Communication is good. Doing it in writing is smart.

Good for you for keeping dialogue open with your father and having an open mind.

My mother was an atheist. Dad never went to church.

So they were supportive when I became an atheist at age 13.

Keep talking with your dad don't lose that

I think it is good to offer a line of communication with your parents. Whether or not they accept the offer (and you), you are doing what you can. Just remember it is neither in your power nor your responsiblility to change another person.

Why not? If your aim is to convert him that is disingenuous and just fulfills your desire for him to be like you. If however it is to get to know each other better its a brilliant idea and hopefully encourages a relationship between two people rather than the flailing arms of ‘superior’ ideologies

I founf that long exchanges with people, especially men, require bulleted points to further understanding.

I think if you both come from the place of being right and the other wrong, time better spent would be on a topic that would enhance what you both love.

I think it sounds perfect what you are doing. No screaming, no raised voices, nobody’s angry face, etc, etc.

Communication is always good. And having a calm reasoned discussion, if both of you can manage it, is very good. Luckily, my father was a philosopher at heart, and we could discuss anything. Him leaving the church when I was young also made me start questioning it, and put me on the path I'm on today.

For the reasons you mentioned, I think it's a great idea to approach the conversation in this manner. I've no helpful experience with it, so I'll just wish you the best of luck!

Welcome to the asylum. Enjoy your stay.

Good luck with your plan.

Nice try, good effort as well, BUT, in my experiences with my 'mother,' who was a somewhat religious person ( when it suited her) I learned quite early that " you can lead a believer to reason BUT you can't actually make them think."
My Dad, on the other hand, was a 100% full on Atheist and encouraged us children to think for ourselves and never to take things like religion at face value.
Out of the 5 children in my family, 2 are Atheists, my self included, and 3 turned to religion only to eventually realize, later in life, that their father was right after all.

A calm dialogue can always be helpful, wish you well on your journey.

Oof....
Really I don’t see the point.
It’s like a marriage or friendship argument that is never won.
Either you both agree to disagree or you part ways.

If we have to win an argument with a loved one, then we already lost.

I’m not saying that’s what you are doing here. It sounds like you just want to be understood, but how can he understand?
He has faith.
That’s a conversation ender.
There is no counter argument to that.

I mean fuck they believe in magic of all things.
That’s no different then Santa Claus to us.

But they believe this shit man.

As a young man I told my mother there was no god. That’s something that has permanently injured her. The worry it has created for her is something I feel regretful for.

To me it has nothing to do with religion. It’s just simply a kind gesture to a wonderful woman that has never done any wrong to me.
She never pushes her beliefs on me, but I know she’s worried about my soul.

Yeah yeah yeah, roll your eyes and say what you will, but my mother is a good honest hard working human being that would give a stranger her last dollar.

I would stop the conversation with your father. Each of you know where the other stands.

Can you each live and respect each other with your respected differences?

If not then go your separate ways and deal with those consequences individually. I don’t speak to my father and for now I’m good with that.

You can’t make an elephant be a lion my friend.

Good luck

It's good to practice tolerance of another person's ideas when they disagree with us (generally, anyway. I don't mean we shouldn't argue or work against beliefs or ideas that we think are clearly wrong or bad.). Maybe these discussions are beneficial to the relationship between you and your dad, too.

I never had these kinds of conversations because I didn't care about my family's beliefs and they didn't care about my lack of. I didn't need to understand them - they didn't need to understand me. I wasn't threatened by them and they weren't threatened by me. We had far more important things to talk about and and it was these far more important issues that kept us together and engaged. I was lucky perhaps - my family didn't care if I didn't show up for church - but they sure appreciated when I was there on a cold Vermont day to shovel the driveway or bring in extra firewood. Or when I cooked for my grandparents when my grandmothers' breathing got worse or when I tended my grandfathers' garden after his hip surgery. These issues or events or whatever you want to cell them are far more important than our religious differences.

I think after a certain point, the best thing to do is to get away from all the arguments and explanations of why you are where you are in your thinking on being religious or non-religious, and both people need to just agree to move on from the issue and just live life as two people who care about each other. Enjoy the every day things. Share in the love of the kids. Talk about your jobs. Etc etc etc. I know it's easier said than done because one person in the conversation might be more biased towards the other for their beliefs, but I think it's important to try it.

During a conversation, even a written one, some people don't react well to positions that appear to challenge their own thinking. They won't see the other side in the heat of the moment because it's painful to be wrong. Emotions take over. Time and space are the key, here. It is not easy to change one's hard-felt belief system without facing personal embarrassment. Many people who know they are wrong need to be alone with those feelings for a while before they can admit to them...and that's where you need to butt out and just let it happen. Or not.

And, at the end of the day, some people are just not able to go all the way on that journey. We have to let those people be. They need the safety and comfort of that certainty and it's not our business to be pulling the rug out from under them. We must stand aside or we face damaging the relationship, and we'll deserve at least some of the blame for it.

The best thing we can do is state facts as we know them as plainly and clearly as possible and let them soak in on their own. No arguing, no display of negative emotion, just plain words that simply state a position.

It took my father some time to come around. Plain words, solid facts, and the space to be wrong without embarrassment proved to be the way to go. That's the best we can hope for.

Edit: of course, if we have a specific intention of changing someone's mind, we have to expect the conversation to go south at some point. If that is your goal, give up on the idea. That's no better than conversion therapy.

I have email conversations with friends around the world on a range of ethical and moral issues - it is a great way to discuss philosophical differences and overlaps

You are doing a good job, but if I do the same with my parents I am sure they will come to India and kill me lol

That's seems like the most reasonable manner with which to reopen those channels of communication. My mother had no idea that I had split up from my wife for two years until I told her. It wasn't that I was not telling her for any particular reason, I just didn't feel the need to tell her. Same thing when it comes to the religion topic. I have no reason to bring it up. It's how I believe that all subjects should be handled publicly. I don't care about a person's sexual preferences, or their political stance, or their religious stance. I don't care to know any of that. If it comes up, I don't shy away from it. I just don't bring it up. It isn't their business, just as theirs isn't mine. If they choose to share, so be it, I don't feel obligated to volunteer the information. I determine whether I like certain people based on their character, not any of that other crud. I've got enough of my own shit to worry about.

I think it's total complete waste of time. Like with my devout Catholic mother--mind's made up. Nothing to talk about.

If you must have this kind of discussion? Then emails are probably the best route to go. Hopefully, you can exchange views and points in cold blood and leave the subject alone when face to face.