I could use some general tips on evangelizing Atheists

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I think the key to evangelizing any group is personal holiness. If you look at the writings of the Saints, what they say just has such a profound effect on those who read them. To not be motivated by pride or winning a debate and yet speaking with such great confidence on matters of the faith requires a very strong relationship with God.

I find my own words fall well short of that high bar. I find that sharing my own conversion story is my best tool for evangelizing others. I can speak with an authoirty about myself that I do not have the holiness to do when it comes to delving directly into other people’s lives. Often times, however, my own personal story of conversion is very applicable to lives of many people who live in today’s secular society and serves as a spring-board for greater conversation about the faith. I feel that my personal story of conversion is my own little slice of holiness that God has given me to share with others.

Beyond that, simply addressing misconceptions about the Church and the Church’s teachings that may come up during the conversation (such as misconceptions that the Church’s teachings are oppressive, etc…) and not going too heavily on the attack is probably all I could do when talking to an atheist. For example, trying to prove that God exists is not a conversation that I would want to have, as I doubt I could win that debate (and even if I could, I would probably become prideful and no longer be representing Christ). I would rather just try to clear up any misconceptions that the athiest might have as to why God doesn’t exist that may come up during the conversation and allow the Holy Spirit to connect the dots.
 
Faithdancer said:
Good points. I will only add that Catholic theology has as its philosophical underpinnings the highly developed logical thinking of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.

In a conversation earlier this year with a PhD. candidate in Philosophy, he told me that (in effect) the scholarly community of philosophers is ‘still waiting’ for the next Aristotle. I presume this “next Aristotle” is for some the “great atheist hope,” which would make him in effect the anti-Aristotle.

Anyway that is the esteem in which philosophy academics hold Aristotle, whether they are atheist or not.
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Strong atheism is not a logically possible proposition because something is only true if it is logically possibly to know that it is true, but it is not logically possible to know that God does not exist.

Weak atheism seems less objectionable, but most weak atheists base their rejection of a deity on inconsistent beliefs such as empiricism and the belief that science can explain everything or that there is a scientific explanation for every rational explanation. These beliefs are not epistemically justified. Empiricism shows itself false by claiming that every statement has to be empirically verifiable, which is itself not an empirically verifiable statement. And science cannot explain things like why the universe is comprehensible, why there is something rather then nothing, and consciousness. Theism on the other hand provides an ultimate foundation of reality where all possible explanations come to rest.

Most theists and atheists agree that God, if he exists, exists necessarily, not contingently. The proposition that God does not exist cannot be known. It follows that it is logically possible that God does exist and is knowable (at least to himself, since God is the source of being and therefore knows that being is intelligible). Modal epistemology tells us that if necessary objects possibly exist, they necessarily exist in every possible world, including ours. This sufficiently justifies theism.

If you are interested in the modal-epistemic argument check out the argument by Emenual Rutten: short version, long version.
 
Two ideas.
  1. Don’t evangelize anyone unless you are their friend, or working sincerely to this end. Not as a means to evangelize.A
Matters of the soul are the most intimate matters we have. Respect the depth of these matters, and never evangelize someone unless you know them well.
  1. Assuming a sincere and natural friendship is in place, don’t start by talking about God. Talk about other matters…life, freedom, beauty, goodness, truth, family. Let these types of conversations go on naturally without making sharp turns to “God Talk”.
 
=Holly3278;10021278]Hello everyone. I could use some general tips on evangelizing Atheists. I would welcome tips from anyone but especially from former Atheists who are now Catholic.
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Hi Holly,

Even though TRUTH has to be singular and many if not most positions are VERY PERSONAL, lacking solid and logical arguments to support them; it is GOD ALONE who has the ability [and responsibility] for concersions.

That said; IMO, the surest way to prove the existence of God is to have someone look into a mirror; and then ask them “what do you see”?

Simply out there MUST be a “First Cause” for every Created thing. And everything has to have a REASON for its existence.

The Universe with it’s BILLIONS of stars, galaxies and planets HAS to have a reason “to be”

The answer to this and the indispuitable evodence of a “force” we choose to call our God; is humanity:thumbsup:

In the entire Universe there is ONLY ONE proveable planet that can support the life forms we know of. Above, on and in the sea: EARTH!

On earth with its hundreds of thousands of “living things”; ONLY One; Only humanity can Rationalize; Love and or hate.

