I am here to tell you that Jesus loves you. Christians are instructed to give the Good News to all…and that includes atheists.

I entered a website that said by having done so that meant that I was an atheist. I, of course, am not an atheist. I entered to tell you of God’s love for you.

Are you familiar with John 3: 16? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

You might want to study the New Testament of the Christian faith in depth sometime–especially the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There is a lot of love and truth to be found there.

God bless you.

I appreciate your concern on my behalf. You will, I hope, be happy to hear that I have read the Bible many times, as well as many books and magazines about the Bible. I also listen to a number of apologetics podcasts.

Oddly, it was after reading the Bible through for the first time that I started heading down the path to atheism.

okay, i’ll bite. so you know my name and so when you say “I” who are you? for whatever the reason i thought i would just look up a site about atheist and you popped up so i started reading what you wrote. i have to tell you you are very sarcastic which i am sure you enjoy me telling you that. but i have to tell you something. whether you believe in God, or you are an atheist or Agnostic yes you are headed to the same place. only through Jesus is eternal life there i said that terrible word that offends every man. so i realize that you have heard all the arguments and so forth so nothing i can say to you will change your mind. i just had to say that there are many people taken back that you don’t believe in god ,when they don’t believe in Jesus and so therefore one day you will share each others company and no it will not be a deluxe suite overlooking the ocean. So why not be against satan? i mean why not t-shirts against satan? Is there anyone out there that is not a christian that is against satan and has started their own web site. everyone blames God for everything even christians. Noone ever says devil damn just g-damn and Jesus Christ! Nothing ever against satan. by the way i do think he said not to take His name in vain and yet we do. HIS name GOD-JESUS. he didn’t say not to take the devils name in vain. how could HE know that man would not do this? i mean this was written thousands of years ago and you know i have never heard someone take satans name in vain. so sorry to say that if the pope or mother teresea with all her good works will never make it to…. okay i am going to say His name…. Jesus if they don’t believe in Him. So why the web site and t-shirts? so you don’t believe in God. why do you feel the need to tell everyone, i mean to start this website and sell things?

Answering your questions and addressing your points…

Who am I? I’m just an atheist with a Web site and blog. Nobody special. I don’t give out my name, however, because I think that giving out personal details tends to color these conversations.

I’m really not particularly sarcastic. The non-blog part of this site may come across as sarcastic, but it’s really meant as a joke for the enjoyment of atheists. In my blog, where I discuss these issues seriously, I’m not sarcastic unless the person writing to me seems to deserve such treatment.

I agree that whether one is atheist or agnostic, we are all headed for the same place. You and I just disagree about what that place is.

I don’t find references to Jesus or the worship of Jesus offensive. We can talk about Jesus all you like. I’ll even say good things about him.

I haven’t necessarily heard all the arguments, and I have changed my mind about many things. If you have a compelling argument for the belief in Christianity, I’d love to hear it and I promise to seriously consider it.

Why not be against Satan? I’m not against Satan for the same reason I’m not for God. I am not convinced that either exists. For the same reason, I don’t blame God or Satan for anything. But although I am not against Satan, I am certainly against immorality and irresponsibility.

You end up by asking why I started this site. At first, the idea was just to put something funny on the Web for atheists to get a laugh out of. But then people started writing to me, and we began having interesting conversations about religion, atheism, and morality. I haven’t set out to change anyone’s mind about religious truth, but I certainly hope that I can change some people’s minds about atheism, atheists, and moral responsibility.

Thanks for writing.

I’ve had similar experiences when encountering other religions or really just looking at all of the various different forms of Christianity. Really theres always been an incredibly diverse number of interpretations of the bible. It was actually worse at the beginning of Christianity before the orthodox church.

