Headscratchers / The Case for Christ

Okay, so I’ll just say it: what parent straight-up says to their kid, “We’re atheists”? Even if you are in an atheist family, how can you expect the kid to get that? I understand that they almost lost their child (which even I had to admit was quite harrowing) and it was only due to “providence” or what-have-you that she survived, but come now. While I’m at it, why is Lee a jerk during his quest to disprove God’s existence? No, he doesn’t cross the line into full-on abuse, and he does love his family dearly, but why does the movie go to great pains to show his negative qualities while he’s an atheist?