Difference between revisions of "Atheism"

</ref>  See also: [[Definition of atheism]]

Atheists claim there are two main reasons for their denial of the existence of God and/or disbelief in God: the conviction that there is positive evidence or argument that God does not exist ([[Strong atheism]] which is also sometimes called positive atheism), and their claim that theists bear the burden of proof to show that God exists, that they have failed to do so, and that belief is therefore unwarranted ([[Weak atheism]]).

As as alluded to above, [[theism|theists]] and others have posited a number of [[causes of atheism]] and this matter will be further addressed in this article.

In the late 19th century and more broadly in the latter portion of the 20th century, the proposition that the [[definition of atheism]] also include a mere lack of belief in God or gods began.<ref>Day, Donn R. (2007). [http://www.thedivineconspiracy.org/athart3.htm "Atheism - etymology"].</ref>  It is now common for atheists/[[agnosticism|agnostics]] and [[theism|theists]] to debate the meaning of the word atheism.<ref>

*[http://www.apatheticagnostic.com/articles/meds2/med40/med796.html The Atheism Vs. Agnosticism “Debate”]

Critics of a broader definition of atheism to be a mere lack of belief indicate that such a definition is contrary to the traditional/historical meaning of the word and that such a definition makes atheism indistinguishable from [[agnosticism]].<ref>

*Day, Donn R. (2007). [http://www.thedivineconspiracy.org/athart3.htm "Atheism - etymology"]. 

* [[Philosophy|Philosophical]] atheism - Atheist philosophers assert that God does not exist. (See also: [[Naturalism (philosophy)|Naturalism]])

* [[Practical atheism]]: atheism of the life - that is, ''living'' as though God does not exist.<ref>Dr. [[Martin Luther King]] in his sermon ''Rediscovering Lost Values'' spoke of "practical atheism".  King, Dr. Martin Luther (1954). [http://www.globatron.org/truth/rediscovering-lost-values-martin-luther-king-early-sermon "Rediscovering lost values"]</ref>

==== Atheist infighting: Testimony of Blair Scott, former board of director of American Atheists  ====

''See also:'' [[Atheism has a lower retention rate compared to other worldviews]] and [[Desecularization]]  

In 2012, a [[Georgetown University]] study was published indicating that only about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household remain atheists as adults.<ref name="retention rate"/>  Similarly, according to recent research by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, in the United States, a majority of those surveyed who were raised in atheist or [[agnosticism|agnostic]] households, or where there was no specific religious attachment, later chose to join a religious faith.<ref>Multiple references:

In addition, in atheistic [[Communism|Communist]] China, Christianity is experiencing rapid growth (see: [[Growth of Christianity in China]]).  

''See also:'' [[Atheism and loneliness]] and [[Internet atheism]]

In an essay entitled ''How the [[Atheist movement|Atheist Movement]] Failed Me'', an [[atheism and women|atheist woman]] noted that participation in the atheist community is often expensive due to the cost of attending [[atheist conferences]] and even local atheist meetings in restaurants and bars challenged her modest budget.<ref>Amanda (August 10, 2012).  [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/08/10/how-the-atheist-movement-failed-me-part-1-cost/ "How the atheist movement failed me–part 1: cost"].  Friendly Atheist blog. </ref>  As a result of the challenges that atheists commonly have in terms of socializing in person, many atheists [[Internet atheism|turn to the internet]] in terms of communicating with other atheists.<ref>Norris, Chuck (May 21, 2007).  [http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55789 "How to outlaw Christianity (steps 2 & 3)"].  WorldNetDaily. See: [[Chuck Norris]].</ref> Often internet communication between atheists turns acrimonious and contentious (see: [[Atheist factions]]).

