“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase,” Martin Luther King Jr. once told us. For many Christians, that first step into the unknown is the pulse of their life. But for others who don’t have that faith, some of the habits and beliefs that Christians practice can seem bewildering sometimes even counterintuitive to the reasoning they operate on.
In a world where individual morals are frequently influenced by science, reason, and material evidence, observing someone pray to an unseen God or donate a tenth of their earnings without a promise of anything in return can be perplexing. But these behaviors are not spontaneous they’re rooted in centuries of theology, cultural heritage, and individual belief.
This is a list that breaks down some of the most confounding Christian traditions that have atheists scratching their heads, but also trying to discern what the meaning behind them is. The intention isn’t to convert, but to comprehend because the more we understand what makes others tick, the closer we get to closing the gap between disbelief and belief.
1. Praying to Someone They Can’t See
To Christians, prayer is not just a ritual it’s having a dialogue with God. They think it can transform hearts, affect the circumstances of life, and bring calm in the midst of chaos. To atheists, though, talking into thin air without seeing the listener can be akin to an exercise in futility.
The distinction is worldview. Atheists tend to rely on empirical evidence, while Christians view prayer as a spiritual communication out of reach for the senses. For believers, it’s not so much about proof and more about faith faith that they’re heard, even when the answer isn’t prompt or overt.
2. Treating the Bible as Absolute Truth
Christians consider the Bible to be God-inspired, a living book that continues to speak into contemporary life. They consult it for ethical guidance, comfort, and solutions to life’s grandest questions. Atheists, conversely, might regard it as a old anthology useful for historical insight, but not obligatory for today’s ethics.
This split can be dramatic. While the believer may cite scripture to justify a choice, the non-believer can judge that reasoning circular, as it is the authority of the text itself under consideration.
3. Waiting Until Marriage for Relations
In a society where relations freedom is usually praised, Christian abstinence until marriage is something that stands out. For most Christians, relations is not just a physical act but a sacred thing meant for a lifetime union, not a mere whim.
Some atheists would view this as old-fashioned or needlessly restrictive, particularly where both consent and safety are involved. But Christians view it as fitting intimacy into a spiritual covenant and not mere whim.
4. Donating 10% of Their Salary
The tithing practice of giving away one’s tenth earnings to the church can seem confusing to those who are not believers. Without the belief in God’s provision, it will appear as if donating money without any tangible feedback.
For Christians, however, tithing is a matter of obedience and faith. It’s expressing that money comes from God, and paying back is a matter of gratitude and responsibility. The return they look for is not money, but spiritually.
5. Making Life Decisions Through Prayer
From career changes to marriage proposals, numerous Christians pray for guidance before making significant decisions. They figure God’s plan is superior to their own, and prayer is how they get in alignment with it.
To nonbelievers, it might appear to be delegating decision-making to an invisible force instead of using research and reason. To believers, however, prayer isn’t about shirking responsibility it’s about calling in wisdom they feel exceeds human comprehension.
6. Discussing Sin
Christian doctrine of sin things done contrary to God’s will influences much of their moral system. Sinning, forgiving sin, and trying not to sin are primary practices.
Atheists tend to view morality as human-made, changing with culture and agreement. In the absence of a divine lawgiver, the concept of sin can seem inconsequential, even foreign. But to Christians, it’s essential to knowing why they must have grace and forgiveness.
7. Singing Worship Songs Together
For most Christians, worship music is an effective means to convey God love and unite with others in faith. The group singing can be moving, even ecstatic.
To an atheist, having hundreds of people sing to a person who can’t be seen may be odd, or even manipulative. But to believers, it’s a corporate spiritual experience that enhances communal bonds and intensifies faith.
8. Believing in Miracles
Christians tend to view miracles in occurrences beyond explanation healings, protection, surprising provision. Atheists would explain these as coincidence, human strength, or natural factors.
C.S. Lewis previously asserted that ruling out miracles immediately presupposes the absence of God, which is actually a belief. To Christians, miracles are indicators of God’s presence and not against reason.
9. Hoping in Eternal Life
Perhaps the deepest difference is the Christian faith in existence after death. To them, death is not the end but an entrance to eternal life with God.
Atheists, who tend to view consciousness as ceasing at death, might find this hope to be illusory. However, for Christians, it colors the way they approach loss, make decisions, and suffer affliction grounding their lives in a promise that they believe is unbreakable.
These customs might seem bewildering from the outside, but they’re strands in a greater tapestry of belief, history, and personal conviction. It’s not necessary to agree with them only to be curious and respectful. In a world that’s so fast to divide based on differences, slowing down to understand why others live the way they do can be a gentle act of bridge-building.
