The problem is the after school care. While it’s convenient for parents, it’s a brainwashing factory, clearly. Try to find an alternative, because those horrible little kids are not going to stop until your child conforms.
Not easy. I don’t know how old 3rd grade is, but it sounds young. it sounds like you need to take control of the situation. Tell both the school and the aftercare that your son is being bullied.
Remind the Methodist aftercare that tolerating bullying is unchristian. Give them back some Jesus quote about tolerance to shut them up and do their job - aftercare and monitoring of children.
Tell the school that if they don’t prevent bullying, you’ll take it to the superintendent.
Finally, tell your son about the variety of beliefs in the world Christianity, Judaism, Islam etc. including atheism and agnosticism, and tell him how people can do both good and bad things because of their religion. It could be a general chat about prejudice and bullying.
If the kids say this again to him, he needs to push back on them. He has to ask them stuff like “Do you believe in god? Prove you do. I don’t believe you. When did you last go to church? Which one? Prove it. I don’t believe you. I don’t think you believe in god! Tell him that if he is pushed, to push back twice as hard. The only way bullies learn is by being on the receiving end of their own treatment.

My ex-husband is Christian, when it suits him, and occasionally takes the boy to church. I can't stop him, it's his parental right. So, to combat the "teaching" and the kids side talk, I started teaching him about lots of religions and showing him how related they are to geography. We studied how Constantine spread Christianity and that's the only reason it made it to us. So now if kids start in on him about god, he gives them a lesson in world religions.

Talk to the administration & give them a chance to address the problem. If the best they can offer is inaction or aiding the bullies, look into alternatives for after school care.

If it wasn't god, the kids would find something else to be mean about. I remember, as a kid, an almost riot amongst the Jackson 5 adherents v the Osmond sect. So I would think that supporting him in what he believes becomes most important. That and talking about the ridiculous concept of hell. That could be terrifying to a child.
My son had to wait until late middle school to find like-minded non-believers. What he discovered early on is that the kids who pestered him about going to hell, he didn't want to be friends with. Unfortunately, this is likely to be something he'll have to deal with until he finds true friends that don't care.

Sit him down and explain to him why you don't believe in God. Ask him, "What kind of questions do you have for me?"

Let him know that people's beliefs are personal. He can tell the other kids this and try to change the subject to his favorite TV show, activity, or interest.

get him away from religious indoctrination, that's my advice. religious people and indoctrinated children will not leave him alone no matter what he says, and their abuse will only get worse.

In my experience the more I learned about all religions the more atheist I became. I'd say it's a combination of that, and maybe showing him some of the adversity that his heroes have faced in their lives just like he is now.

The problem isn't the questions. it's the bullying. it needs to be addressed as bullying, and a third-grader can't deal with that by saying the right things alone. there are things he can say that might or might not make it better, but a higher power (no i don't mean god lol) needs to be contacted. meanwhile, he could answer with "that's very personal."

g

You take him to the Woods and into the Wilderness. Show him flowers, insects, wildlife and if you are quiet they will come out and meet you. Get some Wildernes or Wildlife Videos from Your Tube, Google and the Library. Lots of Nature Parks and Preserves with tours and adventures that are led by fully qualified and professional instructors.
This is a three year educational endeavor for free and more.

I would say stop sending him to the church group. He shouldn't be put in a situation where he is getting attacked for something he cannot defende quite yet. And little kids that are taught about Christianity and about hell are not going to know any better besides you are going to be punished.

Difficult. It's a mix of religion and children so appealing to reason will definitely fail.

You could tell him to tell them he is a seeker. He is waiting for god to reveal himself.
It's not really a lie. if God appeared before me I would convert (after a psychiatric evaluation).

Or you could tell him to quote Jesus about the hypocrisy of people flaunting their faith in public. It may not work on children but if they won't respect a bible quote it's a matter of bullying which is a different problem altogether.