For more information, please see: [[Atheism and loneliness]]

''See also:'' [[Atheism and death]] and [[Atheism and cryonics]] and [[Atheism and Hell]]

On April 2, 2012, ''Science Daily'' reported that ''Death anxiety increases atheists' unconscious belief in God''.<ref name="Otago">University of Otago [New Zealand] (April 2, 2012).  [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402094322.htm "Death anxiety increases atheists' unconscious belief in God"].  ScienceDaily.</ref> In a 2012 ''Psychology Today'' article, Dr. Nathan A. Heflick reported similar results in other studies.<ref name="Heflick">Heflick, Nathan A. (May 25, 2012).  [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-questions/201205/atheists-death-and-belief-in-god "Atheists, death and belief in God: The effects of death reminders on atheists' supernatural beliefs"].  Psychology Today website. </ref> Under stress, the brain's processing works in a way that prefers unconscious thinking.<ref>Multiple references:

=== Atheism and transhumanism ===

== Denials that atheists exist ==

''See also:'' [[Denials that atheists exist]] and [[Atheists doubting the validity of atheism]]

=== Atheists Karl Marx and Vladmir Lenin ===

According to the [[University of Cambridge]], historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the [[Marxism-Leninism|Marxist-Leninists]] to power."<ref name="Marxism-Leninism">{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20130728215151/http://www.investigatingatheism.info/marxism.html|title="Investigating atheism: Marxism"|publisher = [[University of Cambridge]]|quote=The most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power. For the first time in history, atheism thus became the official ideology of a state.|year=2008|accessdate=July 17, 2014|}}</ref> Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg, a Soviet physicist, wrote that the "[[Bolshevik]] communists were not merely atheists but, according to [[Lenin]]'s terminology, [[militant atheist]]s."<ref name="Lenin & militant atheism">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ufC9Ar8iuDcC&pg=PA161&dq=The+Bolshevik+communists+were+not+merely+atheists+but,+according+to+Lenin%27s+terminology,+militant+atheists.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1oFUUdj6PIiK0QGvq4CAAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20Bolshevik%20communists%20were%20not%20merely%20atheists%20but%2C%20according%20to%20Lenin's%20terminology%2C%20militant%20atheists.&f=false|title =''On Superconductivity and Superfluidity: A Scientific Autobiography'' |author=Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg|publisher = Springer Science+Business Media|pages=p. 161|year=2009|quote=The Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists.|accessdate = July 17, 2014}}</ref> However, prior to this, the [[Reign of Terror]] of the [[French Revolution]] established a state which was anti-[[Roman Catholicism]]/Christian in nature <ref>Multiple references:

The atheism in [[communism|communist]] regimes has been and continues to be [[militant atheism]] and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.<ref>Multiple references:

[[File:China location.png|thumbnail|right|250px|With its large population, [[China]] has the largest population of atheists with 8 - 14% of Chinese being atheists.<ref>[http://www.thechapmans.nl/news/Atheist.pdf "The largest atheist/agnostic populations"].  Chris & Terri Chapman. Countries with the largest atheist populations.</ref> The religious landscape of China is quickly changing, however, due to the rapid growth of Christianity. See also: [[Global atheism]] ]]

[[China]] is a communist country. In 1999, the publication [[Christian Century]] reported that "[[China]] has persecuted religious believers by means of harassment, prolonged detention, and incarceration in prison or 'reform-through-labor' camps and police closure of places of worship." In 2003, owners of [[Bible]]s in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were closed.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818 "China sends Bible owners to labor camp"] (November 26, 2003). ''WorldNetDaily''.</ref>  China continues to practice religious oppression today.<ref>[http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/ "China: Christians tortured while under arrest"] (September 27, 2006). ''The World Now''. </ref>

The efforts of China's atheist leaders in promoting atheism, however, is increasingly losing its effectiveness and the number of [[Christianity|Christians]] in China is rapidly growing (see: [[Growth of Christianity in China]]).  China's state sponsored atheism and atheistic indoctrination has been a failure and a 2007 religious survey in China indicated that only 15% of Chinese identified themselves as atheists.<ref>Briggs, David (January 23, 2011).  [http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/01/23/huffington-post-chinas-state-sponsored-atheism-a-failure/ "Huffington Post: China’s state-sponsored atheism a failure" [excerpt&#93;].  National Post website. </ref>