I can’t say I’ve had too many experiences with questioning the bible and not getting answers from people. My dad has a masters in divinity and could have been a pastor but decided he had some questions about Christianity that a pastor shouldn’t have (he along with the rest of my family is still Christian). For the most part I’ve always been able to get some sort of answer concerning the text of the bible. Although I’m not surprised concerning your experience, I don’t really have a problem with Christianity. I just have a problem with people that haven’t put any amount of time into studying the religion they follow. A friend of mine who was an atheist and then found her faith in catholicism again was telling me about it so I was like oh so your christian again, her response which if we hadn’t been on aim she would have seen my jaw drop was “nope catholic”. I understand that I’ve studied Christianity more then most Christians ever will due to my parents having shoved a lot of stuff on me and some research that I’ve just done on my own.

One other thing I’d sort of like to know is what sort of response you’ve had when you tell people your an atheist. Like some people don’t really care, but other people tend to freak out a little bit and fire off a few questions to rationalize why I’m an atheist. Did someone in your family die? No.. Is your whole family atheist? They’re all christian… Do you hate god? I don’t think god exists.. I usually find those types of questions somewhat entertaining whats annoying is when people start the whole conversation thing, to which I have to meet with sarcasm. You know jesus loves you. Isn’t he dead? Although that typically does get people to determine I’m a lost cause. I’ve always felt trying to convert people to your religion is one of the most arrogant and pretentious things you can do. To say that your beliefs are absolutely right and other people’s are wrong and that they should follow them, well its just arrogant. Personally I’ve never tried to convince one of my friends to become an atheist. Its one of those things people should find on their own. But I’m rambling, to my main point what do you find happening when you tell people your an atheist. I bring this up because I typically incorporate my atheism into my jokes something amazing happens and I say there is god wait nope nvm, but when I’m around a group of people I don’t know I don’t want to unwittingly get drawn into a huge debate.

I completely agree that people often don’t put enough time into studying their own religion. I’ve always been puzzled by people who say that they think the Bible is literally the word of God but who haven’t read it — it seems like reading a book God wrote would be pretty high on your list of priorities. I also have found many people who seem to not even know the basic tenants of their own religion (Catholics who talk about the rapture or protestants who pray to Catholic saints, for example).

And I believe that nine out of ten times a well informed and thoughtful theist is better than an uninformed, inconsistent atheist.

I’ve had all sorts of reactions to my atheism. Generally, these days, they aren’t too bad because I let people get to know me before I start talking religion with them. But I’ve had my share of more extreme reaction: “But I thought you were such a nice person,” “So you worship Satan?”, “Why do you reject God?”, “You must have had a bad childhood,” You’re going to hell” — no big surprises.

I don’t have trouble avoiding sarcasm when I meet with “Jesus loves you” and such statements. But I’ve been doing this for decades, so it’s second nature at this point.

I disagree with you when you say that trying to convert people to your religion is “arrogant and pretentious.” In fact, I’d say that a Christian who sincerely believes in their religion is morally obligated to try and convert anyone they care about (and, ideally, they care about everyone). If you knew that a friend was going to do something that would end in tragedy, you’d be morally obligated to try and change their course of action, and a sincere Christian thinks that non-Christians are headed for tragedy.

Where arrogance and pretention comes in is in the manner of attempted conversion. There are right ways and wrong ways to go about such things. Unfortunately, far too many people seem to choose the wrong way and end up being annoying instead of convincing, and I think that much of this is due to the fact that these people often don’t know much about the beliefs that they are attempting to spread.

I don’t try and convince people to become atheists. However, I do try and convince them to take a good, hard look at their own beliefs. In my opinion, that’s certainly a push in the direction of atheism, but even if it doesn’t lead there, at least it might make the person a more thoughtful theist.

Hi,

I’ve browsed through your site and read that ‘favourite letter’ of yours and I am sort of torn, if you like, in several different directions. Firstly, given the nature of this site, my identification should be Catholic Christian and I do take significant comfort in my beliefs. I am very strong in my faith and very interested in talking to others about it and differing perspectives on issues. However, whenever I hear stories about fundamentalist Christians and read about all the condemnations and horrible discrimination of some groups, including my own, I have like a revulsion from it and turn quasi-atheist for a while.

Then I have other days where I read stories or blog accounts of what I like to call ‘militant atheists’ who make it their business to charge around attacking and insulting (usually hypocritically) Christians and other people just because of their beliefs, and I turn super-Christian.