In order to do so requires absoutely:

a Mind, Intellect and a FREEWILL. Each of these can be proven by the responce of "looking into the mirror.’

And each of these THINGS like God Himself is a SPIRITUAL reality. Try to describe your “freewill” for example: WHAT IS ITS SHAPE, COLOR, SIZE AND WEIGHT. Can’t be done because they are “Spiritual things”😃 Yet proving that they exist is easy to do.

BECAUSE “like” from orginate from “like” [an apple tree can’t produce bannanas for example], we can rationalize that "Spirit MUST originate from another “Spiritual thing.”:rolleyes:

The entire Universe was Created [to make out of nothing] for humanity to be able to logically know of God’s existence. The size, order, complexity and the Natural Laws give evidence of a “god”. Yet these same gifts can be abused and denied to permit one to reach a more persoanlly agreeable position.

HERE IS WHY MAN EXIST:

Isa.43 Verses 7 and 21: “every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." AND the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”

Share, but don’t ever force the truth on anyone. PRAY and allow God to do His work.:crossrc:
God Bless,

pat /PJM
 
Theflipside said:
No offense, but as a former religious person converted atheist, you’re fighting a losing battle, and liable to annoy the heck out of anyone you attempt to evangelize (evangelical people tend to get close minded).

In the event that you try it, be sure to have plenty of arguments in favor of the existence of a magical sky fairy-… I mean god. (Atheist joke)

The issue you face with this is:
  1. Atheists are usually purely logical
  2. Religion is usually based purely in emotion.
Arguments to avoid:
  1. Everything has to happen for a reason. (The Problem: No it doesn’t.)
  2. Where else did the world come from? (The Problem: You still have to prove your God exists, not just that they don’t know)
  3. Anything that can’t be logically determined
  4. Don’t quote the bible. (We atheists consider it roughly the same level as a Dungeons and Dragons quest book, maybe a few steps worse)
  5. Don’t be a bible-beater.
  6. Be open minded. Even if you don’t agree with us, restating your opinion will only **** us off (because you’re only listening to yourself).
I’d also like to add that our hostility to the church isn’t proof that the church is right, it’s just proof that we don’t like the church. I, personally, dislike the church because religion wastes time and makes people blind and gullible, and it indoctrinates children. The church has not been a great example for western civilization. We (the world) tried putting the church in charge, and we call this era “The Dark Ages”.

I’d honestly like to see you make a good go at this. It’s so hard to find Theists that can actually talk to an atheist without shoving a bible in our faces.
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I have to agree stick in Logic in all things.

Words to live by period I would hope but in this case more so.
 
Linusthe2nd said:
Mike you do atheism proud. Most of the ones we get on these forums are anything but polite. Thank you for being a real man. 👍
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There are a fair number of atheists on this site who are cordial, respectful and love a good debate that keeps everyone on their toes…🙂

This is one of the reasons I love this site so much.

Most of the Atheists I’ve met and talked to are ones who have no foundation of apologetics and history. They declare themselves atheists just because
it’s cool and hip…I guess. I’m not really sure. If they make baseless statements…I answer their questions and correct any misinformation. They don’t have a “come to Jesus moment” but they leave the conversation knowing a little bit more of what we believe and why. This usually happened in my college classes and we’d have open discussions about “deep” topics.

Of course their are plenty of Atheists who are well educated, well informed and even well versed in apologetics and scripture. In these cases, I don’t look to evangelize or convert per se. I try to do justice to the faith and live as a good Christian woman should and lead by example. I’m new to the faith myself and still have a lot to learn.

Just try very hard not to get into a boxing match with them. The reason why I mention this is because my husband gets into these exhausting sparring matches with his mother. She is a devote protestant who attends a non-denominational church and is convinced that the Catholic Church is wrong. Despite numerous attempts to correct misunderstandings, explain bible verses ad nauseum and delving deep into Church history…my husband always ends up at square one…except he is usually angry and she is upset.
And they both agree that Jesus is the son of God without question!
 
Theflipside said:
No offense, but as a former religious person converted atheist, you’re fighting a losing battle, and liable to annoy the heck out of anyone you attempt to evangelize (evangelical people tend to get close minded).

