Have you ever noticed that many Christians say that atheists are those who have spurned the word of Jesus, or deliberately rejected his offer of salvation? Well, I've sure noticed it. Not a month goes by without an email popping onto my screen that tells me something to that effect.
I've always wondered how it's possible to "spurn" the word of someone you consider to be largely fictitious. I don't believe the words were ever spoken, so how can I reject them? It's more like I disregard them.
Recently, I used an analogy to describe this to one of the aforementioned emailers.
Christians view the gospel as though it were being offered to you by a salesman on your doorstep, complete with working demonstration model, free trial period, money-back guarantee, and an offer that's practically a steal. They view atheism as being the slamming of the door in the salesman's face.
But atheists view the gospel as though it were an anonymous chain letter in the daily mail, describing fantastic things that can be yours only by believing the claims and passing along the good news. In other words, something that sounds a whole lot like a scam, with no evidence to support the claims, just a bunch of hearsay. Our atheism is nothing more than being skeptical and ignoring it.
I can't speak for others out there, but as far as I'm concerned, chain letters belong in the trash.
