It seems that there are a lot of arguments brought against us atheists that people think we haven’t heard before. After my apologetics teacher said a number of these in class over the past week, including the watchmaker analogy, I realized that there are a lot of things that atheists have to hear all the time. Most of them haven’t been said to me, but I see them thrown around all the time. Thank you to my fiancé and to some of my Twitter followers for helping me think of ideas! In no particular order, here are 34 things that atheists are tired of hearing:
- The only reason you don’t believe is because you don’t want to be obedient.
- Evolution is just a theory!
- Science changes its story all the time, but the Bible never changes because it’s the truth!
- The watchmaker analogy.
- You believe deep down, but you’re not willing to admit it because God would punish you for being a sinner.
- It’s dangerous to be a Christian these days because we are being persecuted in this secular society.
- If not the Bible, where do you get your morals from?
- Evolutionists took Intelligent Design out of public schools, because they’re afraid of it because it’s true.
- It takes just as much faith to be an atheist!
- Atheism is dangerous because it claims that man is his own god.
- When God does things that don’t make sense, just trust him and have faith.
- I’ve experienced God personally, so he’s real.
- So do you think you’re smarter than everyone else?
- This is a Christian country.
- Why don’t you believe? Is it because something bad happened to you?
- Just wait until you’re dead!
- Just read the Bible.
- I’m praying for you.
- Hitler and Stalin were atheists.
- There’s no proof that God doesn’t exist.
- Why do you hate God?
- We all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts.
- Without religion, society would fall to chaos.
- Without God, there is no meaning.
- Even though you don’t believe in God, he still believes in you.
- You can’t look at the beautiful sky and tell me no one created that.
- You’re going to hell!
- We don’t see wind either but we know it’s there.
- If evolution is real then why are there still monkeys?
- What if you’re wrong?
- You’re saying all this happened by chance?
- So do you even believe in anything?
- There are no atheists in foxholes.
- You’re taking it out of context!
So there they are! If you’re an atheist, I hope that you enjoyed reading and found this list relatable! If you’re not an atheist, please take notes on what not to say to one, as there is a 100% chance that we’ve already heard almost everything on this list.
Did I leave anything out? Have you heard any annoying remarks towards atheists lately? Let me know in the comments!
Here’s two I personally loathe:
It takes more faith to be an atheist
and
there’s no such thing as atheists, they all believe there’s a god.
I think the idea that we are “faking it” in some way, is what really makes my hair curl. It implies that we are either liars or just utterly deluded.
Like the dentist who smiles after the root canal from hell and says, “that didn’t hurt a bit, did it…”
I agree. I think it’s worse than that because what they’re doing is ending any discussion by calling us liars. It’s really a gambit to coerce compliance through a sort of intimidation.
I just can’t wrap my head around another person daring to think that they can tell me what I do and do not truly believe. It’s just as bad as if an atheist were to say “secretly, no one truly believes in God,” but I don’t see that as often.
I’ll comment on two of those:
This (reading the Bible) is a great recruiting tool for atheism.
So Christians voted for Donald Trump, and society is falling into chaos.
Before I realized how long this list would get, I considered commenting on each item. For #34, I would have mentioned some of today’s nonreligious societies that are flourishing vs. the obvious religious society of the US that is not flourishing.
good point there: people no longer identify as anything but “Christian” which has been so kicked around it begins to resemble a very old weary football–where are the Baptists, the Methodists, Congregationalists? Episcopalians?
A christian and an atheist went to dinner and talked about their families and sports and life in general. Afterward they went to a movie and laughed and enjoyed each others company. Then they went home to their respective families. There were no debates, no trying to change one another, no condemnation and none of the 34 lines used that are mentioned. I know that usually does not happen but it sure would be nice. Accept that others do not see things the same, yet behind the labels we put on each other we are basically the same. Thanks for pointing out these 34 lines, some of which I probably used in the past.
The Bible can’t be wrong because it’s the inspired word of God! (Ummmm, yeah, according to……the Bible.) This is a great list, and it brought some chuckles. “Wait till your dead!” LOL. I’ve heard that one myself. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for reading!
I enjoy reading your post. I have a similar situation to yours, but I took a very different approach. I wrote a book about it, and am just now beginning to share it with my very religious family members. It’s interesting to contemplate how I would feel if I had chosen to hide my feelings instead, which is every bit as challenging of an approach, I’m sure! I do find it sad that religion often keeps people from truly knowing those they love. I wish you lots of strength to continue on your path, being true to yourself, and sharing these wonderful insights with your readers!