Sounds like we are in the zone of bullying. You can tell him that religion is a private matter and therefore does not concern these other kids. You can tell him that not respecting other peoples privacy is immoral and they will go to hell for it. Use their own Gods word - love your neighbour. Obviously these boys don't live even by the simplest of their gods rules. He can point that out to them and you can get some of the adults from the school or church to remind the boys about this.

In the long run, I would say educating him on what people believe and let him have his own answer. In the short term perhaps something along the lines of "I don't know I have never seen him" might serve him well. It is a tough situation for him, but I feel even worse for all the indoctrinated kids giving him trouble. Hope you are able to work it out.

The best way to protect against religion is to educate someone on it

That is a good question! If I had kids, I'd tell them to tell them Santa isn't real and ask their parents.

Bullies come in all shapes ,sizes (and religions) . Kids should not have to deal with that ...but it is constant ,even in to adulthood. Maybe you should talk to the supervisors about you concerns.

If you go to the American humanist organization or just Google secular books for kids you will find a plethora of books and advise.

Thank you everyone for all the advices.
I have done a few things here and there that some have mentioned.
Unfortunately, decent aftercare is hard to find here in this area, and I'm pretty sure the kids at school talk about God too.
What I didn't realize is that i can address it with FUMC administrators, regardless if they are a religious institution, it still bullying. I was behaving like a submissive parent and keeping it quiet to them.
Tks ??

I would say that age is a need to know basis. You must be honest with him in all your private conversation but, on the other hand, you have to make sure he won't be confronting unnecessary battles. I would explain him that at times the best thing to do is to say what people want to hear...... Or is a black eye worth it at that age?

You need to call the location where he goes for after care and immediately speak to an administrator. Tell the administrator what your son is experiencing on the bus, let the admin know that it's not ok with you, your son is feeling bullied (use those exact words) and ask the admin to immediately speak to the parents about stopping this behavior with their kids. You also need to ask the admin to speak to the bus driver to make sure the bus driver shuts down that behavior the second it starts. If need be, let the admin know you will go to the school district's governing board (or whoever is in charge of religious school orgs) to complain about this behavior if admin doesn't shut it down right away.

Secondly, teach your son these words: "Please mind your own business." Teach him to say them in an assertive, not aggressive way. Have him practice them over and over again with you until he's comfortable saying them and those words are embedded in his memory, almost a reflex for him to say them. Once he's comfortable with that, teach him to follow up that statement with these words: "What I believe is none of your business." Teach him that he may not need to say the second statement all the time, but if the other kids continue asking questions, this is how he needs to respond. His religious beliefs or lack thereof are no one else's business but his own and those other kids need to learn some boundaries. Having him shut down their questioning with these statements should hopefully do the trick. However, you will also need to teach him to wait to say these words until the other kids finish their questions. If he cuts them off, they may get angry and question him further in an attempt to rattle him. That's not what he or you wants. To teach him to wait respectfully until the other kids have asked their questions, and then tell them kindly but assertively to "Please mind your own business." And follow up with "What I believe is none of your business" if need be.

Tell him lots of jokes to say to the other kids and when ever he feels uncomfortable about a question he can answer it with a joke.

If he likes to read, you can get him some age-appropriate books on mythology, and the "gods" of the Romans, Greeks, and Norse, among others. Explain to him that the "god" of his schoolmates is no different than those he's read about. That they just haven't accepted what they believe are myths. When he gets to the point where he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, explain that the Abrahamic god is exactly the same as they are. Not real.
Kids aren't stupid, and even when they're still young, they can grasp the truth
when they hear it.
Good luck.

Is there a way to avoid sending him to this Church group after care? If not could you talk with some of the responsible people? These children are bullying your kid. I think that needs to be stopped.
Also talk to him at home. Tell him you can talk with him about the things those kids said and that you can try to answer the questions they asked him together. The most important guidance he needs now is that there are different opinions out there and that he needs to stay curious, have doubts and keeps asking questions.
Also tell him that if gods punishes a kid for not believing then he is nothing more than a super villain from a superhero movie.

Just let him know , humanity is over religion . Must be a good human . Because religion is fiction.