[[North Korea]] is a repressive communist state and is officially atheistic.<ref>Lee, Sunny (May 12, 2007). [http://web.archive.org/web/20130521065544/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/IE12Dg01.html "God forbid, religion in North Korea?"]  Asia Times Online.  Archived at Internet Archive on May 21, 2013. </ref> The North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean [[Christianity|Christians]].<ref>Multiple references:

==== Atheistic communism and mass murder ====

*Radosh, Ronald (February 2000).  [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 "''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''"]. First Things [journal] website. </ref> Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term democide (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>Rummel, R. J. (November 1993).  [http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM "How many did communist regimes murder?"]  University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War.  </ref> [[Richard Dawkins]] has attempted to [[Richard Dawkins, atheist atrocities, and historical revisionism|engage in historical revisionism concerning atheist atrocities and Dawkins was shown to be in gross error]].

== Criticism of atheism and the atheist community ==

''See also:'' [[Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian|Resources for leaving atheism]] and [[Christian apologetics]] and [[Rebuttals to atheist arguments]]

The word apologetics comes directly from the ancient Greek word apologia which is a derivative of a word meaning to speak in one's defence.<ref>Thayer and Smith (1999).  [http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/apologia.html "Greek lexicon entry for 'Apologia'"].  ''The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon''. BibleStudyTools.com.</ref> [[Christian apologetics]] is a field of Christian [[theology]] which focuses on the evidence and arguments for [[Christianity]] and the evidence and arguments opposing other [[worldview]]s.  

*Lack of objective moral standards. Not possessing a coherent basis for [[morality]], [[atheist]]s are fundamentally [[Moral_relativism|incapable]] of having a coherent system of morality.<ref>Multiple references:

*[[Atheism and the Problem of Evil]] (see also: [[Atheism and hell]] and [[Pascal's wager]])

* Historical arguments for the existence of God. For example, arguments stemming from historical accounts such as [[Christian apologetics|Christian historical apologetics]], [[Christian Legal Apologetics|Christian legal apologetics]] and archaeological evidence such as [[Bible Archaeology|Bible archaeology]]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjS__cWr0Y0 "The question that is causing atheists to abandon atheism"] (August 6, 2010).  YouTube video, 14:54, posted by shockofgod.</ref> Atheism requires blind faith. Atheism is a [[Atheism is a religion|faith based religion]] and it is a [[worldview]] which has no evidential support.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciVL86XQlvM "There is no proof and evidence that atheism is true:  thus atheism is null and void"] (January 13, 2012).  YouTube video, 1:28, posted by shockofgod.</ref>

===Atheism and mass murder===

There are people who make accusations and assertions that are empirically false. This is one of them."<ref name="Koukl">Koukl, Gregory (February 20, 2013). [http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5527 "The real murderers:  atheism or Christianity?"] Stand to Reason.</ref>

Koukl summarized by stating:

[[Image:Solzhenitsyn.jpg‎|thumb|150px|left|[[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]]]

[[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]] was asked to account for the great tragedies that occurred under the brutal [[communism|communist]] regime he and fellow citizens suffered under.

{{cquote|Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen [[Russia]]: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.''

Since then I have spend well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened."<ref>Humber, Paul G., M.S. (1987). [http://www.icr.org/article/stalins-brutal-faith/ "Stalin's brutal faith"].  ''Acts & Facts''. 16 (10). [[Institute for Creation Research]]</ref>}}

The total body count for the ninety years between 1917 and 2007 is approximately 148 million dead at the bloody hands of fifty-two atheists, three times more than all the human beings killed by war, civil war, and individual crime in the entire twentieth century combined.

