The other night, I was the victim of a liberal Democrat Atheist’s ramblings about global warming, hypocrisy, and diatribe about how Evangelical Christians are the biggest perpetrators of divorce and
abortion.
It came out of nowhere and he felt the need to pat himself on the back for being a member of the enlightened elite who believe in no God, have no morals, and thereby avoid the anathema of hypocrisy.
His statement regarding so-called Christians and abortion/divorce was marked with subtle provocation, as if he was eliciting a certain response.
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Here’s where a great many Christians fall into the trap. The initial gut reaction is to defend Evangelical Christians as a whole and deny that the statistics are patently false. According to The Guttmacher Institute, (Planned Parenthood’s research and statistics org) they aren’t false. If you try to deny the idea, a) you will be wrong, and b) you will have missed the opportunity to explain the entire purpose of the Christ and the Church.
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As a Catholic, how do you respond to such a statement?
Pray to the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God, and being such is outside of time and understands your limited ability to pray in the middle of a conversation. Do not search inside yourself for the answer, attune your heart to the Holy Spirit for comfort and aid. Jesus makes this point very clearly in Gospel of Matthew:
Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ~Matthew 10:16-20
Jesus explains that the disciples must have faith that the Holy Spirit will come to their aid and give them the words to speak to their accusers. At the time, Jesus references the coming persecutions, but the same applies any time we are faced with persecution or having our faith challenged.
Remember the Mission of the Church

Don’t be this guy
Rather than getting defensive, use this opportunity to witness and evangelize to someone who may not have ever heard the Gospel. The atheist’s claim points to the very reason Christ died came to earth and died on the Cross. We are broken by sin and in desperate need of a Savior. There is no need to defend “Evangelical Christians” when you know full well that as a whole they sin just as much as all other groups (How many Islamic terrorists can you name? How many pro-abortion “catholic” politicians can you name?). But here’s the deal, your job isn’t to defend them and to do so would be as ridiculous as the atheist’s attack on them because you would be denying what you know is the truth. Witness, be charitable, be humble, and remember that this atheist is your brother who you are obligated to attempt conversion.
Offer a Prayer of Thanksgiving
My favorite prayer to the Holy Spirit is the Come Holy Spirit prayer (below). The Holy Spirit is outside of time, so it is perfectly efficacious to pray even after the conversation. Thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring you, allowing you to participate in the mission of the Church by witnessing to those who do not know Christ.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.