I have been hanging out with a lot of Christians lately...actually most of the time since officially disavowing my season of doubt. (I spent about 6 years as an atheist or some variation of agnostic.) One thing I hear often is that a well-intended Christian has read this or that atheistic writer and now feels equipped to proselytize the Gospel to atheists. I sort of wish those books came with a siren - a LOUD SIREN - and a disclaimer. Wooowooo - If you are Christian, you aren't going to 'get it' from reading this book. Wooowooo... you get the idea.
The point is this: there are two kinds of atheists. (Maybe more - I've got two in mind.) First, there are scientific atheists, these are the guys writing books - and into this camp I will lump people who bother with philosophy - ie: God can't exist. Second, there are post-trauma atheists - ie: God couldn't exist, a good God would never allow this horrible thing to occur, therefor there must be no God.
Christians, unless you are science literate , HIGHLY science literate (like - you are a scientist or science student), and no, I am not talking about people who read a Dawkin's book, you cannot hang with the folks in camp #1. They will eat you alive, they look forward to it - it is their intellectual way of snacking. They prey on Christians who think they can hang (and then eventually end up muttering about 'you just have to believe...') It is how atheism has gotten teeth; they have sharpened them on Christian pseudo-intellectuals. I would know - I was part of camp #1 back when I was studying biochemistry and philosophy. I was not nice.
Ok camp #2 is where Christian's drop the ball. This accounts for most atheists, practical atheists, and many pagans. They have endured something and it OFTEN comes back to Christians behaving reprehensibly. Not always, but abuse, lying, thieving...we all know the headlines. Well somebody lived through all of that and more. This is where Christ gives us the go-ahead, the green light. Love non-church people like your life depends on it. Go visit people. Drop them a line. Care when caring makes NO SENSE. Let Love LOVE do the talking, the walking, and the evangelizing. He is way more convincing than you are.
Anyway - the good news is you will also win lots of folks in camp #1 just through irrational, relentless care. It sort of trumps everything. So put down the Dawkins (you're just making him rich and toothy) and bake some brownies for that atheist you had in mind when you bought it.
The point is this: there are two kinds of atheists. (Maybe more - I've got two in mind.) First, there are scientific atheists, these are the guys writing books - and into this camp I will lump people who bother with philosophy - ie: God can't exist. Second, there are post-trauma atheists - ie: God couldn't exist, a good God would never allow this horrible thing to occur, therefor there must be no God.
Christians, unless you are science literate , HIGHLY science literate (like - you are a scientist or science student), and no, I am not talking about people who read a Dawkin's book, you cannot hang with the folks in camp #1. They will eat you alive, they look forward to it - it is their intellectual way of snacking. They prey on Christians who think they can hang (and then eventually end up muttering about 'you just have to believe...') It is how atheism has gotten teeth; they have sharpened them on Christian pseudo-intellectuals. I would know - I was part of camp #1 back when I was studying biochemistry and philosophy. I was not nice.
Ok camp #2 is where Christian's drop the ball. This accounts for most atheists, practical atheists, and many pagans. They have endured something and it OFTEN comes back to Christians behaving reprehensibly. Not always, but abuse, lying, thieving...we all know the headlines. Well somebody lived through all of that and more. This is where Christ gives us the go-ahead, the green light. Love non-church people like your life depends on it. Go visit people. Drop them a line. Care when caring makes NO SENSE. Let Love LOVE do the talking, the walking, and the evangelizing. He is way more convincing than you are.
Anyway - the good news is you will also win lots of folks in camp #1 just through irrational, relentless care. It sort of trumps everything. So put down the Dawkins (you're just making him rich and toothy) and bake some brownies for that atheist you had in mind when you bought it.