How atheists are portrayed by Churches.

[zig]

I don't necessarily disagree with that, although the word "actively" makes me a bit nervous. I think they are avoiding or devaluing evidence and information in a more automatic, subconscious way. Human brains are designed to look for confirming rather than counter evidence, so when you see yourself as being set on one side of a debate it's really quite natural to make attempts at rationalizing and overcoming any criticisms, even when they might be valid. Everyone does it. It's especially likely to happen if you've been raised within a religion, because then you see your position as the rightful default.
I would say that it's very rare for a religious person to consciously choose to ignore information because they are scared that it might harm their ability to hold religious beliefs.