Witness – Doubtland

How to Witness to Atheists
A guide written by atheists for Christians who want to share their faith

Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who asks from you a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

There is an almighty creator who takes a deep interest in everything we do. The whole universe is arranged so that following his instructions leads to success and disobedience is doomed to failure with immense and eternal consequences. If this is true, it is the most important issue of all time. Christians intuitively understand this. Paradoxically, atheists do too.

The difference is that atheists aren’t concerned with how the theology works. Atheists are only concerned with one aspect—is it true? Everything else is secondary. Why? Consider that if the idea is false, then it is the most expensive, wasteful opportunity for corruption and oppression ever devised. Atheists think this is a big deal and want to make sure they get it right.

Discussions between Christians and atheists are often fraught with frustration. Christians are anxious to avoid the perils and harvest the benefits of this idea and can’t understand atheist reluctance. They ascribe it to arrogance or bad intentions. Furthermore, Christians are often given very bad advice on how to witness to atheists. They are told that atheism is intellectual suicide and that atheist’s reasons aren’t real—they are just a cover up for deep-seated emotional pain or lascivious lusting for unrighteousness. They are taught that certain key scriptures will cut like a knife through the fog of doubt, or that a few powerful arguments can crumble the atheist’s world view leaving him begging to hear the gospel.

Oh dear.

So how should Christians share the good news?

Care about your message – Show that you mean it. Act as though you are handling something valuable and work to get it right. I Peter says to be prepared. Are you? Are you reading atheists books and blogs so you know how we think? Are you sharpening your tools? Are you looking for weaknesses in your own arguments? Atheists are. Can you afford to care less about your message that the atheist does?

Care about the atheist – Some Christians try to befriend non-believers in order to win them to Christ. Seriously? Do you think we can’t tell when you’re being phony? What are your motivations? When you argue for religious freedom, do you mean for us too, or only for you? Do you say you don’t judge while you very much do? We see you. If you don’t care enough to genuinely want good things for us in this life, why should we listen to you about the next?

Be honest – Don’t say something unless you know it is true. It’s okay to admit you don’t know something. Atheists respect honesty. If you get stumped and can’t defend your argument rationally, you should stop using that argument temporarily until you have worked out the problem. Say something like, “I don’t have a ready answer and I’m going to have to think about it.” More importantly, when you’ve been proven wrong you should admit it and commit to never using that point again, ever, anywhere, with anyone.

Be humble – Many atheists were once believers, including former pastors, deacons and bible teachers. Don’t assume you know the bible better than we do or that your faith makes you privy to some secret information. It’s rarely true.

You are probably not any happier than us, or more moral. We’ve seen how you live and we know ourselves pretty well. We are willing to let you practice your faith in any way that pleases you, but not if you force everyone else to as well. You don’t have a right to special treatment. We’ll give you all the respect you deserve, but that doesn’t extend to your ideas. Your beliefs have to compete in the open market just like every other idea. Truth does not need to be sheltered from questioning.

Be reasonable – Try to avoid bad arguments and logical fallacies. Don’t play word games by using dishonest definitions or by changing your meaning on the fly. Practice if you have to.

Stay on topic. When you don’t have a ready answer, don’t go skipping off to another subject and pretend we won’t notice. When your arguments have been effectively countered, let them go. Don’t regurgitate points that you can’t defend. Atheists are tired of laying out their list of thoughtful, reasoned rebuttals and having the Christian restate their original point as if we hadn’t said a thing.

Oh, and if we’re wrong, that doesn’t automatically mean you’re right. You may still have to prove your point. We could both be wrong, after all.

Be open – Atheists don’t believe many of the things people say we believe. If you want to connect, you need to listen and understand us. Because every atheist is unique, canned witnessing scripts simply don’t work.

When atheists reject your views, they are usually not just being stubborn. Perhaps you haven’t explained your point adequately or you are missing something. Also, honestly analyze why you believe. Very likely, you were not originally persuaded by the arguments you are now using. What convinced you? Why would you use a different message with us?

Be courageous – Avoid drive-by evangelism. If you’re not willing to stand and defend your argument, why should we take you seriously? When you give us books or websites to read, be willing to discuss them afterward. (Do I need to remind you that you should actually read the book yourself?) Don’t take religious pot-shots at us and then just run away. Snarky comments are ineffective and make you look bad. If you work behind our backs to ridicule us, isolate us or silence us so that you won’t have to answer for your beliefs, that just makes you a bully. Such tactics are a clear sign that you don’t really believe in your own message.

Is there any point in witnessing to atheists? – Absolutely! Open discussion about important issues always has value. That said, most thoughtful atheists are not likely converts. If you’re just looking for a “jewel in your crown” you’d do better elsewhere

However, if you want to talk to an interesting person with a different viewpoint than yours, you might enjoy talking to an atheist. If you think the question of God is vitally important and you think you have something new to add to the ancient debate, many atheists are eager to hear what you have to say. If you really care that you get the answers right, especially if you have honest difficulties reconciling what you’ve been told, then you definitely need to talk to an atheist.

Atheists want to create a better world. This is the one and only life we ever expect to experience. We want it to be as beautiful, joyous and meaningful as possible and we want to leave the world in better condition than we found it. If you think you have a solution, we’ll listen, but we are going to check the facts and reject anything we think is false, insincere or self-serving. It’s not personal. We’re that way with everyone. As long as you’re okay with that, Atheists will be glad to talk.

Atheists are all around you. They are in your work-places, in your families, and even sitting next to you in church. Because of cultural expectations and misinformation, some of them may not even know that’s what they are.

If you want to know more about atheists, some good resources can be found on the atheist channel at Patheos.com, or at thethinkingatheist.com.

To ask questions or engage in friendly, thoughtful discussions, you can contact us at the address below, or search Google, Facebook, or meetup.com for local groups that you can visit.