Atheists in church

[Ahriman]

I get that being a member of a church suggests that one agrees with the tenets and takes an active role in the rituals and practices, but I know for certain that many people take a cafeteria approach to Christianity.  They definitively don't agree with 100% of what is taught and practiced, but they choose to stay.  Also, churches can be, and many definitely are, more than just places of worship.  They are places where the community organizes for acts of service and charity.  They are support centers for people with little else in their life, particularly the elderly and the mentally challenged.  And there are definitely certain types of churches that would not abide by an avowed atheist being part of their congregation.  It's seems ridiculous that a church would not welcome the unbeliever when their very goal is to convert the unbeliever into a believer.  Its kind of like that old trope where you can't get a job without experience but you can't get experience without a job.

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You mean, "bullshit" as in, it's not true? Because it is true, that's what they told us to do.

I also call complete bullshit on that.  You're lying.  I've attended many Catholic masses as an atheist.  Catholics are actually some of the most welcoming to people of all stripes.

We (the youth) were told only to try and convert those who were on the fence. In other words, agnostics. We were told to not even bother with atheists.