Evangelistic Atheism: Tips on Leading Believers Astray (link)

[NAO]

Dan Barker, former Evangelical Christian Preacher, de-converted from Christianity and became an atheist in 1984. He became affiliated with the Freedom From Religion Foundation ffrf.org and has been active in freethought causes. In this essay, Baker offers insights gained from his many years of 'winning souls to christ', and shows how many of the same techinques can be used to spread the Really Good News that god is just pretend!


Evangelistic Atheism: Leading Believers Astray
By Dan Barker

(This originally appeared in the January/February 1993 issue of Freethought Today, published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.)

excerpt:

Freethought is worth sharing with the world. If the conditions are right, it is possible for a freethinker to successfully evangelize a believer. "Evangelism" is a perfectly good word. The Greek word "angel" means "messenger." Evangelism is simply "good news." Atheism is positive. Although it is constructed with the privative prefix (negative in the sense of "without," not "against"), it should be viewed as a double negative. By comparison, "non-violence" is considered to be a positive word. Since "theism" is unreasonable and even dangerous, the message that we can be free of it is good news. Atheism is like having a large debt cancelled...

entire article at this link:

Evangelistic Atheism: Leading Believers Astray
http://ffrf.org/fttoday/back/evangel.php

more of Dan Barker's writings:
http://ffrf.org/about/bybarker


Freedom From Religion Foundation
http://ffrf.org/index.php

[jonnyblitz]

1. I went to a 4th of July gathering of FFRF in Alabama in 1999

and met Dan Barker and the others. I befriended one of their activists online and he convinced me to come down. I found it quite amusing to be hanging out with a bunch of rabid fellow atheists in the heart of the bible belt. a good time was had by all. :thumbsup: