Skeptic Blog

nonplussedbyreligion:

Whether you call yourself an atheist, agnostic, anti-theist, non-theist, free-thinker, humanist, secularist, skeptic, or any other name you choose to identify your lack of belief, this picture is important!!

So you no longer believe in gods, or you were fortunate enough to not be raised religious, that’s wonderful, but now what?  The religious, if nothing else, know their religion.  Granted there are some that know it better than others, but if you are ill-equipped to deal with them, they can talk you down.  Crap can be spun into gold when it comes out sounding official.  Confidence can make their arguments seem much more valid than they are.  Or if you imagine me exactly as I am now, but as a Christian, the genuine loving approach can test your resolved.  I wholeheartedly believed in what I was saying, my sincerity was welcoming, but deadly to those not on solid ground.

I’ve encouraged you before to learn more about other religions and I’ll do so again.  Unfortunately, “I don’t believe in your god” won’t hold up by itself as an argument for long.  You have to know more.  More about their religion, but most importantly, more about what you believe in.  When you can deliver your point with as much confidence as they do, it makes them realize that your lack of faith isn’t just some phase, but rather something you’ve invested time into upholding.  Knowledge is power, and it will have your back when you’ve fallen behind enemy lines.  

Never ever stop at just being an atheist.  Always seek to move further than you were the day you first realized that religions were mere creations of men.  ~ Kim