The token atheist has a grudge against god, which means that god exists and the atheist is already wrong, a walking contradiction. He has experienced something awful, perhaps molested as a child. Or his parents died tragically. For the maudlin, he may have a terminally ill child. Or he could have a face burned by acid for the more exotic.
He is now a desperate, hard drinking, nihilistic atheist. The kind just needing to be saved. One feels as though a single inspirational poster, complete with sun beams through clouds and a phrase like Always have a joyful mind would do the trick, snap him out of his downward spiral, bring a smile to his face.
And then the token atheist falls in love. God is love, after all. And the clouds do part, and the rays of sunshine evaporate his nihilism like morning fog. His lover takes him to church, where he eats a Eucharist or sings a hymn. The token atheist is saved, and all is right in the world.