The historical record of collective atheism is thus 182,716 times worse on an annual basis than Christianity’s worst and most infamous misdeed, the Spanish Inquisition. It is not only Stalin and Mao who were so murderously inclined, they were merely the worst of the whole [[Atheism and Hell|Hell]]-bound lot. For every Pol Pot whose infamous name is still spoken with horror today, there was a Mengistu, a Bierut, and a Choibalsan, godless men whose names are now forgotten everywhere but in the lands they once ruled with a red hand.

Is a 58 percent chance that an atheist leader will murder a noticeable percentage of the population over which he rules sufficient evidence that atheism does, in fact, provide a systematic influence to do bad things? If that is not deemed to be conclusive, how about the fact that the average atheist crime against humanity is 18.3 million percent worse than the very worst depredation committed by Christians, even though atheists have had less than one-twentieth the number of opportunities with which to commit them. If one considers the statistically significant size of the historical atheist set and contrasts it with the fact that not one in a thousand religious leaders have committed similarly large-scale atrocities, it is impossible to conclude otherwise, even if we do not yet understand exactly why this should be the case. Once might be an accident, even twice could be coincidence, but fifty-two incidents in ninety years reeks of causation!<ref name="marry">Ammi, Ken (June 11, 2009).  [http://creation.com/atheism "Atheism"].  Creation Ministries International.</ref>}}

 

*[[Atheism and communism]]

 

==== Academic studies consistently challenge the link between religion and war ====

 

 

Louise Ridley (assistant news editor at the ''Huffington Post UK''), [[Vox Day]] and others point out that academic studies and other research consistently challenge the link between religion and war.<ref>Multiple references:

*Ridley, Louise [assistant news editor, ''Huffington Post'', UK] (November 18, 2014).  [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/14/religions-war-cause-responsible-evidence_n_6156878.html "Does religion really cause war—and do atheists have something to answer for?"] The Huffington Post, United Kingdom. 

*Day, Vox (August 13, 2012).  [http://voxday.blogspot.com/2012/08/atheists-abandon-religion-causes-war.html "Atheists abandon 'religion causes war' argument"].  Vox Populi blog. 

*Schumacher, Robin (April 2012). [http://carm.org/religion-cause-war "The myth that religion is the #1 cause of war"]. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry website.  Edited by Matt Slick. See [[CARM]].

*Price, Tom (2014).  [http://www.bethinking.org/is-religion-harmful/religion-causes-wars "'Religion causes wars'"].  Bethinking.</ref>

 

 

===Atheism and uncharitableness  ===

Concerning the issue of [[Atheism and Uncharitableness|atheism and uncharitableness]], the evidence indicates that [[per capita]] charitable giving by atheists and agnostics in America is significantly less than by theists, according to a study by the [[Barna Group]]:

==== American atheist organizations focus on church/state issues and creationism - poor largely ignored ====

Two recent atheist nonprofit scandals which received some publicity were the organizations [[Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science]] and the We Are Atheism organization.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/07/24/richard-dawkins-drops-his-lawsuit-against-former-employee/ Richard Dawkins Drops His Lawsuit Against Former Employee]</ref><ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/10/24/richard-dawkins-sues-josh-timonen/ Richard Dawkins sues Josh Timonen], Posted by David Gorski on October 24, 2010</ref><ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/07/24/richard-dawkins-drops-his-lawsuit-against-former-employee/ Richard Dawkins Drops His Lawsuit Against Former Employee]</ref><ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/09/15/an-update-on-we-are-atheism/ An Update on We Are Atheism] by Hemant Mehta, September 15, 2015]</ref>  

=== Irreligion and domestic violence ===

 

''See also:'' [[Irreligion and domestic violence]] and [[Atheism and women]] and [[Atheism and rape]]

[[Image:Cycle.gif|thumbnail|255px|left|Research suggests that irreligiousity is a causal factor for domestic violence.<ref name="vaw">Ellison, C. G., Trinitapoli, J. A., et al. (November 2007). [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17951587 "Race/ethnicity, religious involvement, and domestic violence"] [abstract with link to full article].  ''Violence Against Women'', doi: 10.1177/1077801207308259, vol. 13, no. 11, pp. 1094-1112.  Abstract from PubMed.gov</ref>]]

