“A disbelief in the existence of deity,” as the Merriam-Webster dictionary so defines atheism. The BBC website states that, “Atheism is the absence of belief in any gods or spiritual beings.” There are many definitions today for the term atheism. The subject incites multitudes of ideas and questions ranging from the subject of morality to questions about atheism as a whole. The many reasons people become atheists vary widely and contradict some ideas concerning atheists. The history of atheism is also very interesting and helps make some good points for atheists. Atheists are constantly poked and prodded with questions. Some think these questions should be avoided altogether, while others believe that whether or not a person should be upset by these inquiries should be determined by the reasoning behind the asking of the questions. One question people ask about atheists is, “How can you be moral without believing in God?” Many people say the answer to this question is simply that it does not take faith in God to be a moral person. Morals are developed by individuals based on a various set of factors including one’s upbringing or personality. Another question that is frequently asked is how atheists find meaning in their lives without religion. The answer to this question is very similar. Atheists find their own meanings to life in everyday aspects such as family and friends (Gretta Christina 1). Their lives are meaningful because they are meaningful to themselves and to loved ones. In David Gleesons article “Common Misconceptions About Atheists and Atheism”, Gleeson compares how an atheist treats each day as a gift, with no expectation of reward or fear of damnation after death, and how an Islamic Fundamentalist will willingly give up his life for an eternity spent with seventy two virgins. He then asked readers which life has more meaning (Common 1). The idea that
H.J McCloskey’s article, “On Being an Atheist,” is an attempt to show atheism as a more practical alternative to the Christian belief. McCloskey reasons against the theistic beliefs of the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and design. He references the presence of evil in a world created by God and the absurdity of living by faith. This article is an attempt to reason that God does not exist because He is perfect and the world is not perfect; evil exists therefore God cannot exist. McCloskey’s article labels these arguments as “proofs” and concludes none of these arguments would be evidence of God’s existence. I find McCloskey’s article to lack logic and coherence which only serves to invalidate his arguments. I find this little more than an attempt to justify his own atheistic worldview.
Throughout our short time on Earth, a very common thought and feeling that many people have is, “What’s out there? Why are we here? What made us?” etc. This natural human tendency to ask these questions lead some people draw conclusions that may or may not be there. A belief I’ve held for years is the atheistic one. Christians, as well as many other moral institutions would refer to an atheist as someone who doesn’t believe in God. Where this may be the case, I feel as though this definition is a lazy and non-intellectual one. Rather I tend to believe that atheism is the lack of a belief in a given higher power. To that, I will reference a quote from Richard Dawkins, “I am an atheist with respect to around 2700 Gods, you (a christian) on the other hand are an atheist with respect to around 2699 Gods.” This is a quintessential and distinguishable difference between the two beliefs, or lack there of. What’s interesting in what Dawkins was saying was that you could infer that with this definition, Christians are statistically about as atheist as atheists are. Now with that being explained, one would start to bring in to frame the probability and the odds that maybe in fact the Christian God is the one real God vs. the chances that maybe another factor has been played into this belief.
Even though Atheists pray that there is nothing after death, it will not provide an escape or any shelter from the coming wrath of The Holy God. Can man stand naked before the King of Kings, in the revealing light of all truth? Can he answer for every single one of his sins? When judgment comes, no man will ever be good enough. Therefore, Atheism is useless, in fact the only good thing Atheism displays is irony. It is ironic that the core philosophy of Atheism is “Think for yourself” (285) yet the majority of its followers, if not all, fail to do so completely; therefore Atheism is a fool’s religion with severe devotion to ignorance. It is ironic because it preaches tolerance yet is grossly intolerant of anyone who doesn’t accept the Atheist faith. Again, as Ehrenreich’s children revealed, “the world would be a better place” (285) without other religions. Lastly, it is ironic because Ehrenreich speaks of her family being “disillusioned with Christianity” (284) while she herself is enslaved to the deceitful illusion of Atheism. Atheists will find no hope in any other man’s help either, and the weight of their sins will drag them all helplessly into
The universe we inhabit is by all accounts an atypical one; a few people manage its foolishness by encompassing themselves with faith, while others disregard all its significance. Existentialism, nonetheless, ushers us down a remarkable course that darkens these perspectives toward one of a kind belief structure. Despite the fact that we can experience circumstances that are out of our control, we do have the ability to control how we manage said circumstances and regardless of whether we decide to create significance from them. The chase for our actual importance is primitive as are the answers that have maintained it throughout history. Certainly, life does not have an unmistakable settled intending to it; it is up to every person to find their own particular relative target and accomplish their own joy. This is absolutely what existentialism suggests, that it is not prone to know reality,
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Atheists are seen as the least trustworthy group in America, with associations of cynicism, no-conformity, scepticism, and joylessness, but also a lack of morality or the a sense of awe. However why would someone become an Atheist when the “norm” is to have religion in your life as well as the negative stereotypes and discrimination atheists face? (Smith) The reasons vary from person to person on why they left theism, either for a personal or ideological reason. Based on research done there are several reasons for atheism such as it not making logical sense, or it not complying with science, negative personal experiences, the hypocrisy of the religion/church, God not meeting expectations (Caldwell-Harris), theodicy or the problem...