I take great personal comfort from believing in a Creator, but I don’t believe in Creationism. I love the idea that we follow Jesus’ teachings, but exclude certain groups and judge people. As you can see I’m a fondue of faith.

I think its possible to believe in both Christianity and in Evolution or science. I cringe when the evidence used to ‘prove’ the existence of God is taken from the Bible! Thats a terrible practice – its obviously going to affirm it and the purpose of the book is to teach about Him… I personally believe that God fits in in the middle section – where the Big Bang theory leaves off and Evolution begins – God created life as its fairly well accepted that life cannot spring from inorganic matter. And I also believe that God created the matter prior to the Big Bang.

My point that I’m making is that all Christian sites I visit have a tendency to bible-bash and hate evolution and call for the death of atheists (which is a terrible thing – asking people to die for their beliefs) and have an IQ level of 3.458. The atheist sites, as a rule, tend to be smarmy and self-important and often ask for rational debate and then trap the acceptor into saying something stupid and then stereotype Christians based on that example.

Everyone questions their beliefs. As an atheist, do you question your belief in nothing? And do you always agree with other atheists over these things or is there division amongst atheistkind too?

I’d say that when it comes to religion fundamentalist, dogmatic, or radical anything — be it religion or atheism — is a mistake. Your beliefs sound quite reasonable (and in keeping with modern Catholicism), and I think you should resist being swayed by the blatherings and rantings of people for or against religion. Not all atheists are militant, and not all Christians condemn. Look for the reasonable individuals and ignore the rest while you examine your own beliefs.

I disagree with you when you say that everyone questions their own beliefs — but I agree that everyone should. To answer your question, not all atheists agree about everything. I, for example, see no compelling reason to believe that deities exist, but I won’t say absolutely that there are no deities (since I can’t prove such a statement). I also disagree with atheists who see all religion as an evil that should be stamped out ASAP.

(As an aside, when you say, “its fairly well accepted that life cannot spring from inorganic matter,” do you mean “non-living matter” or do you really mean “inorganic matter”? If the former, I think you’re wrong; if the latter, then I don’t think your conclusion follows.)

Comment: Hey, I was surfing the web and stumbled across your site. I am a Christian and extremely happy to be one. I have read several comments on the different topics listed. I actually want to commend you on answering the hatred emails with respect and decency. Letters from Christains like that give the rest of us a bad name, and it is unfortuanate that people feel the need to react that way. I myself, would love to be able to contribute to changing your mind about being an atheist. However, calling you names and such is a horrible way to try and do that, and is not emulating what Jesus preached and that is love.

I do agree with several people who claim they are atheists who stated in one fashion or another that many people who are Christians are hypocrites or are like sheep blindly following what the church tells them. I think to a degree it does happen. I even admit sometimes when I am in church, I feel like I am going through the motions. This does not, detract from my reverance or love for Jesus Christ. I don’t think anyone can be bubbly or gung-ho about their faith(in God) 100% of the time. It is just not possible. People have doubts, fears, down days about their faith and religion, just as they have the same doubts, fears, and down days about everything else in their life; marriage, jobs, their own abilities, their sports teams, etc.

I was curious about your personal story and if you have that posted somewhere on here. I would like to read it. I was also curious that having said you have read the bible several different times, if you have read any material from authors who were once atheists and are now Christians. Josh McDowell is one example, and I believe Lee Stroebel (spelling?) is another. If you have what are your thoughts on their material and writings? Another question I have is do you believe any of the bible is true? What I mean is, do you believe any of the people in it actually lived? Do you believe Jesus actually lived on earth? Not so much that he is who he said he was, the Son of God, but just that he did live and was a real person?

Thanks for your time, if you choose to answer this note, and even though I may offend you, God Bless.

You’ve said nothing that could possibly offend me, and I’m pleased to answer your questions. That’s how we learn, right?