{{cquote|The authors explored the relationship between religious involvement and intimate partner violence by analyzing data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households. They found that: (a) religious involvement is correlated with reduced levels of domestic violence; (b) levels of domestic violence vary by race/ethnicity; (c) the effects of religious involvement on domestic violence vary by race/ethnicity; and (d) religious involvement, specifically church attendance, protects against domestic violence, and this protective effect is stronger for African American men and women and for Hispanic men, groups that, for a variety of reasons, experience elevated risk for this type of violence.<ref name="vaw"/>}} 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

==== Secular Europe and domestic violence ====

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the [[causes of atheism]] is a [[hedonism|hedonistic]] lifestyle. See: [[Atheism and hedonism]].  

[[File:Flag of Denmark.png|left|200px|thumbnail|[[Denmark]] is the third most atheistic country in the world and the website adherents.com reports that 43 - 80% of Danes are [[agnosticism|agnostics]]/atheists/non-believers in God.<ref name=Top50no2>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html "The largest atheist/agnostic populations:  Top 50 countries with highest proportion of atheists / agnostics (Zuckerman, 2005)"] (2005).  Adherents.com/Largest religious communities.</ref>   

=== Nontheistic Thailand and child prostitution ===

[[Image:Harry Hay.jpg|thumbnail|150px|Many consider atheist [[Harry Hay]] to be the founder of the American [[homosexuality|homosexual]] movement.]]

1. The atheist and [[homosexuality|homosexual]] [[David Thorstad]] was a founding member of the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).<ref>Abbott, Matt C. (August 22, 2010).  [http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/100822 "The mind of a pederast"]. RenewAmerica. </ref>  

3. The writer [[Samuel R. Delany]] is an atheist and a [[homosexuality|homosexual]].<ref>Multiple references:

[[Image:998086u.jpg|left|thumbnail|200px|An essay by the [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] Dr. James Spiegel describes [[Bertrand Russell]] as a "misogynistic and a serial adulterer; a chronic seducer of women, especially very young women, even in his old age."<ref>Spiegel, James (2010).  ''The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief'', p. 72. Chicago:  Moody Publishers.</ref>  Bertrand Russell was an agnostic who had favorable views towards atheism.<ref> Russell, Bertrand (1947). [http://web.archive.org/web/20100411082750/http://www.luminary.us/russell/atheist_agnostic.html "Am I an atheist or an agnostic?"]  www.luminary.us.  Archived at Internet Archive on April 11, 2010.  Caution:  Presumably copyrighted in the U.S. until 2042 and in Canada until 2020.  For fair educational use only.  Most online sources say "by which one prove," probably a mistake.</ref>]]

{{cquote|[[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]] preached that a group of "supermen" must arise with the courage to create their own values through their "will to power." Nietzsche rejected the "soft" values of [[Christianity]] (brotherly love, turning the other cheek, charity, compassion, etc.); he felt they hindered man's creativity and potential....

Given that atheistic [[evolution|evolutionary]] thinking has engendered [[social darwinism]] and given that the proponents of atheism [[Atheism and morality|have no rational basis]] for morality, the immoral views that atheists often hold and [[Atheism and Uncharitableness|the low per capita giving of American atheists]] is not unpredictable.