I am a bold follower of Jesus Christ and I believe in the Gospel. I have taken notes and not all Christians are throwing religion at you. I operate out of love. I love people so much that I want to give everyone the truth. The truth that I believe is that Jesus is God, he died, was buried, and on the third day morning he rose. Im not here to offend anyone, I just want to give you an alternative other than someone forcing Christianity down your throat. Just ask the Lord to unharden your heart so you can see the truth.
Please realize that a “truth” that you believe in is not a truth; it is a belief. Your belief may inform your life choices, but those of us who hold to objective reality see it as a self-reinforcing delusion. Only you are beholden to your beliefs, and they have no bearing nor impact on any of the rest of us beyond what actions they prompt you to take.
I know you’ve had doubts because I’ve read your book and it’s impossible not to (unless you unquestioningly believe every storybook you’ve ever read), so explore those doubts with an open mind, really trying to see the world for what it is, not what you believe it to be. Once you see that there is no true evidence for any purported action of any god, you can free yourself from the delusion.
Firstly, the truth is not a perception or a belief, it is the truth regardless of anything else. I choose to believe in the truth of Jesus Christ. As for the Holy Scriptures, I don’t doubt the scriptures because they’re Holy, I doubt men. Reading the Holy Scriptures, you must have the Holy sprit to give you the wisdom to understand it.
The scriptures were written by men. They are considered holy only because of declarations by men.
Travis, you’re happy and comfortable in your faith, and I admire you for that. But your way is YourWay, not necessarily mine or hers or those folks over there. We arent trying to turn you into a non-believer, are we…
All I think any of us ask is to be left alone in our belief system. I think that’s fair.
I understand but the Lord that I serve, I am commanded to spread his Gospel but I’m not told to force it upon other. Just like my faith is important and I like my privacy. I also respect you and your faith. After my initial appeal, I won’t bother anymore. Thank you for the conversation. It’s good to hear from different perspectives.
HA! This most definitely needs to be added to the list: Just ask the Lord to unharden your heart so you can see the truth.
@Nan, that was very offensive. I only brought a different perspective to the original post, that’s all. I choose to love inspite of everything.
Sorry you were offended, Travis. But it IS a phrase that belongs on the list because it (or something similar) is a phrase that atheists hear.
Something that seems strange to me is why you, as a believer, feel the need to visit and comment on an atheist’s blog. This is the LEAST likely place your words are going to have an effect. And, as seems obvious, it’s also a place where you may very well be offended.
No one is unreachable, Jesus Christ doesn’t want his followers to shy away or withhold the gospel from anyone just because of their affiliation. I don’t mind talking to anyone, I just prefer it be out of love and respect rather than anything else.
“Jesus Christ doesn’t want…”
And there’s another item for the list of things atheists are tired of hearing! Lots of people claim to be able to speak for Jesus, and tell us exactly what Jesus wants, but none of those people seem to agree with each other about what that is. Perhaps you should ALL get together and see if you can come to some kind of agreement on what it is that Jesus wants, and then get back to us. (I’m not holding my breath, because that wouldbe a miracle!)
Don’t allow the followers of him to distort His message because we are sinful as well as you are. Jesus was sinless.
If Jesus and god don’t want people to shy away or withhold from the gospel then a) we should not have been given free will (if we actually do have it), and b) they should make the evidence of their existence rock solid. So, not my fault, I don’t believe in them. I don’t believe in Bilbo Baggins, Star Lord or Pixies, either. They don’t demand that I do.
By creation, you see the power and work of God, the entire existence was done by him. I’m not demanding you believe in him nor is he, it’s your choice but it’s the most important choice you’ll ever make.
Prove it.
That the problem, you want everything proven when the proof is right in front of you. I can’t explain it but I believe it. Science can’t explain anything, it’s all relative to what you believe or what connects with you. While you’re looking for proof, you won’t ever see the true God. He requires faith, not proof.
Ok, I now realize you’re more than just a regular old apologist. Have a good life. I know I will.
I am and will have an everlasting life but I cannot extend Godspeed to you.
Travis … I am the most beautiful woman you have every laid your eyes on. I have the perfect hourglass figure, my skin is so smooth it will send shivers down your spine, and my hair is long, lustrous, and shiny. I have a terrific personality and you will so love being around me that you’ll never want to leave my side.
