially in today’s climate in the united states. bush brought back a strong evangelical front and encouraged even more discrimination against atheists. he encouraged the fight against the separation of church and state. he even brought religion into our government. how do atheists fight against that? it’s a difficult task but one that we undertake every day.

i’ve seen several blog comments regarding supposed former atheists returning to the church. i don’t believe they were ever atheists then. maybe agnostics but certainly not atheists. a lack of belief in any god is a serious choice and one not undertaken lightly. once you have accepted reason and logic over dogma and fear, if you are a true atheistic, you don’t fall back into the black abyss of religion.

so i will agree with the blogger in stating that the actions of today’s evangelicals are helping to drive their young away from the church. i will wait to see if these young are truly being driven to atheism or just away from the church. i welcome them all if they become non-believers and will continue to wish good thoughts for them if they fall back into the church.

i am far from being eloquent in my blogs but i’m sad when i see the believers trying to belittle atheists by saying newly converted atheists are only there because the church was ‘nice’ enough or was too activist. i give these new converts credit for embracing intellect.

i hope that christians will try to relate to atheists simply by allowing us our views and by not restricting our freedom from religion. when an atheist fights to remove prayer from school or the ten commandments from a government building, it is not to take something away from a christian but to provide a neutral forum that will be inclusive for all beliefs or non beliefs.