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Since atheism is not a worldview it carries no obligation to any kind of moral system such as those based on political ideologies or religious texts. Thus atheism is ''amoral'' not ''immoral''. Immorality results from flouting the conventions of one's own morality; amorality is being without morality.<ref>http://www.creationtheory.org/Morality/</ref> Atheists of course do have moral and ethical codes which differ among atheists since atheists can have any system of morality they choose.  

Since atheism is not a worldview it carries no obligation to any kind of moral system such as those based on political ideologies or religious texts. Thus atheism is ''amoral'' not ''immoral''. Immorality results from flouting the conventions of one's own morality; amorality is being without morality.<ref>http://www.creationtheory.org/Morality/</ref> Atheists of course do have moral and ethical codes which differ among atheists since atheists can have any system of morality they choose.  

=== Christian View of Origins ===

=== Origins of atheism===

It is difficult to trace the origins of atheism as a result of the incomplete historic record. It is known that ancient Greece produced a theory of materialism as early as the 5th century BC.  Materialism is a philosophical position that the material is all that exists. Therefore, it automatically excludes immaterial beings. In addition to materialism the Greeks also considered Spiritualism, in which the material world is an illusion and only spirit exists, as well as dualism, in which both the material and the spiritual exist (e.g. Christianity). It is important to note that while many atheists are strict materialists, some are not. As an example, some philosophical systems generally regarded as religions (i.e. Buddhism) lack deities and thus could be regarded as "atheistic faiths."

It is known that ancient Greece produced a theory of materialism as early as the 5th century BC.  Materialism is a philosophical position that the material is all that exists. Therefore, it automatically excludes immaterial beings. In addition to materialism the Greeks also considered Spiritualism, in which the material world is an illusion and only spirit exists, as well as dualism, in which both the material and the spiritual exist (e.g. Christianity).  

The writer of the Book of Psalms knew of atheists and atheism and registered disapproval in Psalm 14: "The Fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." The book of Psalms precedes the 5th century BC by hundreds of years {{fact}}.

It was only from the late 18th century after the demise of the  of  Church's controll and influence over western society that the first openly atheistic thinkers appeared. Following the French Revolution in the 19th century rationalistic and freethinking philosophers under the influenced the rise of atheism to prominence. Many prominent German philosophers of this era denied the existence of deities and were critical of religion, including Ludwig Feuerbach, Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

 

During the 20th century atheistic thought found recognition in a wide variety of other, broader philosophies, such as existentialism, Objectivism, secular humanism, nihilism, logical positivism, Marxism, feminism and the general [[science|scientific]] and rationalist movement. Since the collapse of [[communism]] and the reduction in the number of actively antireligious regimes  many God-based and faith-based movements are experiencing increasing confidence and influence vis-à-vis secular movements and ideologies.

 

:"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good" (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

== Atheist Population ==

== Atheist Population ==