But I must warn you. If you ever betray me, you will suffer every day because I will make your life a living hell.
Do you believe me?
Yes I do. I have no basis not to believe you. I chose to believe God rather than not believe and spend eternity in damnation.
Pascal’s Wager. Thanks for the example.
So you are believing me just because of something I wrote? Are you so dense that you can’t see the connection to your belief in a god that is described by words in a book that is thousands and thousands of years old?
Never mind. I know your answer. BTW, I wouldn’t worry about the damnation. It only exists if you believe it does.
I’ve made the appeal of salvation through Jesus Christ, there’s nothing left for me to do but say you’re soul is lost I pray your heart become unhardened and you see and accept the marvelous light of Jesus.
Nan, I was about to say the same thing! You beat me to it!
Great minds …. 🙂
Hi Travis. I’m going to use an analogy you might helpful in understanding how atheists view your comments here.
Imagine next Sunday, we all show up at your church’s worship service and interrupted the minister by saying “We’d like you to hear the good news of atheism. It’s ok, what we tell you today is true and you can disregard what your minister says because you’ll know it’s true if you ask the flying spaghetti monster to unharden your heart so you can see the truth. Now I realize we came here, and interrupted your service, but we really aren’t interested in forcing our beliefs on you.”
Would you feel gratitude in that situation because of our love for you and our desire you hear the truth or would you be annoyed? Would your congregation even allow such a disturbance? I’m guessing not.
You are the definition of the christian who embodies the quotes in the above list. I’m amazed you don’t have enough self situational awareness to understand that, but I’d rather credit you with that than think you’d ignore it in order to purport to atheists, dominionist views we find distasteful because your “god” commanded you to.
I don’t attend organized church, so that doesn’t apply to me but I understand your analogy. Truthfully, it would be annoying and I would probably become irritated but just like you want people to stop worshipping a god you can see or touch, I want you all to worship the one true God, you can feel and will see if you’re called by his Holy calling. I’m glad you feel that I fit the mold of a Christian but I’m not here to force anything upon anyone.
“I don’t attend organized church, so that doesn’t apply to me”
??!
Even sects who eschew “formal structure” still gather with others of like faith for worship regularly. So I’m having a little trouble getting my head around your statement. Nonetheless, I’m glad you understand what I’m saying even though you don’t seem to care even after being informed about how I feel about your proselytizing.
I can’t speak for everyone, so I’ll just tell you what I would be receptive to. I spent over 20 years in the faith and found it devoid of any truth. It’s why I deconverted. If you have some evidence your god exists, that’s what I’d lead with. Once that’s done “spreading the gospel” becomes completely unnecessary. There’d be no further talk of “believing” and “faith” because we’d have evidence. The truth could be demonstrated. In fact, that would be the perfect set-up for your freewill. Everyone could then make a choice, an informed decision to follow or not.
I’m evangelizing. I let the Gospel speak for itself. I don’t speak for myself.
🙂
All right then. Go in peace, as they say. Thanks for chatting.
Actually you chatted with me first, so you can go.
Oh my goodness. I wasn’t making any demands for you to go about your business, I suppose I should have said have a nice day instead.
That would’ve been appropriate.
Just can’t let it go eh? 🙂
good points. And it’s rude, too. You don’t go to a funeral and start dancing to your music, unasked. You don’t show up at a holiday feast uninvited and insist on bringing ‘decent food” that everyone can enjoy. that’s rude, too.
I think the decent phrase here is, “when in Rome…”
And the less decent phrase is, this is trolling.
I still respect your belief system, Travis, if not your methods. If you had stopped 15 posts ago it would have meant more.
Every time a Theist supports a law that furthers their religion then you are throwing it at us. Don’t like same sex marriage because it’s in the Bible? Fine, then don’t do it. No need to pass laws that impact people who don’t believe as you do. Don’t like condoms? Fine don’t wear them. But stop telling people in AIDS ridden Africa not to wear them. And, truth, is determined by facts not faith. I’m not asking the Lord anything because I don’t believe in him. That would be like you asking Odin to soften your heart. I assume you don’t believe in him, right?
Well since you don’t believe, you are a fool. The fool has said in his heart there is no God. God is real and Jesus died, was buried, and rode with all authority. Just believe that and you too could be saved and have life everlasting with Him.
