I found a link to this article, titled “How to Persuade an Atheist to Become a Christian,” posted on a forum. As an atheist who is not persuaded one bit by the claims made by Christians on behalf of their religion, I am really interested in seeing how Christians actually think when it comes to their attempts to persuade us. This fairly short guide, obviously written for a Christian reader, presents various steps and discussion points that should supposedly help the Christian actually persuade an atheist that Jesus died for our sins and came back to life. How good is this advice? Let’s find out!

(Keep in mind that the page I am examining is a Wiki, which means that its content is subject to and is likely to change. The quotations I am presenting are from the most current revision as of this writing)

From the introduction:

You may believe that atheists are doomed to eternal damnation, and want to save them. Or, you may just believe that your own beliefs are better, and want to spread them. For whatever reason though, if you want to convince an atheist to become a Christian, you probably have a tough job ahead of you. Here are some tips for how to proceed.

At least the author is being realistic. But, you know, if you believe something to be true and actually have good and persuasive reasons for believing as much, then convincing other people of that truth should not be a tough job. If, on the other hand, you want to convince other people to believe the same thing on faith that you do, then that calls for some real strategy.

The first part of the article covers six steps of preparation that the Christian should do before trying to convert any atheists. Let’s look at them one by one:

Determine where you stand — If you hope to have honest discussion with someone in hopes of changing their views, then you must also be willing to accept the possibility that your own views will change. Decide up front if you are willing to honestly consider the atheist’s counter arguments. If you are not able to do that, your ability to connect with the atheist will be severely weakened.

This is actually great advice - I know, hard to believe that I am typing that. We should all be willing to accept the possibility that our views might wrong or partially wrong and require adjusting or all out abandonment. If more people in general, not just Christians, took this advice then I would be very happy.

Think about your relationship to the atheist. Are the two of you close? If not, try to increase your friendship before attempting to influence their religious beliefs. However, do not do this merely because you want to convert them. You must make your preparations before doing anything else.

At least it is not advising the Christian to try and befriend atheists only to turn the tables on them later. However, this seems to be suggesting that the Christian position is more persuasive if presented by a friend rather than a stranger. I cannot imagine why that would be the case. The case for Christianity rises or falls on the arguments and the evidence. I am willing to listen to those arguments and evidence from any Christian - friend or not - and just because I consider a Christian my friend does not mean that I will give greater weight to his or her beliefs in a rising and dying god-man.

Pray to God. Christians recognize that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts (John 6:44, 16:13). A Christian cannot persuade by him- or her-self. If your friend feels comfortable with it, pray aloud — as your friend listens — that God will bless and will draw closer.

Convicts or convinces? If a Christian cannot persuade by him or herself, how does that speak about the evidence? If the Holy Spirit does the ‘convincing’ - I would love to understand how this is accomplished  - then why does the Holy Spirit just convince me already! I mean, really. Is it because I do not believe in ghosts?

Do your homework If you are a Christian, and you believe that the Bible is the direct word of God, then certainly you have read the Bible cover to cover, right? If not, you may find the person you are trying to convert is better versed in the bible than you are. And, if you are serious about converting people to Christianity, you should also read the Qu’ran, the Torah, and other books of other faiths so you can better explain why Christianity is your choice.

More great advice! You’d be surprised how few Christians have read all of their own Bible, let alone other holy books. Luckily they discovered the true True Word of God first and didn’t need to bother with all those other false texts!

Show by conduct how Christianity has impacted your own life in a positive way (Matthew 5:15-16). While quoting the Bible at every possible opportunity may be a bit much, saying “I thank God for… (something goes your way)” should be fine. It may also be useful to tell your friend about people you’ve met at church; when listing their good qualities, include that they are “religious” as a very far side note. Their religious fervor is not going to impress the atheist.

That last line says it all. Not onlly will your friend’s religious fervor not impress me, YOUR religious fervor will not impress me, either. And thinking that God is responsible for every positive aspect of your life will is no more impressive.

Be honest if your Christianity is mocked Give respect to the atheist, but also demand respect for yourself. Don’t accept mean spiritedness without letting the person know how it makes you feel. However, be understanding that your world view may be very foreign to the atheist. All people may need a lot of patience and forgiveness when challenged with new perspectives.

Fair enough. However, (and there is almost always a however, it seems) the Christian world view is by no means ‘foreign’ to me. If anything, by living in the United States I am overly saturated by the Christian world view. I don’t reject Christianity because it is foreign - I reject it because it is ridiculous.

A side note about respect: I’ve said this before here and I will say it again. I firmly believe that people deserve respect. Certainly there are situations where people do something to loose that respect, but more often than not, the Christian who wants to convert you deserves to be respected as a fellow human being. Beliefs that cannot be supported by evidence do not deserve respect. I will not respect a person’s beliefs simply because he or she believes them. End side note.

That is all for part 1. In the next installment I will examine the “Discussion” points - hopefully the page will not change too drastically by then!

Go to Part 2