You're so much more mature than I am. You'll see why as I provide this example of what I would say.

"Dear Delusional,

I'm so sorry..

So very sorry that you'll never find out what great head I give.

Bye!"

I had a preacher try to ask me what turned me away from god once... but she was a proselytizing lil teen so I turned it around and asked her what informed her faith... turns out she had experienced back to back deaths in her life and turned to "God"... in actuality it is when people are vulnerable or weak or going through struggles like death or recovering addicts or getting out of prison that people turn to religion... ya shoulda flipped the question on him found out what's going wrong in his life to see why he's still a brainwashed religitard

What a dick. By him saying goodbye & have a nice life, he did not really intend for you to answer the question. Which makes his question a rhetorical jab at you. Fuck him.

What a pompous ass.
I love this quatrain from Omar Khayyam and think it's very apposite:

“And do you think that unto such as you
A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew
God gave a secret, and denied it me?
Well, well—what matters it? Believe that, too!”

― Omar Khayyâm, Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

I can't remember where I read this- maybe Dawkins? but we are born with a tendency to both look for explanations for natural phenomena, and to read intentions into things that cannot strictly speaking have them- e.g. "those clouds want to rain," "that rock looks ready to fall on something," "this damn car doesn't want to start." We look for something controlling the world. And so, before we discovered the physics involved in things like weather and gravity, we looked to gods as the things that moved these phenomena. This was the origin of belief.

Or so I recall reading, and it made sense.

I suspect your eloquent reply went well over his head. You are a "real live Atheist" after all--practically a myth yourself, from his perspective.

What a dick.

That's a solid response, although I doubt it will do anything to change his mind or even incur any amount of thought from him. Chances are, he won't actually read any of it and if he does cognitive dissonance will take over and he will rationalize the rationality away.

I might have scripture'd back at him: Numbers 22:28 "Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

Bible = Shrek

it was cheeky of him to write that way to begin with. he wasn't asking anything. he was preaching.

g

Doubtful he would reply. I don’t think he can put together anything remotely intelligent, logical, and research-based to counter your smart, educated retort.

As a historian, I am impressed with your knowledge!! Kudos.
As a human, I am impressed with your decorum.

Wow !!! You kicked his religious ass with that magnificent answer
Right-on my Sister-friend !!!

I think you’ve done a good job sharing your beliefs with him.
He’ probably running away as fast as he can, with his hands over his ears, shouting “I’m not listening!”

He has some nerve claiming victory in his letter. That's how deluded they are. They cannot think outside the box where reality really is. I think the term "coming out the closet" should be used when xtians leave xtianity and see the lies for what it is!

He didnt want to know, he just wanted to regurgitate what he believed.

Great reply!

Let us know if he replies, but I doubt he will.

You're the first real live atheist he's had a chance to talk with? Nah, he obviously wants to talk AT you.

Well, I guess he DID ask a question, but it was loaded with presuppositions. My response would be, why would you assume that I don't have good, sound reasons for lacking belief in deities? But alas, he's beneath contempt or response. I would only reply if I needed a nice chew toy.

Dear guy on dating site,

Yes, something bad happened to me to turn me away from god. Random people reached out to me to tell me how silly I am for not believing in something they know nothing about. Their behavior clearly indicated that they couldn't be trusted. It led me to throw away all the natural-born faith I had in the all-powerful guy who killed his own son and a whole bunch of other people for not obeying him. But now that you've been so considerate as to wish me a good life, I'm ready to reconsider. Thank you for saving my soul.

Sincerely,
Real, live atheist

P.S. I would never have guessed by your manner that you have never talked with a real live atheist.

I belong to a Secular Humanist group, and we have a book club that meets weekly. We have had a new couple find us and join us. They came from deeply religious backgrounds. They were missionaries in Eastern Europe and House Parent at Boy's Town. In the past year they have left their church and changed their lives because they came to the realization that the bible and organized religion is bunk. So, your new correspondent could be on a similar journey. It's damn scary when it has been your whole life and your income/position is tied up in it, to have enlightenment dawn.

This is hilarious ) reminded me of a friend of mine grieving over me having “lost” my faith. I didn’t go into the “actually, I’ve never had so much to begin with” ) people do get upset when find this out and then I start feeling for them.

Gwendolyn, your reply was well stated and if you don't mind I'm going to print it out for future use.

In my own research, I have come to the conclusion that religious sensibility is a kind of default setting for the human brain. Whenever people are confronted with a conundrum or unsolvable problem, i.e. ("Why did my baby die?" ), a mystical explanation ("It was the will of the gods." ) seems to be the answer that is most comforting. I compare it to dualistic, black-and-white thinking that is typical of children, psychotic folk, and others whose thinking is primitive or underdeveloped. It takes time and effort to outgrow these tendencies.

Great response!

He has informed you of your error. he is probably self satisfied now and may leave you be. You know of course no explanation is likely to dislodge what he already believes about, the godless. lol