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| − | Atheism, in common usage, means "lack of belief in any Gods". Atheism discounts supernatural phenomena such as the afterlife, divine revelation, ghosts and other such ideas. | + | Atheism, in common usage, means "lack of belief in any Gods". In practice, Atheists discounts supernatural phenomena such as the afterlife, divine revelation, ghosts as well as God. |
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| − | Atheism is popularly divided into Strong and Weak Atheism: Strong Atheism can be defined as a dogma in itself: The assertion that there absolutely is no God, despite the fact that the existence of the supernatural cannot be disproven. Weak Atheists acknowledge that nothing can be disproven, and while this does not suggest that there *is* a god (no more than the fact that we cannot disprove leprechauns suggests that they exist) it would nonetheless be unscientific to declare a God or godlike being impossible. Because of this distinction, many confuse Weak Atheism with Agnosticism, even persons who believe themselves to be Agnostics. | + | Atheism is popularly divided into Strong and Weak Atheism: Strong Atheism can be defined as a dogma in itself: The assertion that there absolutely is no God, despite the fact that the existence of the supernatural cannot be disproven. Some people calling themselves Atheists acknowledge that God can not be disproven, and while this does not suggest that there *is* a god (no more than the fact that we cannot disprove leprechauns suggests that they exist) it would nonetheless be unscientific to declare a God or godlike being impossible. These people are actually Agnostics. |
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| − | Atheism is closely tied with Secular Humanism. Popularly-known Atheists include Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Stephen J. Gould, Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. | + | Atheism is closely tied with Secular Humanism. Popularly-known Atheists include Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Stephen J. Gould, Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, as well as Hitler, Pol Pot, and Stalin. |
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| | == Atheist morality == | | == Atheist morality == |