No True Scotsman forgets his kilt! (Photo by Anna Fischer)
@CestMoiTom has a tricky situation with one of his friends:
@LawrenceMills My Atheist friend going Christian...
-@CestMoiTom (Tom), 2-11-2009 17:26:20
@fyreflye Not sure how much of an Atheist he was. Maybe he was only acted a strong one because he wanted to be better friends with me
-@CestMoiTom (Tom), 2-11-2009 17:23:48
@LawrenceMills I'm not planning to go along. But I will stay friends with him, he's a cool guy and hopefully I'll make him rational.
-@CestMoiTom (Tom), 2-11-2009 17:37:25
What do you think about these words: “Not sure how much of an Atheist he was.” and “…hopefully I’ll make him rational.”?
One of the mistakes I make when discussing individuals in this situation is questioning the validity of their atheism before the conversion. It’s a gut reaction. We all dislike seeing our friends accept things we find foolish.
How often do you hear an evangelist or preacher say “I used to be an atheist, but then I met Jesus” or something eerily similar? How often do you think, “I doubt he was really an atheist” or “Atheists would never believe what he does now.” Regardless of the speaker’s intent, I suggest we re-frame how we think of former atheists. When we accuse them of being disingenuous or invalid, we are usually displaying perfect examples of the ”No True Scotsman” fallacy.
Newsflash: Assuming an atheist is always (or even usually) making decisions based on reason is naïve.
Atheists don’t believe in a deity. That doesn’t mean we never will–or that we cannot–buy into the beliefs of religions someday. It means that at this moment we do not believe. Period.
Atheism is our default from birth. It does not require work, critical thought, conversion, decision, or any other action. All theists were one atheists. they were just trained, taught, and convinced that theism was true.
When someone feels the desire to think and reason about what they believe on the topic of deities and the supernatural, then we can judge how they make their decisions.
Atheism and rational thought are not synonymous. Atheism and intelligence are not synonymous. Let’s get off our high horses and admit that we’re humans like everyone else: fallible, emotional, and sometimes bone-headed arses.
Try not to say “no true atheist would _____.” If you’re baffled at why someone turns to Jesus, Allah, cults, Vishnu, astrology, or any other woo-full belief, just remember that in order to be a “true” atheist, all that’s required is a lack of belief in a god.
“True” freethinkers, however, are another story altogether 
Lesson of the day? Even atheists can be idiots. Encourage everyone to think reasonably and make free, educated decisions!
In the most recent issue of Christianity Today, Charles Colson–owner of an infamous scandal-to-salvation testimony–takes on your favorite topic and mine: Atheism. I’ll respond to his article, When Atheists Believe, but I recommend checking it out for yourself to see if it sparks any thoughts.
Colson’s main point is that quite a few well-known atheists have come to Christianity after–as he claims–examining the rationality of the religion.
Faith and reason are not enemies. We are given reason as a gift. And while we can’t reason our way to God (only the power of God can transform fallen men—I’ve seen that in prisons for over 32 years), I have long believed that Christianity is the most rational explanation of reality. And that fact, winsomely explained, can powerfully influence thinking people to consider Christ’s claims.
Why can’t we reason our way to God? Because God is not reasonable! If he was, then we could know about him using our “god-given” gift. No leaps of faith necessary.
What this article does not do is explain why faith in a deity is rational. Perhaps I expect too much. Colson claims that “the Bible speaks most accurately to the human condition—the very definition of a rational choice. It is rational to choose the worldview that provides the best choice for living, consistent with the way life works.”
What does this have to do with: an eternal, invisible a god, a magical (yet genetically inherited) sinful nature that dooms us to agony, talking snakes, global floods, men living in fish for 3 days, magical objects, blood sacrifices, prophecies, or god-sponsored atrocities? What is “rational” about this “worldview” that teaches about a demigod who: was born of a deity-impregnated-virgin, came down to teach to one small ethnic group for a few years, sacrificed himself in a brutal manner to himself, rose bodily from the dead, floated into the sky to be with the invisible deity-daddy, and who runs an exclusive “love me or be tortured for eternity” club based on thought crime?
That’s what we’re calling the “most accurate” depiction of and solution to the human condition? Mythology?
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