 

In 2014, a global news channel which broadcasts documentaries about current topics, reported concerning [[secular Europe]]: "Bestiality is having a weird renaissance in Europe."<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/newsreport3738/ Vice News report on bestiality upsurge in Europe]</ref> See also: [[Bestiality and secular Europe]]

The [[atheist]] philosopher Peter Singer defends the practice [[bestiality]] (as well as [[abortion]], infanticide and [[euthanasia]]).  Despite holding these views the liberal and pro-[[evolution]] academic establishment rewarded his views with a bioethics chair at [[Princeton University]].<ref>Multiple references:

The [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] and author Michael Caputo writes:

{{cquote|Although bestiality is not openly supported by well known [[Militant atheism|Militant Atheist]] sites, support for it is inherent in their insistence that decisions of a sexual nature should be left up to the individual adults to determine. God disagrees.<ref>Caputo, Michael (betw. 2008-11). [http://atheismexposed.tripod.com/god_bible_bestiality.htm "God, the Bible and bestiality"].  Militant Atheism Exposed. </ref>}}

In areas of the [[Western World]] where there is a significant amount of atheism and [[evolution]]ary belief, there have been notable problems related to bestiality (see: [[Geographic areas where bestiality is posing a notable problem]]).

[[Lawrence Krauss]] is a prominent atheist and atheist activist.  In response to the question, "Why is [[incest]] wrong?", Krauss said, "It's not clear to me that it is wrong."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp7dRpWIdBo Lawrence Krauss on incest]</ref>  Krauss belongs to the [[New Atheism]] school of atheism which is a form of [[militant atheism]].  

=== Irreligious prison population ===

John Attarian wrote concerning the atheist Marquis de Sade: "For the Sadean egotist, then, everything is permitted. Sade incessantly rationalized the most depraved and libertine sexuality, and every crime including cannibalism and murder.<ref>[http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=520 Dostoevsky vs. Marquis de Sade] by John Attarian (MA 46:4, Fall 2004) - 08/01/08</ref>}}

==== Atheism and social justice ====

A common and legitimate criticism of the [[atheist worldview]] is that [[Atheism and irrationality|atheism is irrational]]. <ref name="athdef"/> In short, atheism is a fundamentally incoherent worldview with a number of inconsistencies.<ref name="inconsist"/>  For example, the atheistic worldview cannot account for the laws of [[logic]].<ref>Multiple references:

[[File:113320508 2b86fdb94a.jpg|thumb|201px|right|A common and legitimate criticism of the [[atheist worldview]] is that [[Atheism and irrationality|atheism is irrational]].<ref name="athdef">Multiple references:

*Prayson, Daniel (December 16, 2010).  [http://withalliamgod.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/the-meaningless-life-of-atheism/ "The meaningless life of atheism"].  With All I Am.</ref>  Through [[Jesus Christ]], [[Christianity]] offers objective meaning and purpose to life.<ref>Multiple references:

''See also:'' [[Atheism and arrogance]] and [[Atheism and deception]] and [[Atheism and the suppression of science]]

Contrary to the mistaken notion of individuals who are inexperienced in [[logic]]/[[philosophy]], there are plenty of cases where universal negatives [[Universal negative|can be proven]].<ref>Ferguson, Shawn (August 14, 2014).  [http://blog.faithbeyondbelief.ca/2014/08/the-universal-negative-can-it-be-proven.html "The universal negative: Can it be proven?"]  Faith Beyond Belief.</ref>  However, atheists' universal negative claim that God does not exist is not a reasonable universal negative claim.<ref name="defensive"/>  

Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that [[New Atheism|New Atheists]] very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as  “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”<ref name="JHaidt">Haidt, Jonathan (March 5, 2014). [http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 "Why Sam Harris is unlikely to change his mind"].  This View of Life.</ref>  Of the 75,000 words in [[Sam Harris]]'s ''The End of Faith'', 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.<ref name="JHaidt"/>  And sadly, the works of New Atheists often betray an amateurish knowledge of philosophy/religion. For example, atheist philosopher Dr. [[Michael Ruse]] declared concerning [[Richard Dawkins]]' book ''The God Delusion'': "''The God Delusion'' makes me embarrassed to be an atheist."<ref>McGrath, Alister (January 25, 2007).  [http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire "The Dawkins delusion"].  AlterNet.</ref> [[Vox Day]]'s book ''[http://www.voxday.net/mart/TIA_free.pdf The Irrational atheist]'' found multiple errors in reasoning and factual errors when it came to the works of New Atheist authors.<ref>Cosner, Lisa (December 2008).  [http://creation.com/review-irrational-atheist-by-vox-day "Excellent refutation of ‘new atheists’ flawed by heterodox open theism"].  Review of Day, Vox (2008), ''The Irrational Atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens'' (Dallas TX:  Benbella Books).  ''Journal of Creation'', vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 28-31.</ref> See also: [[Richard Dawkins and pseudoscience]]