In the event that you try it, be sure to have plenty of arguments in favor of the existence of a magical sky fairy-… I mean god. (Atheist joke)

The issue you face with this is:
  1. Atheists are usually purely logical
  2. Religion is usually based purely in emotion.
Arguments to avoid:
  1. Everything has to happen for a reason. (The Problem: No it doesn’t.)
  2. Where else did the world come from? (The Problem: You still have to prove your God exists, not just that they don’t know)
  3. Anything that can’t be logically determined
  4. Don’t quote the bible. (We atheists consider it roughly the same level as a Dungeons and Dragons quest book, maybe a few steps worse)
  5. Don’t be a bible-beater.
  6. Be open minded. Even if you don’t agree with us, restating your opinion will only **** us off (because you’re only listening to yourself).
I’d also like to add that our hostility to the church isn’t proof that the church is right, it’s just proof that we don’t like the church. I, personally, dislike the church because religion wastes time and makes people blind and gullible, and it indoctrinates children. The church has not been a great example for western civilization. We (the world) tried putting the church in charge, and we call this era “The Dark Ages”.

I’d honestly like to see you make a good go at this. It’s so hard to find Theists that can actually talk to an atheist without shoving a bible in our faces.
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Couldn’t agree with you more.
 
The bible verses do not work on a conscious level. The Word has a way a to penetrate the very depth of your being, even if you intellectually disagree.
 
DaddyGirl said:
I don’t think this would work on most atheists.
The ones who have studied how the bible was written conclude that the book was not holy writ, so the words are not trustworthy to them and therefore don’t have much effect or meaning.
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There’s two different things getting confused here, I think. One is telling people what the Bible says. This is important, especially for those (like I was) that may be mostly familiar with evangelicals, as it establishes where differences are and clears up mistakes. This is important because we can’t very well share our faith if people don’t know what our faith is.

The other is telling atheists that they should believe something because the Bible says it. This is not particularly helpful and just makes the people doing it look dumb, like they can’t step out of their own mindset long enough to evaluate evidence properly. And yes, I did have Christians that would do this.
 
Mike_from_NJ said:
I agree with this to a point. At the very least if you quote scripture, don’t cite chapter and verse. It tends to come off as a regurgitation of items as opposed to something that’s been taken to heart.
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What if the reference is more like “It’s somewhere in 2 Corinthians, but I can’t remember exactly where” Some of my favorite Bible verses are like that for me
Arguments to avoid:
  1. Everything has to happen for a reason. (The Problem: No it doesn’t.)
  2. Where else did the world come from? (The Problem: You still have to prove your God exists, not just that they don’t know)
  3. Anything that can’t be logically determined
  4. Don’t quote the bible. (We atheists consider it roughly the same level as a Dungeons and Dragons quest book, maybe a few steps worse)
  5. Don’t be a bible-beater.
  6. Be open minded. Even if you don’t agree with us, restating your opinion will only **** us off (because you’re only listening to yourself).
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  1. Causation
  2. 🤷 I personally think the Big Bang is evidence for God
  3. Which annoys me. I’m willing to accept the holy books for any religion as worthy of being in the non-fiction section (400s). Fairy tales, too, for that matter. When I hear atheists call the Bible fiction, they’re demoting it too much for me. It’s still a holy book. It still goes in the 400s section.
 
I came across a young girl in her twenties recently (an Atheist) who wanted to know what the Holy Rosary was (I was handing her teenage sister-in-law Our Lady’s Holy Rosary Card.

I promptly explained what Our Lady’s Holy Rosary was upon which she quickly exited inside the home as I sat on my girlfriends verandah.

Had she remained, I would have handed the young Lady in her twenties Our Lady’s Rosary Card for her to at least be given the opportunity to glance at it.

The rest would be up to this young Lady as to whether or not she prayed to Our Lady of course.

However, my point, as you would be aware being Evangelizers, is that unless people are given the opportunity to hear or know about the ways in which they can pray to open up their hearts to God, Jesus and Our Lady Mary, many will suffer throughout their lives more in silence.

Please note, I am starting out in a low key way distributing Catholic material during my travels locally and interstate over the next few months to as many people on the street and in shopping centres as I can during hols.

I wont be brave enough to vocalise at this time in my life while giving out Christian material.

