It has been observed that atheists have a kind of “hunt and destroy” approach to anything outside their world views. So while the would-be evangelist is attempting to empty and refill the cup of the atheist, the atheist is actually attempting to do the very same thing, but in reverse. Unfortunately, atheists are often better prepared in these contests, which is one of the reasons that if one of the parties is likely to come away disillusioned, it’s the evangelist and not the atheist. Can Creator comment on the importance of knowing what you are getting into, and choosing your battles carefully and wisely?

This is often easier said than done. It is tempting often to engage in such a joust when one holds strong views and is passionate on the subject. If you know nothing about the other party, you will be taking your chances. There are many with closed minds who will never give in and will only seek and destroy if they can. It is their nature and it is, in a sense, a losing proposition to engage with such an individual. It is analogous to the example of wrestling with a pig and expecting to come away pristine, you will likely be disheveled and dirt-covered at the end of the day despite your best efforts. What we would emphasize is that picking your arguments is much more important than picking your opponents. If you pick your arguments carefully and defend yourself with reason, logic, and divine truth, at a minimum you will always be in the right whether your presentation is accepted and agreed with or not. That is better than coming away not only having lost the contest but having been thoroughly trashed by invective, a kind of vicious misrepresentation, and prejudiced indictment of what you appear to represent to the opposing party in their dislike of people who have spiritual perspectives and are quite willing to lump you in with the worst examples of true believers who cause great harm, and so on. So this is not as difficult as it might seem. If you can avoid becoming drawn into a hyperemotional struggle that devolves into mudslinging and are simply unwilling to accept ad hominem attacks, and simply point out this has nothing to do with the discussion, it leaves them nowhere to go to keep that line of non-reasoning in play and they will be forced to take a step back and take a new tack—that will work to your advantage. Being on the side of truth has great power if you can hold your thoughts together and seek the best way to present this line of argument. The basic difficulty here, of course, is that many divine principles are difficult to prove except by way of example. The truth becomes apparent in living on a divine path and seeing the many benefits unfold. That is what builds knowing and a true deep understanding of divine wisdom. It is not an idea, it is an energy that is cultivated and built from a platform of inner conviction, belief, and the gaining of much wisdom through life experience especially, knowing what does not work through making mistakes and having to do course corrections. Being a successful advocate for the light does not demand perfection, it demands an understanding of the self, that what one has experienced is all beneficial if viewed through the lens of gaining knowledge and wisdom about life’s meaning and the importance of being in divine alignment in all ways at all times. That is no less true when dealing with a skeptic who wants to demean and diminish you. If you have spoken truth, whether or not your arguments and logic hold sway and become convincing, you will at least know you have done your best and have not truly made a misstep. At a minimum, you will not give your adversary the reward of falling into a trap that makes it all too easy for them to claim victory through your diminishment. While this is less than satisfying to most people wanting to prevail in such a contest, it is actually in many cases a necessary first step to teach a lesson to the atheist skeptic, that their prejudice will not necessarily be strong enough for them to be convincing to someone who has differing views and is well prepared on the subject. It will give them pause and it can begin a process of inner self-reflection, so the next best thing to winning an argument is to have a kind of standoff that results in the other party gaining respect for you and giving them new information and perspectives to ponder. That can plant a seed that will grow in the future and is very worth achieving.