Well, my head actually says that I don’t know if there’s a god. I make no claim that there isn’t. When there is sufficient proof of a god, then I will believe it. I believe nothing on faith. I need good evidence which, in my opinion, everyone should demand.
I understand.
Rev, I see the point you are making but I don’t think it is fair in every case. When congress passes a law that requires everyone to use the lightbulbs they think are best, or your State legislators make using plastic bags illegal, they are throwing their beliefs at the rest of us. I think that is how voting works. Everything you vote for or against has a moral basis surrounding it, and everyone should be free to let their own morality guide them as they vote.
Morality and religion are not necessarily the same. Example, if god said to kill your child to prove your loyalty, would you? Sound familiar? Well, tell if you tell me that you would even give it a second thought, then you are no longer a moral agent. If you do question it and decide against it, then your morality has superseded god’s. And, if you do it despite knowing it’s wrong, you’ve committed an immoral act based on your own morality.
“You’re just going through a phase.”
“You were never a True Christian™.”
Do you know, I have never had any kind of religious discussion with anyone, anywhere (priests don’t count), as part of a casual relationship. And if a fella started preaching God to me, that would have been the end of a short romance, for sure.
I didnt even know people actually DID this face to face, lol.
The only time I had any discussion about God was when my realtor confessed that he was a Mormon and tried to convert me in my mother’s kitchen. I was horrified, and embarrassed for him (we are yankees, after all. We just don’t Talk About Such Things) but he was so alight with all of this, I didn’t have the heart to stop him.
“God sees everything you do, and he’s sad”
You’re right, those casual conversations don’t come up as often as they think they will. People will mention God’s Special Plan for Them and such, but they don’t usually want to talk about everyone’s beliefs. If this happened more, I probably would have come out to a lot more people.
As an ex christian people seem to think that I’m just doubting, sending me articles from appologists and I’ll come around… No just no.
It’s as if they think you flippantly left Christianity without studying and praying about it for a long time. I have yet to meet a deconvert who left the faith in an impulsive fashion. Often, we’re looking for any little reason to remain Christians.
I didn’t deliberately leave my religion (I was Catholic), I just sort of wandered away, and one day realized I didn’t much care about wandering back. There was no trauma, no deep tearing need to escape anything–my family was French Canadian, and very devout–I had two cousins who became nuns and a second cousin who was railroaded into becoming a Jesuit–a great aunt was a Benedictine nun, a cloistered order.
We went to church, we did novenas and stations of the cross, we did the Lent thing if not the Advent Calendar thing, midnight mass and Easter. All of it. I even sang gregorian chant in our choir.
But I was also a lazy Catholic, and once I got married it seemed more effort than it was worth to head out for Mass which was now a disturbing amalgam of English and Latin (this was the late 60s) and it had lost a lot of its beauty and mystery.
So I just didnt bother. NO regrets. And I do what I like.
And it never really works that way, does it?
I’m stealing the lists. I want to leave my responses to each and every one too big for a comment.
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I never understood why people say there are no atheists in foxholes. I’d argue that there are only atheists in foxholes. I mean, foxholes are meant to protect you from enemy fire. And if you believe there’s a god and there’s a heaven, then why bother hiding from enemy attack? Wouldn’t it be cool to die and go to heaven?
If you’re still alive, that means on some level, you don’t believe in heaven. If you did, you’d kill yourself and go there, because life has no purpose in the presence of an afterlife, and the longer you live, the more likely you are to do something that makes you a sinner and denies you entry into heaven.
One of the things that has always surprised me about modern society and medicine is that religious people are far more likely to keep their loved ones on life support long after doctors have said that there is probably nothing left medically that can be done to save the person. I don’t understand why they are so unwilling to let their loved ones pass on to a place that is supposed to be peaceful and happy.
However, a simple discussion of the reality of death usually seems to devolve into a lecture on death panels, abortion, and murder.
Personally, I can’t stand the “prodigal” references. As a deconvert, I just roll my eyes when I hear things like that. It’s particularily difficult for friends and family to hear that I’m an atheist. I was the last person that people suspected to leave the faith. They now see me as a prodigal or the anti christ.
As a wife and a stay at home mom, I sometimes don’t receive comments as much as I get that awful look. You know the one, eyes bugged out and the chin dropped to the floor as the Christian gasps for air. People can’t believe that I’m not caught up with mommies and women groups at church. They can’t believe that I’m not a praying momma, crying out to Jesus for the souls of my children. I guess that as a mid forties woman with young kids that’s all I should be doing in their eyes.
