Atheists get preached to all the time! Which is sort of block headed if you ask me. Between friends, family, neighbors, and even complete strangers, evangelical Christians really like trying to evangelize the non-believers. They believe it is their Christian duty to convert as many to Christ as they can. But the bible isn’t exactly that clear on the topic. It can’t seem to make up its mind.

In 1 Peter 3:15, the bible tells Christians to preach the gospel to any non-believer who asks why they have faith in supernatural beings. Colossians 4:5-6 supports this behavior. It reads, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.”

But 2 John 1:10 tells Christians to ignore non-believers. Don’t preach to them. Don’t invite them into your house. And don’t even tell them good morning. 1 Timothy 6:20-21 tells Christians turn away from those who don’t believe. And 2 Timothy 2:16 warns Christians that trying to convert atheists is a lost cause.

To some Christians preaching to atheists is a favorite pastime. But it is incredibly annoying to atheists. Listening to evangelical preaching is no different from listening to a mad man who’s trying to convince you he was abducted by aliens. The good news is that, despite the bible’s contradicting verses, the score is three to two against preaching to atheists. If Christians want to play it safe, they should take the winning side and stop preaching to us.