Im talking about the idea to choose. You have your own agency. The concept of Christians was not even atheist or Christian, theist or believer. Its that you have the individual power to choose, save your soul, work with the Lord find redemption and live the pious life or CHOOSE another path.

Atheism as a term comes to us around the 1800s. Nonbeliever or heretic much longer. Nonbeliever implies that there is something to believe. Heretic that youve gone a different path.

Your atheist semantics would be true in the modern day.

Charity's popularity exploded with the rise of Christianity. Most all scholars agree with that, most who dont have an axe to grind about a religion that wronged them in their past....