In addition, historically [[militant atheism|militant atheists]] have commonly endeavored to limit the religious freedom of others while imposing their errant, atheistic ideology on others. See also: [[Atheism and intolerance]]

Atheists have also given themselves pretentious monikers such as freethinker, rationalist and "bright". See also: [[Brights Movement]] and [[Atheism and intelligence]] and [[Atheism and the theory of multiple intelligences]]

<br />

=== Angry and bitter demeanor of militant atheists and anti-theists ===

''See also:'' [[Atheism and anger]] and [[Atheism and bitterness]] and [[Atheism and interpersonal intelligence|Atheism and social intelligence]] and [[Atheism and emotional/intrapersonal intelligence|Atheism and emotional intelligence]]

On January 1, 2011, [[CNN]] reported:

{{cquote|People unaffiliated with organized religion, atheists and agnostics also report anger toward God either in the past, or anger focused on a hypothetical image - that is, what they imagined God might be like - said lead study author Julie Exline, Case Western Reserve University psychologist.

In studies on college students, atheists and agnostics reported more anger at God during their lifetimes than believers.<ref>Landau, Elizabeth (January 1, 2011).  [http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/01/anger-at-god-common-even-among-atheists/ "Anger at God common, even among atheists"]. CNN/The Chart website.</ref>}}

Various studies found that traumatic events in people's lives has a positive correlation with "emotional atheism".<ref>Carter, Joe (January 12, 2011). [http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2011/01/when-atheists-are-angry-at-god "When atheists are angry at God"].  First Things [The Institute on Religion and Public Life] website.</ref>

The atheist and [[lesbianism|lesbian]] [[Greta Christina]] told the journalist Chris Mooney on the Point of Inquiry podcast, "there isn't one emotion" that affects atheists "but anger is one of the emotions that many of us have ...[it] drives others to participate in the movement."<ref>Mooney, Chris (May 14, 2012).  [http://www.pointofinquiry.org/greta_christina_why_are_you_atheists_so_angry/ "Greta Christina—Why are you atheists so angry?"] [interview of Greta Christina] Point of Inquiry website.</ref>

*[http://shadowtolight.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/science-shows-new-atheists-to-be-mean-and-closed-minded/ "Science shows new atheists to be mean and closed-minded"] (July 18, 2013).  Shadow to Light [blog].

*Haidt, Jonathan (March 5, 2014).  [http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 "Why Sam Harris is unlikely to change his mind"].  This View of Life website.</ref>  Furthermore, they scored lowest when it comes to agreeableness and positive relations with others.<ref>[http://shadowtolight.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/science-shows-new-atheists-to-be-mean-and-closed-minded/ "Science shows new atheists to be mean and closed-minded"] (July 18, 2013).  Shadow to Light [blog].</ref>

Although anti-theists, militant atheists and [[New Atheism|New Atheists]] give the general public the perception that atheists are exceedingly angry individuals, research indicates that the atheist population as a whole is not angrier than the general population (see: [[Various types of atheists/non-believers and anger]]).