I think that there are many more Christian hypocrites than you might think, but I also believe that many of them do not know that they are being hypocrites. Much of the religious teaching I have experienced or seen does very little to teach people how to apply Christian beliefs to their every-day lives. For example, I have found an unfortunate number of Christians who don’t really know what “thou shalt not murder” or “thou shalt not steal” means in concrete terms, or who don’t know what it means to keep the Sabbath holy. I don’t blame these people (and in practice I probably wouldn’t even call them true hypocrites), but I think that their education should be improved. I would say the same type of thing about many atheists, by the way.

I don’t have a personal story posted anywhere, although I have answered some questions about my past. The only information I can think of that is relevant to the topic at hand is that I was raised Catholic and became an atheist in my late teens while doing copious research into religion.

I have indeed read material by authors who became Christians after being atheists. I read Josh McDowell’s Answers to Tough Questions many years ago. I’ve also read several of Lee Strobel’s books (in which he presents other people’s thoughts reporter style much more than speaking of his own philosophy). Although I learned quite a bit from all of these, I found none of them particularly compelling. I also felt that some of the people that Strobel interviewed in some of his books contradicted each other, which makes the situation even more complex.

Regarding the Bible, I do believe that some of the historical information in it is correct, and that some of the information that may or may not be correct is still sufficient reason for historical investigation. There is good non-Biblical evidence that some Old Testament individuals existed (mainly people after David). I have read arguments on both sides of the question of whether or not Jesus was a real person, and my feeling is that he likely did exist but that we have significant obstacles when trying to decide how much of what is written in the Bible can reliably be attributed to him.

One small point in closing: you use the phrase, “people who claim they are atheists”. I’d be careful about saying that, in that it has a little implication that the people might not be being honest in their claim. If I called you a “person who claimed to be a Christian,” wouldn’t that sound odd?

Please let me know if you have any more questions. I’m happy to correspond with you!

I was directed to your website by one of my friends who upon reading this site told me that he thought I could have written. In all honesty I couldn’t say that I disagreed with him too much.

After reading through a fair amount of your site, I really haven’t found myself disagreeing with you once. I’ve determined that you’ve developed all of your opinions a good deal more then I have ever taken the time to. While I tend to live my life by a moral code of sorts I’ve never felt the need to write it down, because I personally know what is wrong and right Which has been more then enough for me.

Having said this I have an immense respect for 2Q, because of instead of writing a book concerned with atheist morality. You’ve written a book outlining a universal moral code that is applicable to anyone.

I have just one question for you that I suppose could take a bit of explaining (and might be on your site somewhere if it is just link me). I determined I was an atheist at a very young age, around 8 or 9. It was a bit of a shock to my Christian parents, at the time my mother thought it was just a phase I was going through (I’m 18 now so I think she’s given up on the phase theory) and of course they exposed me to a variety of things attempting to show me how Christianity was believable. Which most likely due to my stubbornness only further cemented me in atheism. This is all a little off topic though. When I was eight or however old I was, I just didn’t believe in god. For whatever reason the concept just didn’t click in my mind. Its not like I had developed an incredibly rational thinking mind at the time, but I didn’t think there was a god.

My question to you is how exactly did you decide you were an atheist and not a Christian (sorry if this is on your blog somewhere).

Also I’d like to say thank you, because your one of the people that give atheists a good name.

Wow — thanks for all the kind words!

To answer your question, I can’t really say when I became an atheist. There was a time when I was in high school and college that I was doing a lot of research into religion, trying to find one that made more sense to me (I assumed that there was one out there). As I did my research and talked with religious people — priests, street preachers, friends, people at revival meetings, etc. — I found my need to believe in God just fading away.

There were two specific incidents I can remember that left a big impression. One was when I read a book on a non-Christian religion and realized that it made just as much sense as Christianity. The other was when I was reading the Bible through for the first time and called my best friend who was a born-again Christian to ask some questions about Genesis. This friend was one of the smartest women I knew, but when I started asking questions about the Bible, she had no answers of her own. Instead, she asked her pastor (or someone like that) for answers, eventually ending the conversation by telling me that I really shouldn’t be questioning the Bible that way. It was a real shock to me to see this dear friend shut her brain down like that.

