I think this is an incredibly accurate metaphor.

Think of a car full of your drunken friends, with you as the only sober person. The drunks are delusional, thinking they are perfectly fine, that they can do anything, that they are invincible. Your know the feeling if you’ve ever had a few drinks. Liquid courage. 100 miles and hour? Sure, easy as pie, perfectly safe.

But you’re the sober one in the car, and KNOW this will end badly, because you are the sober one. You’re impotent to stop it. You’re the only rational one in the car, everyone else is under the influence of Stupid Sauce. The Sauce gives them courage, and they outnumber you, reinforcing that artificially induced fearlessness.

They stick you in the middle of the back seat between two of your biggest, meatiest drunken buddies. You can’t move. You can’t get out. No matter how much wisdom you spout, no matter how often you offer to drive, they will ignore you.

You KNOW this will end badly. You’re impotent to stop it.

That’s what it’s like being an atheist. Everyone is drunk on Jesus Juice. You’re living in a world where you can’t say anything rational, because they’ll shout you down. The Juice gives them the courage, and their numbers gives them more courage. It feels so good to them, and everyone else is drunk on the Juice, who are you to say different?

You’re stuck in the middle of your workplace, or your neighborhood, or your home, or your country. Everyone around you is under the influence. Everyone “god blesses” you. Your politicians think Jesus made their country great. God is on their side, they think. Those not on the Juice are subversives. Untouchables. They wouldn’t let their daughters marry one of us.

You KNOW this will end badly. You’re impotent to stop it.

Welcome to Atheism.