Yeesh. I myself doubt the existence of any god, and feel about as certain as one can that the Jesus story is pretty much fable. That said, I have no problem whatsoever with believers (aside from Mohammedans), so long as they leave me the hell alone. Similarly, I find myself somewhat embarrassed by the recent spate of books, TV appearances, lectures etc. by all of these atheists - to me, they’re no different than the Pat Robertsons of the world - a bunch of evangelists for things they can’t possibly hope to prove. And in my experience, trying to persuade believers is like reading Sanskrit to a pony - there’s just no point whatsoever.
So the question: Why do we (on any side) even bother? Why not just live and let live?
Re: Why believers do it. Ah.. because Christ say's that we should.
NASB Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make [b] disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
If Christians truly believe what they say they do, they can NOT not reach out. The news is so good that we are compelled to share it.
Furthermore, why would those who know and love you want you to face God on your own merits instead of Christ’s?
Cheers
When all else fails, read the instructions (CCEL > Bibles and Commentaries)
I agree with you, belief-wise. One thing though, Pat Robertson may be a bit ‘out there’, but he’s mostly harmless. Richard Dawkins, on the other hand, has some mental problems.