Atheists have the same problem with theology as fully paid-up Thatcherites presumably have with sociology. You can’t study what doesn’t exist.
Alas, most people think there is such a thing as society, and even though sociology is as prone to flights of pretension and absurdity as any academic discipline, it can also shine precious light on the nature of reality.
So it is with theology. Most people believe in God. Witty analogies with orbiting teapots prove the point. Were humans born with an innate belief in an orbiting teapot, teapotology would be a worthwhile discipline. It might not say much about the celestial china, but it would help us understand better what we are saying when we talk about it.
It is precisely because The Christian Faith comprehends, faces and reveals suffering in a fashion that is unique among the religions, that it is true.