For more information please see: [[Atheism and anger]] and [[Atheism and bitterness]] and [[Atheism and interpersonal intelligence|Atheism and social intelligence]] and  [[Atheism and emotional/intrapersonal intelligence|Atheism and emotional intelligence]]

===Atheism and miracles===

*Brown, Dr. Walt (2008).  [http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/AstroPhysicalSciences14.html "Chapter 2: astronomical and physical sciences", p. 53.]  ''In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood'', 8th ed. The Center for Scientific Creation.</ref> A majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position which employs [[methodological naturalism]] since [[World War II]] have had the worldview of atheism.<ref name="Batten and Sarfati"/>  [[Creation science|Creation scientists]] assert that the theory of [[Evolution|evolution]] is an inadequate explanation for the variety of life forms on earth.<ref>Morris, Henry M., PhD. (January 2001). [http://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_scientificcaseagainstevolution/ "The scientific case against evolution"].  Institute for Creation Research.</ref> In addition, the current [[origin of life|naturalistic explanations for the origin of life are inadequate]].  The theory of evolution [[Social effects of the theory of evolution|has had a number of negative social effects]].

=== Atheists and the history of Christianity/atheism ===

''See also:'' [[Atheists and historical illiteracy]] and [[History of Atheism|History of atheism]] and [[Atheist indoctrination]]

A common complaint concerning many atheists is their lack of depth when it comes to knowledge of [[history]] and [[historiography]] - particularly in areas such as [[historicity of Jesus|historicity of Jesus Christ]] and [[Atheism and Mass Murder|atheist mass murders in history]].<ref>Multiple references:

*Day, Vox (March 10, 2014).  [http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-ignorance-of-cosmos.html "The ignorance of ''Cosmos''"].  Vox Populi blog. See [[Vox Day]].

*Koukl, Gregory (February 20, 2013). [http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5527 "The real murderers:  atheism or Christianity?"] Stand to Reason.</ref>

For more information, please see: [[Atheists and historical illiteracy]]

 

[[File:Stephen-Fry.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|[[Stephen Fry]] is an [[atheist]] and a [[homosexual]]. See: [[Atheism and obesity]] ]]

[[China]] has the world's largest atheist population.<ref name="athmap"/>  In 2014, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that atheistic China has 300 million overweight individuals and it has the second highest obesity rate in the world.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgJvV62yD2E "Chubby China: nation of 300 million overweight people"] (May 30, 2014).  YouTube video, 3:52, posted by Wall Street Journal.</ref>

[[File:Flag of the PRC.png|thumbnail|250px|right|[[China]] has the largest atheist population in the world.<ref name="athmap"/> In 2014, the British medical journal'' Lancet'' reported that the Chinese now have the second highest obesity rate in the world.<ref>Multiple references:

A recent study published in the ''Obesity Reviews'' journal, found that Chinese teenagers' rate of [[diabetes]] was four times that of their [[United States|American]] peers.<ref name="Pang Li"/> See: [[Atheism and obesity]] ]]

 

[[File:Europe pol 2004.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|According to the [[World Health Organization]]'s (WHO) regional office in [[Europe]], "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.<ref name=whoalc>[http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/data-and-statistics "Data and statistics"] (September 2014 or bef.).  Health topics/Disease prevention/Alcohol use.  World Health Organization (WHO)/Regional office for Europe</ref>]]

According to the [[World Health Organization]]'s (WHO) regional office in [[Europe]], "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.<ref name=whoalc/>

 

Compared to religious cultures where an extended family and a sense of community prevails, secular countries [[Secular countries and loneliness|are often lonelier societies]]. In addition, numerous studies and other data indicate that atheists often have lower [[emotional intelligence]] and lower social skills (see: [[Atheism and emotional/intrapersonal intelligence|Atheiam and emotional intelligence]] and [[Atheism and interpersonal intelligence|Atheism and social skills]]).

[[File:Basketball.jpg|right|300px|thumbnail|Numerous studies report that athletes to be more religious than non-athletes.<ref name="Bell">Bell, Nathan T. (January 7, 2009). [http://thesportjournal.org/article/strength-of-religious-faith-of-athletes-and-nonathletes-at-two-ncaa-division-iii-institutions/ "Strength of religious faith of athletes and nonathletes at two NCAA Division III institutions"].  The Sport Journal [online publication] (Daphne, AL: United States Sports Academy).</ref>]]