Can atheists convert theists?

[strattosphere]

Why do some atheists (judging from a couple of the responses) feel the need to say that they aren't interested in converting theists, and then show signs of frustration when theists don't agree with them, in the form of resorting to ridicule? That's not very consistent. You should be honest and just say that you'd really like to convert theists, and that it frustrates you when you don't manage it. People don't just ridicule others merely for fun, they do so for a specific reasons, and in this case I believe it is out of frustration. And that of course begs the question, what do you feel you lose when others don't agree with you?

Speaking as a hard atheist I think it is vitally important in getting believers to shed their primitive superstitions. Everyone on this planet needs to accept the truth that there are no supernatural beings and that this life and this beautiful universe is all there is, so that we don't all die at the hands of a religious nutter with his finger on the trigger of World War 3.

The frustration comes because we atheists find it hard to believe the sheer stupidity of the fallacial reasoning displayed by the religious. While we are using our own senses and science based evidence to state the reality of the non-existence of any fantasy creatures, gods, fairies etc, the religious look to self delusion and writings about bronze-age, paedophilic, slave condoning con-artists and nut jobs (written by more nutters and con artists who didn't actually know the subjects of their insane ramblings) to prop up their insane obsessions with sex, death and what the neighbours think.

No offense!