And I absolutely hate “well, I’ve been through hard times too!” A former friend of mine told me this after only being a Christian herself for 10 years. Whereas I became a Christian at 3 and didn’t leave until 39 after a 20 year deconversion process. Then again, she asked me what’s my moral compass. As a Messianic Jew, she didn’t appreciate me calling Father Abraham a rapist when I referenced what a lousy moral compass the Bible is.
Wow, I can imagine how old that gets after a while. People really shouldn’t assume things about you that they don’t know.
oh, and one more (sorta):
When someone (needlessly in most instances) announces that he/she is a Christian and hastens to add (the obvious) that they believe in God, Jesus (with resume), possibly Mary, and an afterlife (optional). I think we get that. You might say it’s part of the job description. Sorta like announcing to non-swimmers that “I am a swimmer. I believe in water, in goggles, in chlorinated water, and the Olympics.” =)
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LOL. I might be a Christian, but I still cringe when I hear others ask the majority of these questions or say these statements to other people. Especially the “YOU’RE GOING TO HELL!” one. I always have the running thought in my head saying, “These people probably don’t believe in hell- so you’re pretty much only threatening them with things that’s their equivilant to the boogeyman.”
Sharing my faith is important to me and I want SO BADLY for others to experience the freedom, joy, and peace on the level that I have due to my relationship with God- but I’m not going to force them. And I seriously doubt I’m going to convert anyone with the cliche one-liners that get regurgitated over and over again.
Thanks for the post! It was interesting. 😀
The best way for any Christian to “prove” that his fairth is working, and viable, is to shut up about it and just live what he says we, as atheists, cannot, do not, will not.
Anyone who has made up his mind that his way is the only way will probably not buy into being bullied, verbally abused, and threatened with the tortures of the damned. (You’re right there, you can’t scare anyone into Good with stuff they don’t believe in…)
The Christians (Muslims, Jews, anyone) I admire are the ones you cannot pick out of a crowd but just go about their daily lives, working at their beliefs but not waving Bibles around. Now that’s impressive. And restful.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Congratulations on the engagement!
Thank you!
You hit Pascal’s Wager in item 16, but I always love it when they bring up Kalam and the First Cause argument. Theists are real good for providing “faith-based facts”, when in fact faith (as people like Matt Dillahunty say) is not a reliable pathway to truth. They also like arguments from ignorance – “well, I cant think of anything else, so therefore…God”. That one is great because it shows the sheer hubris of a person who claims they know all other possibilities. Love your blog. Keep up the good work!
Rev, I think the First cause argument is pretty compelling at first glance. Everything has a beginning or a cause and as you trace that backwards you inevitably arrive at the conclusion that something has always been, and since everything has a cause, some kind of intelligent being must be the first and greatest cause.
That argument is compelling until you ask “What or Who created this intelligent being you call God?”, and then the whole argument continues its regression. At some point you get to the placet where there was nothing and yet, we know that nothing comes form nothing. There really isn’t any truly satisfactory answer on either side of the argument.
The common problem is that we assume that everything has a beginning but there actually is no proof that applies to our universe. And we could be part of a multiverse. Even if there was a First Cause, you would still need proof it was an intelligent actor to get to some sort of deity. Right now, science cannot study anything outside our known universe so there can’t possibly be a way for anyone to know anything. As far as nothing coming from nothing, describe what nothing is to you. Science has its own definition. And if your is different, then it would be difficult to prove since we actually have no other example.
I agree that we assume everything has a beginning. But these are not blind assumptions. In the known world it is a verifiable fact. We might not be able to figure out exactly how the universe came into existence, but we do know that everything we can see or touch has a beginning. In other words, no thing comes from nothing.
I also agree that it takes a few more steps in the argument to get to a First Cause that is some sort of intelligent deity, but once you get there, you still have a problem.
The First Cause argument is only compelling if you stop once you get to god, which is what most people who believe in God do. But not agnostics or atheists, they keep going. Once you apply the same rules of the argument to god, to be consistent you have to ask “who or what made this god? Then “who or what made that?” and the regressions are endless. Until you arrive at the place that something has always been, and had nothing to cause it. Now THAT is mind boggling but it doesn’t answer the question in a satisfactory way.
Correct, these are not blind assumptions because we are observing them as they occur in OUR universe. After all, that is all we can observe, so that’s all we know. But, we cannot assume that the laws of this universe apply outside because we still don’t know squat about them.
