i'm an atheist and i would be honored to be the godmother of a friends child

People like him give people like me a bad name.

OP, what? Where I live, being a godparent actually means providing physical help during the sacrament of christening and spiritual help to raise the child in Jesus Christ. It is an honour for religious people, but if somebody asked me - a declared atheist - to be a person who's supposed to help the kid find Jesus, I'd think he's mocking me.

Why would you want an atheist to be your kid's Godparent? Key word - God!

Atheist or not, at least you believe him to be a worthy part of your child's life. He could've been nicer not made it about him.

I'd consider it rude (though I'd probably politely decline instead of calling them out on it) if someone asked me to be the god father of their child. In Catholicism, the godparents are responsible for the religious upbringing of the child should the parents not raise them in accordance with Catholic teachings. That's why at least one of the god parents must be Catholic. I'm a minister in a different religion. If charged with raising a child religiously I would hardly be qualified to raise them Catholic.

...well, did you or did you not know? If you knew, then yes you are rude or stupid for asking that. If you didn't, he's rude for not having told you.

So you

Comment number 3 is correct, perhaps you should explain that you did not mean the literal term, but more that he will be an important male figure in your child's life and should something ever happen, you want him to be the one to continue raising the child.

Being a godfather goes against an atheist's religion.