Should Christians just ignore Atheists outright?

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AltarSoldier

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Psalm 14:1 says “Only a fool says there is no God”

And upon seeing many arguments online from Atheists, many seem to be very grounded in their ways and beliefs. In this age of technology and information overload wouldn’t it be meritorious to speak once and no more to an atheist who denounces the existence of God? It feels like many back and forths tend to lead to tense debacles that lead nowhere because in the end it leaves a Christian with a sense of mourning because the goal of preaching the Gospel is to evangelize and save souls.

This is not to be confused with not defending the honor of the Church and God in the face of growing opposition to the divinity of Christ and the Trinity but I feel it should be speak no more than once and move on and pray in your heart for conversion than beating a dead horse
 
I’d say talk to them kindly for as long as they care to listen. If they are willing to listen, don’t give up on them before they grow tired of listening. Don’t force them to do anything, but don’t give up on them without being explicitly told to stop. I’m not a priest or anything, I’m just giving my perspective.
 
First of all, they need prayer. Secondly, words, arguments, disputations - all fail. Rather, showing them the joy of the Gospel by how we live our lives, gently correcting untruths we might hear from them, and invoking the Holy Spirit via prayer will be as effective as anything I can think of.
 
Please feel free to ignore this but the term atheist doesn’t require a capital A.
 
Alligator said:
I’d say talk to them kindly for as long as they care to listen. If they are willing to listen, don’t give up on them before they grow tired of listening. Don’t force them to do anything, but don’t give up on them without being explicitly told to stop. I’m not a priest or anything, I’m just giving my perspective.
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You talk a lot of sense, All. I’d be quite happy to listen to you. Others…? Not so much.
 
AltarSoldier said:
And upon seeing many arguments online from Atheists, many seem to be very grounded in their ways and beliefs. In this age of technology and information overload wouldn’t it be meritorious to speak once and no more to an atheist who denounces the existence of God? It feels like many back and forths tend to lead to tense debacles that lead nowhere because in the end it leaves a Christian with a sense of mourning because the goal of preaching the Gospel is to evangelize and save souls.
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Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment. What has your experience been arguing about anything online? In my long experience, nobody ever changes their mind in online argumentation. And it’s not just religion. Nobody ever changes their mind about evolution, global warming, vaccination, gun control, Democrat vs. Republican, Coke vs. Pepsi, or anything. If you want to save souls, look for another approach.
 
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I’m here anytime. I’m just a humble alligator trying to make my way through the swamp. 🙂
 
There is an old phrase: there are more flies drawn to honey than to vinegar.

Lots of people want to “argue” with others about the Faith. Someone who is entrenched in their opinions is highly likely to not change their mind with an argument, as in essence, they are being told “You don’t know what you are talking bout”, which is akin to “You are wrong!”. Attacks, as they see it, will most likely draw their defenses.

If you want to know how to work with atheists, I would suggest going to Bishop Barron’s website; I believe he has a free video by a woman who started out as an atheist and has not only become Catholic, but has a video (on his site) of how she eventually changed. It is worth a look, and one that pays attention.

There is a marked difference between having a lively discussion and having an argument. It pays not only to learn the difference, but also to practice the difference. Someone who is not open to discussion won’t discuss; but it takes work and time for them to see a reason to ask questions and to explore something outside their world view.

Meaning, if you seriously want to evangelize, you need to learn how, and it is going to take time - in some circumstances, a lot of time. It is up to you if you wish to devote that time - in some circumstances, there isn’t enough of that. But it will require a change in approach. In short, you won’t do much good with one attempt and then moving on.

See the video and maybe see it several times; your heart is in the right place, and I think the video might be an eye opener. You seem to care, and we need more of that.

Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit needs to be part of your arsenal.
 
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Debate shouldn’t even be considered unless one is skilled in tact amd is self-aware, otherwise everyone is going to go in circles.
 
Some atheists are ‘militant’ and very stuck in their ways.

Others are more open to being talked to and can be friendly towards or even admire many aspects of religion.

We should talk to atheists. If we do talk to them, we have a very small chance of bringing them to belief. If we do not talk to them, then that oh-so-important chance will not be there at all!

Nonetheless, some just aren’t open. Perhaps avoid that type, and one is certainly not obliged to engage in discussions with atheists.
 
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catholic03 said:
Some atheists are ‘militant’ and very stuck in their ways.