If anyone has any experiences tips and advice for places (apart from schools and nursing homes I will try doing during 2013) I would be most grateful!
 
chadt12 said:
Honestly, the excuses you gave are common misunderstandings and can be properly understood from information found in the apologetics forum on this site alone, or from simply listening to Peter Kreeft’s free online lecture on the Proofs for Gods existence.
For example:

#1 Actually our physical laws claim this and reason (logic) did thousands of years ago. Simply put, every event set in motion has a cause that set it in motion. These causes can be traced back to a first cause (e.g. you were born because your parents procreated, they were born for similar reasons… all the way to the big bang). Since the oscillating universe theory has been repeatedly proved invalid, the only explanation left is an intelligent (see anthropic principle) first cause. How do athiests escape this? By claiming the universe created itself (no, im not kidding). So yes, everything that happens does have a reason but what I think you are trying to say is “everything that happens was directly because of God.” And that I would agree with (like your free will to denounce Him).
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Just to clarify, most atheists (at least the ones who have thought about it) do not claim that the universe exists without a primary cause. What we say is that there is no good explanation for the existence of the universe, so the question of how we got here no more disproves atheism than it disproves a deity.
The reason for not believing the universe created itself, as I see it, is that it follows these rules according to this logic, when there are arbitrarily many forms that it could follow instead. Such a complex thing could not just be without cause. I agree with those who say this.
The reason we think the existence of a deity is not a good explanation for our existence is that intelligence is complex. It requires, at the very least, the ability to follow a logical thought to its conclusion: not a simple task. So, an infinite intelligence must be a complex thing. It must follow some sort of rules; there must be some reason it thinks of things this way instead of that way. But then the deity’s existence is just as arbitrary as the universe’s, so we are back where we started: why this way, and why anything at all?
 
No all atheists are alike, but I think this quote can highlight two stumbling blocks that we have when it comes to arguments that God created the universe:
In many cultures it is customary to answer that God created the universe out of nothing. But this is mere temporizing. If we wish courageously to pursue the question, we must, of course ask next where God comes from. And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and decide that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question? Or, if we say that God has always existed, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed? – Carl Sagan
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Less eloquently, you need to convince the person you are trying to evangelize to
  1. That a property we assign to God in explaining his existence (eternal, unknowability, etc.) can’t be assigned to the universe as a whole, and
  2. That there is something about the universe which necessitates adding the extra step of a god.
Now I always want to stress that I’m not here in the evangelization forum to debate (I’ll do that in the apologetics forum), but just so that people here can understand the mindset of non-believers.
 
Holly3278 said:
Hello everyone. I could use some general tips on evangelizing Atheists. I would welcome tips from anyone but especially from former Atheists who are now Catholic.
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I have experience evangelizing atheists and so I believe I can offer something useful. In order to win their respect you must in a sense dance at two weddings at the same time. For a great many it is enough to be a good Christian, but if all you are is a good Christian, it won’t be enough to reach them. Christians eshrew the world which is what turns them off. This is why you must dance at two weddings. The most important thing you will need to show them is Christian doesn’t necessarily imply ignorant and uneducated.

Your faith also has to be strong which may seem cliche, but if you are serious about winning souls you are going to have to take risks. It can put you in jeopardy spiritually. Be prepared to go to confession. You are going to have to understand how they think. Consequently, I recommend reviewing their training manuals. If your faith is weak, you may not want to go there. There is a lot of material that is shocking. It doesn’t shock me, but will likely seriously shock you. You may also encounter people of other religions, including Satanists. In an Internet search engine look up “Atheist Cartoons”. They like their comedians. Watch videos of George Carlin at youtube.com. On skepticism skeptic.com/ is a good resource.

They fear Catholics more than do Protestants for good reason. The Catholic faith is largely immune to the Socratic method. It is a fact that is impressive to atheists. Skill is required in order to take advantage of this, however. Remember to think like a Catholic, not a Protestant.

You will likely be getting into territory that is above your pay grade. It is going to require a lot of training and dedication, more training than combat experience. Don’t read the baby books. Read books from authorities atheists admire. The biggest mistake Christians make is they tend to think that having gone to Bible study is enough. If you think that is true, you are a moron which means you are only going to succeed in confirming what they already know, namely Christians are morons.

Know a Catholic by their red stained lips. I’m paraphrasing a line from the movie Dune. In other words, become someone they fear intellectually.

If you do everything I’ve suggested, there is a chance you will be converted to atheism. What can I tell you?
 
The devil speaks in half truths which means half of what the devil says is true. What the devil wants you to do is deny the truth. Half of what the atheists are saying is true. As Christians we often, then, make the mistake of saying: They are our enemies, we are to rebuke the enemy 100%. Such behavior is not consistent with the teachings of Christ.
 
Why do I bother with trying to help you? Wake up! You are all sleep walking.
 
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