This church there will be no worshiping and the sermon instead will be lectures taken by Goverment biased projects about how humans are the problems for the world and the debate about killing the human race is on!

It’s part of the freedom of religion to gather people with the same goals as you the atheist.

If someone were to make medicine that allows people to become immortal and gradually slow down age as well the newer Atheist will try to make the topic an argument about different religion beliefs and how they are silly for not taking the so called (medicine not realizing.

They will also ignore the fact that not all/every churches are evil and that NOT ALL Christians even GO TO !##$ church in the FIRST PLACE to practice their belief since churches are meant to just fellowship with like-mind people. *gasps*

Then Person X says something *which is likely made to be humorous* that causes *Modern Atheist* to jump on Person Xs throat thinking it an attack on his freedoms causing an argument that makes person X look tame in comparison while using the same lines over and over again to make person X not believe in Christianity or some other spiritual belief in order to take the medicine.

I’m excited to see that Christians like Mike O and Michael K are participating. I have so many questions I want to ask you. I haven’t found any Christians I can ask about their thoughts and opinions about atheism. They glance to either side as if looking for something to clobber me with. They seem to think that either I’m going to try to convert them, or that they’re obligated to attempt the same with me.

I’m only trying to understand why, unlike Mike and Michael, many Christians seem so threatened when confronted with an intelligent, sane person who doesn’t share their belief. I wonder if that apparent fear/threat is what feeds the absurd stereotypes listed in Sam Harris’s “10 Myths” article, as well as the out and out hatred I’ve experienced and heard of.

I don’t want to change someone’s beliefs to resemble mine; I want to influence their behavior for the better. Believe as you will, but don’t shun, slander, fire, beat or kill atheists. All I can do is first to make certain my own behavior is exemplary, and then stridently confront and oppose those behaviors every time I encounter them. But to do that skillfully, respectfully and therefore effectively I need to understand what is at the root of their fear and loathing. Is it too individual or idiosyncratic to make any general observations, or can anyone here see patterns, traits, or categories that can shed light on this?

Mike O, I want to clarify one detail in your wonderful juxtaposing of your point of view and that of an atheist. You said,

“What I do is try to get people to look around them and see God’s hand in life. You try to get people to look around and question God’s hand in life. I don’t mean anything by that other than that it is an interesting similarity in technique. Looking at the evidence, I say there’s no way there could be no God. You say there’s no way there is.”

Actually, We don’t say, “Looking at the evidence, there’s no way there is a God.” We say, “There’s no evidence.”
No one can find evidence that there is no God. We just don’t find any evidence that there is. This can seem like a razor’s edge distinction, but it is essential if you want to understand the more thoughtful atheists you encounter.

When I have no evidence of something, I don’t believe, and I don’t disbelieve. When I do have evidence of something, I still don’t believe; I have more confidence in its likelihood. Believing or disbelieving is something that never occurs in my head, evidence or not.

And what I’m learning, coming from the other side of the argument, is that atheists, like Christians, have done their homework.

Thanks for that. And that’s a benefit to discussing this stuff. The dangers are that discussion like this will be seen by the religious person or attempted by the atheist as a conversion message. Or that it is all mixed up with stridency and so we don’t get to the benefit of this mutual respect.

I think the red-meat rhetoric sells books. The trick is to sell enough books without selling out your own message.