Atheists in my family.

[Silvertusk]

This is a blog from a family member (my cousin) - WARNING THERE IS SWEARING THROUGHOUT IT.

http://simonblake.org.uk/scribbles/?p=1130

Its starts on about the mormons then it goes into a crazy rant about Christians in general. The hate and anger that is there is frightening. My brother is the same.

My Dad basically thinks I am nuts - essentially believing in "magic" and he thinks his world view is so much more awe inspiring without God.

How do people deal with family members who are so anti-christian?

Silvertusk

[Seraph]

Thats a toughie.

Guess the best you can do is be the best Christian you can be to them and break their stereotypes when you get the chance.

[Byblos]

My nephew went to England for a few years (got his PhD in acoustical engineering) and came back a full fledged, Dawkins card-carrying atheist. I had several heated discussions with him to no avail. His last words to me in person were 'why do we need god? he is irrelevant'. I gave him 3 books and made him promise he will read them:

- New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy, by Robert Spitzer
- The Last Superstition, by Edward Feser
- The Language of God, by Francis Collins

I also recommended additional reading (which he did):

- Aquinas (A Beginner's Guide), by Edward Feser
- Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

P.S. He is back in church.

Our faith is a reasonable faith (grounded in reason). I don't have enough (blind) faith to be an atheist. I can't promise this will work for any of your family members Silver but we can only try. The rest is up to God anyway.

[1over137]

I was grown up as atheist, so there are as well atheists in my family. I shocked some close family members and some still did not get through it, I mean,my conversion. They have fear and hate and so on.

We are to be light and salt. Honest and true. Not hiding what we are, not distorting things. Just true, loving and patient.

[B. W.]

This is a blog from a family member (my cousin) - WARNING THERE IS SWEARING THROUGHOUT IT.

http://simonblake.org.uk/scribbles/?p=1130

Its starts on about the mormons then it goes into a crazy rant about Christians in general. The hate and anger that is there is frightening. My brother is the same.

My Dad basically thinks I am nuts - essentially believing in "magic" and he thinks his world view is so much more awe inspiring without God.

How do people deal with family members who are so anti-christian?

Silvertusk

It is difficult to explain the once hate I had as an atheist oh so many years ago. The article reminds me of my old self. Many folks end up praying for such folk because - a militant vocal atheist wears a big target on their back and every Christian they encounter often will pray for such. So, we should agree in prayer, together, that your relative will be shone God's Grace in such a manner that it usher's him into the Kingdom Of God and become a blood bought believer in Christ real soon - that Christ Jesus will do whatever is necessary to have him see the light of God's mercy and grace.

As I read such stuff form folks like this, I pity them from a kind of hindsight - the ax they have to grind and the chip on the shoulder they bear comes not from God but their own abuse of the gift of dominion God gave them and all humanity. Woe to anyone who dare to take that free exercise dominion away from such atheist because they would be the first to complain and bemoan it. Yet, they clamor for God to remove this gift because their own abuses and in turn blame God for their own misconduct. They can't see God's grace and his honoring his gift to humanity without any personal fear of humanity falling prey to sin. God is that Just - and more than able to work, despite our twisting his gift of dominion, to be able to reach his goal of a perfect world/universe without sin, sickness, death by remaining true to Himself and true to those he created as intelligent beings.

Looking back - I was actually mirroring myself - my former views about God and his existence. I did not like myself, did not like the world around me with all its travail so I needed a scapegoat to avoid looking at the true cause, myself. It was easy back then to blame, hate, deride, and ridicule such a scapegoat as I absolved myself from the mounting evidence I saw in the mirror that the fellow staring back at me was a hurt angry scared little bully who was just one small contributor to the 'why' the world was such a mess. So Silver, as you read such blog as his - know he his mirroring himself. He may like to tout his goodness but such hate betrays his point of view. Hate murders with slander others - anger kills friendship and keeps help away... From that, you might see something to work with to reach his soul and plant the seed that just may save his life. It is a difficult position to defend vacuousness.
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[Dudeacus97]

That blog was one of the stupidest things I've ever read. When I scrolled through it, I constantly said to myself "What the f*ck" or "is this serious". The part of the "plans for Christians" is probably the worst. It sounds like something he just made up. He said it really happened, but he provided no evidence and THE ALL CAPS AT CERTAIN POINTS DOESN'T REALLY @#$%^&* HELP TOO MUCH!!!!

[Sam1995]

Pray.
Keep being an example to them in your faith and your purity!

I know it can get tough, I have to deal with atheist family members too! There's not much we can do apart from those two things in reality.

God bless!

[PaulSacramento]

Most of the people that hate God and Christ hate a version that I myself would probably Hate too.
Some atheists disbelieve in a God that doesn't exist anyways, so...
I have found that atheists that do not believe because they do not see any evidence of A GOD are very honest about the fact that they do NOT see it.
They have no issues with those that do of course, they simply don't see it that way.
They have no issue with those that believe ( unless they are forcing their beliefs on others in a negative way) and really couldn't care less.
"Militant" or those very vocal and "want to reconvert you) atheists have their own agenda and it really isn't about God.
How can one be aggressive and militant against something you KNOW doesn't exist?
One can't, just as I am not militant against dragons, leperchauns or pixies.
Deep down there is a deep rooted resentment against God.

[Kurieuo]

Everyone needs something to hate. It makes them feel apart of something. If that something was christianity then you've now betrayed that something. Hence, Jesus' words that he'd turn those in families against each other.

[RickD]

Silvertusk wrote:

How do people deal with family members who are so anti-christian?

By answering their questions with love, truth, and humility. All you can do is answer their criticisms as God leads you. Many atheists that I've encountered have beliefs about Christianity and God, based on a God they believe is the Christian God, and based on people they believe are a true representation of Christianity. Show them who God really is. Show them Christ's love through yourself. If all I had to go on as evidence for the Christian God, was tv evangelists, the Westboro Baptist Church, and holier-than-thou Christians, then I'd probably be an atheist too.

Silver, most likely they haven't experienced the real love of God in their lives. Our God is in you. Show them who He is, by your love.

[1over137]

If all I had to go on as evidence for the Christian God, was tv evangelists, the Westboro Baptist Church, and holier-than-thou Christians, then I'd probably be an atheist too.

Silver, most likely they haven't experienced the real love of God in their lives. Our God is in you. Show them who He is, by your love.

Yes, many people are atheists because they saw bad representatives of Christianity. I hate this.

[neo-x]

If all I had to go on as evidence for the Christian God, was tv evangelists, the Westboro Baptist Church, and holier-than-thou Christians, then I'd probably be an atheist too.

I couldn't have said it better my self rick. Stealing your line by the way.

[tunde1992]

God, am going to have to open two threads if i want to talk about my pretentious atheist brother