I hope that answers your question!

One minor correction I want to make to something you said: 2Q isn’t a book about a universal moral code. Rather, it is a book about how to examine your own moral code — whatever that might be — and see if it is valid. It definitely applies to anyone, no matter what their religious standing.

Thanks again for writing!

why do you waste your valuable time talking to these people? You are obviously an intelligent person…can’t you see that you are wasting your life…no argument can overcome them: their belief is not founded on logic..therefore logic is wasted on them, when no evidence is required any argument can be countered by any rubbish. I am Irish from a strict Catholic background.I managed to escape the delusion and slavery.. as did most of my country in the last decade.all my peers are non believers..when I look at America I despair at the lack of rigorous thought and wonder at the political cynicism that promotes it. Get a life..and I mean that as good advice to a fellow traveler on the road to truth. Let them wallow in their own ignorance..it will give our children an evolutionary advantage.

I don’t think I am wasting my time. True, there are some people who are a lost cause so far as atheism is concerned, but there are many more who have open minds. If I am discussing religion with someone who has already made up their mind, I am, at the same time, demonstrating my thoughts and philosophy to those who are listening but are not so unwilling to listen.

I receive large numbers of letters from people — both theist and atheist — who are pleased to see that it is possible to be an atheist without ranting or being hateful. Even if I can just show theists that atheists are not to be feared, I have won a victory.

I have also had many conversations with theists who, although they didn’t become atheists, now subject their own beliefs to significantly more scrutiny. This is, to me, another victory. I have nothing to fear from a reasonable theist, and some of them may become atheists some day.

Which brings me to the third reason that I don’t think I’m wasting my time. I have seen theists become atheists. I have seen angry, in-your-face theists stop and reassess their position when faced with someone willing to have a real discussion. I’ve seen a man in tears because he realized what fundamentalist religion had made him.

But most importantly I don’t think I waste my time by talking to “these people” because I don’t think there is a “these people.” There’s just us. And the more of us that can be inspired to think, the better off we all are.

I’m not sending hate mail or anything. I would just like a chance to talk. I don’t have all the answers and I am not perfect, but I never claim to be. One of the biggest reasons (that I have been told) people don’t believe in the Bible/God is because “Christians” are often terrible representatives.

I have had a few atheist friends over the years and always enjoyed talking with them. I am not here for a debate or an argument. Just a discussion, I enjoy hearing other points of view. If you would like or if you have the time you have my e-mail address.

Have a great day.

I also am only interested in discussion. I’d love to hear from you.

In reading your replies, I cannot make out your belief system or your method of reasoning.

how do you think the universe occured?

how do you think the universe could exist if there was not certainty in physical systems?

if you are aware of the structure of the universe, where could a heaven be located?

since the universe is billions of years old, and man is maybe 6-8 million years old, why do you think a man-made religion of any denomination is in any way related to a deity?

can you envision a universe created by a force or power that is not related to the man created idea of an earth centered deity?

where do you think morals originated?

what rewards does one receive by being atheist?

I think most atheists rebel against morality and the imagined concept of an old man in white robes who lives in Heaven. I see no particular advantage to the life of anyone who has made this transcendent discovery. I think the reasoning process stopped a little too soon.

You have many questions, so I will answer you briefly and hope that you ask for clarification where needed.

My belief system: In a nutshell, I believe that scientific methods provide the most likely explanation for observed phenomena. I see no compelling evidence for the supernatural.

My method of reasoning: I’m not sure I understand the question. In general, I have a system I call “the two questions” that I apply to any philosophical or metaphysical system. Given any topic, I ask, “Does my philosophy contradict itself,” and “Would I condemn another for reasoning as I do?” If I can answer “no” to both questions, then I consider the philosophy worth investigating. My morality is generally based on these two questions and self interest.

How the universe came to be: If you mean our universe, then I think it most likely was the result of a natural process. If you mean the continuum of all things that possibly exist (including universes before or outside our own, if there are any), then I can’t conceive of it having a beginning. Something infinite seems to be logically required, so it might as well be all of reality.

