They're persistent, I'll give them that

[slowfox]

Following on from last week's brush with evangelising Americans... they were back, yesterday. Last week's guy had the genuine Million Dollar Smile™, this guy's smile was just a couple of cents shy of that high water mark, but he still had his 'Jesus Christ our Saviour' name badge:

Evangelising American: Hey, how are you today?

slowfox: I'm an atheist. Thanks. Bye.

Evangelising American: Why ever would you be one of them?

slowfox: Why would I not? Thanks. Bye.

Evangelising American: But have you tried prayer?

slowfox: ...

What we have here is a failure to communicate: I don't believe in God. Ergo, it's extremely unlikely that I would feel moved to offer prayers to a concept that I don't subscribe to.

I get a similar thing for being teetotal:

slowfox: I don't drink alcohol.

Other Party: What? Ever

slowfox: Nope, never have done. Hope never to do so.

Other Party: *slowly, in deductive fashion* So you've never been drunk...? Ever?

Comments

[yvi]

... they were back, yesterday

Wow. The cheek of some people. Do I go to their doors and talk about my Atheism to them? Do I go to their doors and say "Have you tried not believing in the historicity of Jesus?"

(Yes, I highly doubt that person even existed. I will *so* burn in hell if it exists)

[slowfox]

Actually, I believe that a bloke named Jesus existed, who was a political activist of the time, with, as it turns out, some decent things to say about humans might treat one another, ignoring reference to deities.

I do not believe that he was a son of (a) God, nor that he performed any kind of miracles, and rather suspect that the stories attributed to him are a mixture of rose-tinted hindsight, vague legends and deeds of other folk, all mixed up into one proto-character for ease of (re)telling.

[yvi]

That's the other option, of course :) Either way, I'd really not hear about him that much. Or a non-existent deity, no matter which variety.

I think living on the 3rd (4th) floor keeps people like that away from me. Which is sad, since I actually have a box full of Atheist/Naturalist/Secular pamphlets I could give them in return. They are called "Enlightenment in the 21st Century".

[slowfox]

I think the true Battle-Hardened Missionaries would see any kind of engagement with them as a possible win - if you're talking to them, they can engage you in 'debate'.

Anyway, they don't believe in Shiva. Or Thor. Or Isis. Or Zeus. Thus, they're almost as atheist as I am, the only real difference being that I believe in one fewer gods than they do. (I love that line of reasoning - can't remember from where I picked it up, though: might be PZ Meyers?)

[yvi]

Either PZ or Dawkins. I am re-reading "The God Delusion" right now and the "I am just an Atheist towards one more God" might be in there.

[slowfox]

May well have been Dawkins, then. I liked The God Delusion, but just wish he could have been less... aggressive in tone.

[yvi]

See, I don't read it as that aggressive. I found it refreshing :)

But, you know, radical Atheist and all that :)

[slowfox]

It's certainly refreshing, that I grant you.