Others are more open to being talked to and can be friendly towards or even admire many aspects of religion.

We should talk to atheists. If we do talk to them, we have a very small chance of bringing them to belief. If we do not talk to them, then that oh-so-important chance will not be there at all!

Nonetheless, some just aren’t open. Perhaps avoid that type, and one is certainly not obliged to engage in discussions with atheists.
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I have found in my very many years on Christian forums (almost always Catholic forums) that there are a few Catholics that I would class as friends. We’ve never met except online. But I think we’d hit it off if we were to meet. And those few have treated me as a person who puts forward his views as honestly as he can - they haven’t assumed that because I am an atheist I have rejected God and want to bring down religion!

And the views that they have put forward are almost always presented as if we were having a friendly chat propping up some bar somewhere. They never used emotive language and never said anything that would lead to raised voices (or worse) in a social environment.

Respect on both sides leads at least to an understanding of the other person’s point of view. Even if your views are diametrically opposed to the person to whom you are talking.
 
If you can’t conceive of being convinced by an atheist to become an atheist, then why would you expect you could convince an atheist to beleive what you believe? Or anyone else?

It is wasted effort. If you convince them, then they weren’t much of an atheist to begin with. Same could be said for anyone of any belief.
 
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Building up walls so you don’t have to talk or listen rarely works. If you maintain a policy of never talking you have no chance to reach anyone. Remember that you can’t judge the effects of your words solely by the results you see in the moment. They might not have effects for years.
 
I can live with Atheists and have a civil discussion with them. What I cannot tolerate are Antitheists like Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins whose idea of debate is insulting and talking down to those who do not agree with them.
 
I think most atheists, especially the older ones, have a lot of respect for Reason. They still believe in free inquiry, logic, genuinely open to new ideas, even if they are unpopular.

I had professors who were absolutely honest, even if they rejected absolutes in principle. This generation is definitely worth engaging. They can teach us some things about Reason (confer C. S. Lewis’ autobiography). They are open to reconsider their own positions, if we are reasonable.

The new generation of atheists relies more on political correctness than Reason. They are more willing to restrict free speech, to vandalize teachers who assign textbooks that teach anything unpopular.

With this generation you can’t appeal to Reason. You might connect with them on a personal level.
 
po18guy said:
Secondly, words, arguments, disputations - all fail.
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Between 1900 and 1950 there were a number of people, who read British writers, who were raised without any religion, or lost their faith, who converted to Christianity. “Words, arguments, disputations” did in fact reach many people. The writing of some of those apologists, like Chesterton, continue to convert people today.
 
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Charity always. That can be a struggle. For me anyways.
The perennial problem is that in almost all cases, atheists aren’t really rejecting Christianity or even discussing Christianity. Or maybe to be more accurate they are not addressing Catholicism. They are usually addressing fundamentalist caricatures and knocking them down. (which they should for sure)
And that’s understandable if a person has had negative experiences with Christians. You address what you know.

Folks like Bill Maher are just incredibly simplistic in regards to religion, and I don’t think Christian apologists ought to be addressing viewpoints like his that are based on flawed assumptions. You need to address the false assumptions. And that becomes uncomfortable.
 
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AltarSoldier said:
Psalm 14:1 says “Only a fool says there is no God”
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The translation from the USCCB says,
The fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.”
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The important part here being, “in his heart”. That makes all the difference in the world. People have a tendency to hide things in their heart. What they say aloud could be something entirely different.

People who want to evangelize through conversation and discussion should consider that there are people who are reachable and there are also people who have closed their heart off from God.
 
1Lord1Faith said:
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AltarSoldier:
Psalm 14:1 says “Only a fool says there is no God”
Click to expand...
The translation from the USCCB says,
The fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.”
Click to expand...
The important part here being, “in his heart”. That makes all the difference in the world. People have a tendency to hide things in their heart. What they say aloud could be something entirely different.

People who want to evangelize through conversation and discussion should consider that there are people who are reachable and there are also people who have closed their heart off from God.
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Atheists who come here are not closed off from God, or they would not be here.
Something is calling them to come here and engage in discussion about the God they claim to reject.
Helping them acknowledge their presence here and the significance of it is a huge step (that seems to generate some discomfort with many atheists…)

Those who we might consider lost are the indifferent: those who are sitting right now with a remote and a beer, or simply lost in the swill of our culture without a second thought.
 
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