... of belief that have been created around the deity by humans. Even if there is a God and belief in Him is founded, there is no way to know if He will or will not bestow rewards upon His followers.
Morality and ethics have always been a large source of debate and contention between different factions of various interests, beliefs, and ideals due to its centrality and foundational role in society and civilization and incredible importance to everyday life and decision making. In many of these disputes religious belief, or a lack thereof, serves as an important driving force behind one or both sides of the argument. In the modern world, one of the bigger instances of this can be seen in the many debates between Atheistic and religious individuals about the implications of religious belief on morality. One of the most famous Atheists, Christopher Hitchens, asserts that religion is not only unnecessary for morality, but actually impedes it. In his work God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens challenges religious believers to “name an ethical statement or action, made or performed by a person of faith that could not have been made or performed by a non-believer”, and proudly states afterwards that many have made the attempt but no one has given him a satisfactory answer. However, the best response to this challenge is to point out the inherent flaws in his logic, the unfairness of his challenge, and the fact that Hitchens is asking the wrong question in the first place.
“As of 1994 there were an estimated 240 million atheists around the world comprising slightly more than 4 percent of the world’s population, including those who profess atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion”(Michael). Disbelief in God might be considered arrogant, but as you can see the group we refer to as atheists includes not only simple-minded imbeciles, but also the great American diplomat, Thomas Jefferson. “Atheists are frequently asked what atheism has to offer as opposed to religion. To answer this question, I need to assume that there are no gods or supernatural entities to reward us with a peaceful eternity if we follow some established morality. If the reason for this assumption is proven false, then the question is meaningless, as atheism ceases to exist”(Goluboff). A strong one-sided statement that gives little attention the fact that we presently...
Contrary to popular belief, there is not so much a “war on Christianity” as there is a war on the first amendment by the religious and atheists. However, if we are to have this discussion properly, we must assert which is better for moral and ethical teaching. Paul Kurtz in his article, Atheism Teaches Morality and Ethics, argues from the view that—though it is quite obvious from the title—atheism is the best source for these teachings; Stephen J. Pope argues from the opposite view in his article, Only Religion Can Teach Morality and Ethics. Although I do not believe either writer quite gets it right, these two present quality perspectives from both sides of the aisle.
The topic of atheism has become an increasingly investigated topic in the United States. With the slow, but steady, rise of the atheist population in the United States, the inquiry is becoming more relevant in modern research. The atheist population in America are considered to be cognitively deviant because they reject a theist view which are the majority. They are also one of the most discriminated groups and hold a very large and pervasive stigma.. There are a multitude of recent studies that address the topic of atheism in the United States in varying ways.
...ferences and similarities as its predecessor atheism. Individuals and groups continue to assert their ideologies through their writings and critics continue to rebut these claims. As discussed, new atheism has shown evident different approaches in showing how religion has detrimental effects on society using events such as the many previous wars that have been initiated due to issues concerning religion. New atheism also addresses how these views and conceptions are forced upon children which highlight the significant developments of the ideas that have emerged since traditional atheistic times. By understanding how atheism and new atheism has developed and evolved, it can also be understood that there will be an endless and continuous arrivals of more diverse interpretations, approaches and goals of new atheism and issues revolving around religion in the future.
What is religion? Well according the Dictionary it is “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a super human agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.” But to a person who practices a religion it is much more than this definition, it is a way of life. Well then what about Atheists? What do they believe? Well many of them believe in this definition, in-fact most do. But do any believe that even though they don't believe in religion themselves, does it serve a bigger picture other than what the definition says. Yes! Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Karl Marx all have theories on why religion is more than just god’s and rituals.
In its simplest sense, belief is an acceptance of the existence or the truth of a statement, something, or someone. As human beings, we are all predisposed to believe. For instance, humans are inclined to believe that there is a purpose in life and everything that exists must have an origin. But, these beliefs on purpose and existence must stem out from a greater belief. This is the belief that there is an intelligent being beyond existence that gave us purpose and created all that exists—God.