How could the universe exist without certainty in physical systems: I don’t say that our universe could exist under these conditions, but I see no reason why another universe couldn’t. And if you get right down to it, it’s possible that we don’t exist in a universe with stable physical laws. Perhaps they only shift infrequently and the universe hasn’t been around long enough for this to happen?

I’m not sure what you mean when you ask if I am aware of the structure of the universe. If you are asking whether I have the answer to how all physical processes occur, then I do not — nobody does (that’s why theoretical physicists are able to keep busy).

If Heaven existed, it could be anywhere God wanted it to be — another planet, another dimension, another universe. (Assuming a deity exists, of course.) This is an odd question to me. Perhaps I am misunderstanding?

You continue with a complex question: “since the universe is billions of years old, and man is maybe 6-8 million years old, why do you think a man-made religion of any denomination is in any way related to a deity?” If you are saying that religion is completely man made, then you are defining it as having nothing to do with a real deity, so your question answers itself. If you are not saying this, then if there were a deity it could reveal religion or inspire it, or all religions could be human interpretations of an experience of the divine that we are not able to fully comprehend. So far as I can see, the age of the universe (and of humanity) doesn’t seem to impact the question.

You ask if I can imagine a universe created by a deity other than a man-created Earth-centered deity. You’re loading your question again with the phrase “man-created.” The universe couldn’t have been created by a man-created deity — it’s not logically possible. Can I imagine a universe created by a metaphysically real deity that is not Earth-centered? Sure, I can imagine it. Sounds like deism to me. And just to be clear, I can imagine that our universe was created by scientists in another dimension, too, but my imagining it doesn’t make it any more likely.

Where do morals come from: I’d say morals are at least in part a social contract, but may have an instinctual base (that is, they may have, in part, evolved).

What rewards does one get for being an atheist? Any “reward” there might be to atheism is irrelevant. It’s like asking what prize I get for concluding that the Earth isn’t flat. After decades of research, atheism is the only metaphysical system that makes sense to me. I have no choice but to be an atheist. That being an atheist fills my e-mail with hate mail, stops some people from letting their children play with mine, and makes some assume that I’m untrustworthy doesn’t have any impact on the facts.

Some atheists are, as you say, people who are rebelling against specific religious beliefs. I don’t much care for that kind of atheist in that they are not generally philosophically rigorous. In my experience, atheists aren’t rebelling against morality in general — although there are some that don’t like lists of moral rules and such, I see no “atheism means murder is fine” movement.

You seem to say you see no advantage to the life of an atheist. So what? I don’t choose my philosophy based on its convenience, and I hope you don’t choose yours that way, either. If I am understanding your statement correctly, you come across like a white person walking up to a black man and saying, “Why are you black? What’s the advantage in that?”

If, as you conclude, you think my reasoning process has stopped too soon, then please tell me how you think it should continue. I feel that I have been pretty rigorous on these issues.

All religions are fabricated by man. the concept of a God related to man is what you argue against. the earth came into being 14 billion years ago, mankind is only 6 million years old, and has no obvious importance. the universe was either created, always existed, or happened by chance. there is too much order in the universe for it to be chance. if there was no creator, how does one explain order? i might ask why you think it is important to argue against the existence of a creator when there is no way to prove your point?

I’ll address your argument for the existence of a creator, but first I want to point out that you may be misrepresenting my position. I do not argue against the concept of a God related to man. Rather, my position is that I do not have sufficient reason to believe in any deity, personal or otherwise. You are right that I cannot prove that there is no creator, but I do not say that I can prove any such thing. Rather, I say that I do not find any arguments I’ve heard for the existence of a creator to be compelling.

Now, for your argument. You say that there is too much order in the universe for it to be chance. I’d say that the vast majority of the universe isn’t order — it’s empty space with random elements floating around in it. Those little islands of order are, I believe, explainable within the realm of science without the need to resort to the supernatural.

And just to emphasize a point, I don’t think it’s important to argue against the existence of a creator. I simply argue against points I disagree with.