I’m quite serious. This is one of those things that you ought not read into, because I simply want to know the answer for the sake of curiosity. So I’m finally going to ask it and assume that the people I know and love are mature enough to take it at face value and, if they can, to give me an answer.

Christians read non-fiction books about Christianity, usually in an effort to be better followers of the faith. People of other faiths do the same thing. From what I can understand, books about atheism, like what Hitchens and Dawkins write, are not about being a better person in general but rather about the downsides to religion and myriad reasons why God does not exist. Why, then, do atheists who are quite sure in their belief that there is no God, read books about atheism? Is it similar to, for instance, someone who is politically conservative or politically liberal reading a book by a conservative or liberal thinker, respectively? I have not read Hitchens or Dawkins (or any books about atheism, generally), so I’m not qualified to answer this question even a little. I am, however, legitimately curious. 

Let me say again that no hate or cheekiness is intended here. It’s for the same reason that I wander around Wikipedia for an hour when I went to look up a quick definition - curiosity.