In the previous pages we established that there are good reasons that someone should want to believe in God even if they do not and concluded that it's possible to train yourself to believe. On this page I'm not going to try to convince you. I'm going to show you how.
Your Strategy Starts Without People
The first question to deal with: Are you alone doing this or is there a group of people you're trying to penetrate and assimilate into? We can assume that if you're alone the goal is to eventually join into the Body of Christ, which is the believers who are in communion with the Church. If you already know these people, it both simplifies and complicates things.
If the people who would be your entry point are already in your life, they most likely already know you. And when you tell them you want to do this, they will likely be skeptical about why you are suggesting this and doubting that you are serious. The good news is that they are also cautiously optimistic so any sign that you're serious, they will be required to respond to seriously and given the correct behavior from you, they will be inclined to approve of.
The reason why I state this: If you are in the stage where you haven't done any private exploration of the faith yourself, do not go to people, either people you know or people who are meeting in the church. Both will start with probing you about what your background with religion is and why you are there.
You need an answer to these questions before going to people. Moreover you need a taste of the mentality you will be moving towards before you commit. Truly, it isn't any people you have to convince but yourself.
Maybe some are more able to transform with social pressure around them but I assume many atheists are the opposite. Their worst enemy is their own independence and resistence to suggestion so the strategy that works for others does not work for them otherwise they would have already been pulled in.
The other thing to think about if you are doing this with people: the laity of a church, even the ones who are raised with religious education, do not know as much about their own religion as they think they do. They have trouble distinguishing the difference between what is an official teaching and how they feel. They will try to sway you using their feelings as rhetoric which will do nothing for you.
Avoid putting yourself in this situation until you have prepared for it.
Surround Yourself With the Art and History
There's something objectively beautiful about Catholicism that you can appreciate from a secular mentality. There's 2000 years of history in this church, and while most all Catholics will admit that there have been some dark moments, a lot of cool things have come out of it.
Art, statues, maybe you like knights from the middles ages (guess what religion they were?) There's architecture, stained glass. If you're not sold on the power of prayer yet maybe you like poetry (is there a difference)?
I played this video game called Pentiment that made me very interested in 13th century monasteries. I started listening to Gregorian chant just because it's aesthetically appealing and soothing.
We could go on all day talking about Catholic-adjacent subjects that are appealing from a secular context, which is what makes it so powerful and inviting as a new religion for former atheists.
As you'll learn there is very visible beauty in the world that glorifies God. Surround yourself with it.
Bombard Yourself with Apologetics
The Greek word apologia is a formal defense of one's position. The people filling this role are sometimes clergy but usually scholars. It's done using logic, Sacred Scripture, and also Sacred Tradition, which makes it a very good place to start for an atheist.
Always Use Reputable Sources for Apologetics
I recommend using this website, Catholic Answers (catholic.com) and watching Counsel of Trent on YouTube. I extend that recommendation to say that anyone either of these organizations is officially affiliated with is also a respectable source. The beauty of watching apologetics content on YouTube is that you get started just consuming entertainment. You're curious about what they will say; nothing more maybe.
It's really important though to distinguish between a respectable source and someone who just wants to share their feelings about God (any number of influencers and pretenders). This is not just because you don't want to adopt heretical beliefs from false teachers, but also because for people like you (a discerning atheist), it's not going to be convincing unless you are going through these very educated professionals.
Trouble Acceptive Specific Teachings
When you do this, there are two things you're going to encounter and two thoughts you're going to have.
- "I guess that's a better defense for why they think this way than I expected..."
- "I'm never going to care about this subject that he's talking about..."
While ultimately the benefits we receive from being part of the religion derive from submission and obedience to Christ and his Church, no one will argue that having trouble with specific teachings is not completely normal.
A lot of us are "Cafeteria Catholics", meaning we strongly believe the majority of it is true and good but maybe avoid thinking about the parts that don't make sense to us. I'm not saying this like it's a good thing for us to be this though; it's not and most devout Catholics do not think highly of this so don't proclaim it proudly or anything.
It's just the reality that many believers struggle to get to a point of full communion, where they easily submit to every official teaching about everything and know it's true and good. Many people are quietly avoiding the parts they don't like for as long as they can. It's not easy to swallow everything at once and no one expects you to.
Generally what will be suggested once you're a believer is that you just pray, ask God why is the teaching something that doesn't make sense to you, ask him to reveal it to you, and then trust in him.
As we've already established, there's often a great benefit to doing your best to conform even when it's difficult. Don't let yourself be cut off over something small, when in practice, you can always just be a Cafeteria Catholic until you figure it out. And chances are the more time you spend around it praying, the more sense it will make with time anyway.
It's Okay to Avoid the Bible At This Stage
Our protestant brothers and sisters are rolling in their graves but we've converted far more atheists in our time than they have. The Bible is intimidating. Without guidance it's very likely to scare you away. It's the job of the church to help you understand and guide you. At this stage you don't have their guidance, although the apologetics is good warm up. There will be a time for opening up the Bible, and if you really want to, you can. But don't feel obligated to jump into the deep end yet.
This Will Be On The Test
Before we move on, you need to have a good answer to these questions.
"What is your religious background? What brings you here?"
HINT: The answer is in the apologetics articles/videos
The best answer will be relatively short and extremely effective.
"Well... I wasn't raised with anything but I've been getting older and thinking about life more. And it's the only church that's been around for 2000 years."
Boom. You're in. That part in italtics is the exploit.
But don't simply copy my answer.
There will be something uniquely important to you that people will relate with when you share it with them that you will learn from the apologetics.
NOTE: While you could use this same strategy with another religion or church, I do not recommend it since those religions will be false, heretical, and therefore their apologetics will be bullshit and it will not be as effective at convincing you.
On the next page we'll talk about attending your first Mass.