As far as the “nothing” argument, I am always careful with this. First, let’s establish and hopefully agree that “nothing” in science is actually something, as Dr. Krauss points out. If you are talking about something other than that definition, you have another problem – we have no example of that “nothing”, so we don’t know what can or cannot happen. Would I say it’s probable that “no thing can come from ‘nothing'”? Yeah, I would agree to that, but I could not claim to “know” that and neither should anyone else.
Interesting talk. Thanks.
Just remembered another group
your sister dies, or your baby, someone close. Or there’s been a dreadful accident. Your Christian neighbor comes by to offer sympathy and words of comfort: 1. “God had his reasons” 2. “He loved your sister so much he wanted her with him” 3. ” They’re at peace now” 4. You’ll see them all very soon, when you cross over…” 5. “I’ll pray for you.”
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve heard some of these, and I’m sorry that as a pastor I have said SOME (and by some I mean maybe 5) of these. I do believe evidence for God is clear and obvious, I do believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, and I do believe that there is no other way to flee from the wrath to come but by seeking refuge in Christ. So, I’m sorry to hear that lots of Christians are rude, crass, and often times very repulsive; but I hope that we don’t believe that the followers of something does not negate a truth. Thank you for this article, interesting read. I hope to continue to dialog with atheists (which I did just last week and enjoyed it!) and to press into them and communicate the gospel. Thank you for the post, again, some helpful things in this.
Thanks for reading! I look forward to some interesting discussions in the future. 🙂
I can’t believe that once upon a time I believed almost everything on this list.
Love your motivation to keep writing blog posts like this. I haven’t written much for a while since work has been tiring me out lately but looking forward to getting back into it.
Here’s what my mom loves to tell me when I remind her again and again that I am an atheist – “This is not you. It is the Satan talking through you”. 😊
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Thanks for following my blog site. Until today…my non-theist spirited writings have not included any categories/tags relating to atheism. Have been of the mind to educated “believers” as to how any theological belief is just the same sort of Tree of Knowledge borrowed wisdom their God Jehovah warned Adam against in the Genesis creation. No one had the courage to follow my blogs … afraid their God might catch them?
Your site’s really the 1st atheism related blog I’ve read. It’s quite interesting. I’ll enjoy what you have to say … might inspire some ‘aha’ (Tree of Life) wisdom.
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I respect all religions and I respect atheists too. I am not an atheist but I believe in evolution as well. No all Christian religions believe in Adam and Eve.
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Don’t forget CS Lewis’s “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord” argument! Hahaha 🙂
Just a few comments on some of the items on your list.
Evolution is just a theory – Yes, but is a scientific theory, and one of the best attested theories at that. Creationism or intelligent design are not even scientific theories.
It’s dangerous to be a Christian these days because we are being persecuted in this secular society. – How many Christian hangings have you heard of in the United States? You are more likely to suffer consequences for being openly atheistic, than being openly Christian.
If not the Bible, where do you get your morals from? – By being nice. Where in the Bible is there anything about niceness. I was raised on my mother’s golden rule: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all.”
This is a Christian country. – Yes, in the sense that the majority of Americans are at least nominally Christian. But, our constitution does not mention god, and forbids religious tests for federal office, and the First Amendment protects all beliefs. Actions based on these beliefs is a different story.
Just read the Bible. – And, then what?
Hitler and Stalin were atheists. – Hitler was not atheist. Stalin if not for the Communist revolution would have probably ended up as a priest. And, so what? Not all Christians are all that nice, but it does not make all Christians not nice as well.
You’re saying this all happened by chance. – Yes, in the sense that at the quantum level things are governed by probability, and since the universe began at this level the universe’s beginning was only a probability (was god flipping a coin; heads he wins, tails we lose.) However, at this level it still operates deterministically. See my blog post “What Is All The Weirdness About?” for more on quantum mechanics from a layperson’s point of view. My insistence on noncausality may not be correct, but the deterministic aspects stand. Here is a link – https://aquestionersjourney.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/what-is-all-the-weirdness-about/.
There is one response I get occasionally – “Oh, really.”
I doubt it is anything a person can say to win over people whose minds are already mind up so in reality your list is moot and would be infinite.
I’ve been told “if only you went to church more”. Seriously, wtf!?
And also, “you’re too nice to be an atheist.”