And how about a symbol of what the atheist wielder believes *(s)he * has to protect? Like a picture of the kids? Invoking such reverse magic might just do the trick.
OTOH, the vampire could just munch on the kids next.
Assuming you’re right that doesn’t mean that they’d move in a theistic direction. And I doubt many people have “faith” in science; science doen’t need faith because it actually works. That’s like saying you have faith in God when God shows up and plays videogames at your place every weekend
Well, I certainly wouldn’t. At most I’d move toward agnosticism.
Would a cross in the hands of an agnostic work better than for an atheist ? Probably not.
Der Trihs = vampire food 
Or possibly a vampire myself, depending on the version. And vampire hunters, don’t bother with a cross; I’ll bring a gun. “Let’s see that cross stop this, God-boy.” < BLAM ! >
Crosses wouldn’t work well on vampires with guns, or bows, or even spears.
A lesson many vampires would do well to learn from. One reason I liked Blade was because the vamps were bright enough to use firearms.
Forry said it. I believe it. That settles it!
Which reminds me, I better make my occasional Google search to make sure Uncle 4E is still around & kicking.
Seems to be, happily. Wikipedia and IMDB both list him as alive, and his personal/official (I think >_>) site makes no mention of his passing, so one is left to assume the Ackermansion is still haunted only by the living.
Yeah, I just checked. I’ve visited him at the previous Ackermansion twice. Next time I’m visiting my brother in L.A., I’ll see if I can visit him at the new one.
I know this is kind of a silly thread, but I’ll be the stinker who says that Origin of the Species is not an atheist’s bible.
Evolution is not the faith hinge upon which belief in no god rests. Theists and atheists alike can analyze the writing themselves, and reject it or accept it independant on their beliefs on god(s).
Evolution and belief in the devine have little to do with each other.
So, maybe the American Atheists symbol, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or a copy of The Antichrist would work?
(Or you could ride the vampire down on your Invisible Pink Unicorn.)
Now the Tetragrammaton is an interesting one. Yeah, that might do it, although it’s not so much protective as creative. Still, one would expect a vampire to be anti-creative force.
A Mezzuzah, however, is decidedly NOT a protective symbol, although many people think it is. cite It’s another mitzvot - a “G-d told us to do this, so we’re doing it”. It can be stretched to say it’s a reminder of G-d’s presence. But that’s sort of a retcon or child’s explanation, I think. The real reason it’s there is that they were told to put it there.
It’s got lots of different names: Hamsa, Hamesh, Eye of Fatima, Hand of Fatima, Hand of Miriam, etc. wiki link. It’s the only “protective symbol” I could find used by Jewish people, although it’s not exclusive to the Jewish faith, sure.
That would be a nihilist 
I suppose an agnostic can use a question mark.
Wolverine’s an atheist, and he could certainly take the vast majority of BuffyVerse vampires.
Well sure, because he can slice their heads off with his claws. Don’t need a symbol for that.
Yes, but a sufficiently skilled person could use a cymbal instead.
So could a Vulcan use an IDIC?
But what if the vampire is a communist? Would holding up a copy of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations protect you?
Maybe Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, or The Collected Speeches of Ronald Reagan.
:eek: That was brilliant*. My hat’s (not head’s) off to you, sir!
*Buffy decapitated a vampire in the Bronze with a cymbal thrown frisbee style in the first season, for those of you wondering why I’m impressed with Skald’s punnage.
And you got my obscure reference on top of the pun!