Take a look at this interesting little conversation starter over at The Atheist Network. 

Hey everyone. As an atheist and a know-it-all teen, I love having debates over religion with some of my Christian friends. Although I don’t want to seem like an elitist screaming “you’re wrong!” at everyone who doesn’t agree with me, I just want to open up some of my friends minds. The way I comprehend religion is that the only way to truly accept any sort of god without doubt is to be close-minded.

In my small suburb, we’re a 99% white, Christian Community. Catholics and other denominations are all here, but most of my classmates don’t even understand the difference. I’ve spoken with people of all ages and generations, and can usually make some progress with at least helping them to understand where I’m coming from. But there are some things that I just don’t have the answer for.

For starters, there’s this group called “Young Life” that sprang up in popularity a few years ago. It’s a club that meets once a week, and is completely Christian in nature. from what I’ve gathered, they play games, sing songs, and do all kinds of weird but fun activities. They go on mission trips to remote countries during the summer as well. Kids in my High School seem to love it because it’s a big social scene. There’s actually some people whose parents force them to attend because of the Christian theme. I got sucked into going go-karting with a group of them over the Summer and it was a completely normal experience. But one thing you don’t do is call Young Life a cult. The few times I have, I’ve sparked some really upset reactions. At the same time, I’ve been begged to attend on several occasions, even some almost forceful gestures. I think it’s really clever to put together a teen social scene with suliminal Christian message, and th people from this group that I’ve spoken to are all very set in their ways.

Now, without being too general, I’ve had a handful of experiences where I really came up short. A few times I’ve gone back and forth with someone, and then they pull the trump card out of their ass. For example, “how do you explain that my uncle was legally dead, and then a cross brought him back to life. the doctor couldnt explain it!” Or, “A week after my father died, me and my daughter both saw his ghost sitting in a chair.” Or, “I was suicidal and ready to call it quits, and then Jesus came and spoke to me. You can’t tell me that I didn’t see him!” All three of these things have been said to me, and I don’t know how to respond. Do I just tell them that they are wrong? It’s just a coincidence? Some inner-psychological revelation with no correspondence to religion? I feel bad by messing with life-changing experiences and I guess there’s always a chance that they could be legit.

So, are these types of scenarios just out of my realm of explanation? Are these people a lost cause? I don’t want to save everyone who I speak with, but for ego purposes I like to have an answer for everything.

Seems to me this guy is struggling with his own faith, or lack there of.