Difference between revisions of "Atheist worldview"

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According to a study performed in the United States by researchers Wink and Scott, very religious people fear death the least.<ref>[http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050628_deathfearfrm.htm Fear of death: worst if you’re a little religious?], World of Science]
 
According to a study performed in the United States by researchers Wink and Scott, very religious people fear death the least.<ref>[http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050628_deathfearfrm.htm Fear of death: worst if you’re a little religious?], World of Science]
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*J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005, Jul;60(4):P207-14. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15980288 Does religiousness buffer against the fear of death and dying in late adulthood? Findings from a longitudinal study]. Wink P1, Scott J.</ref>
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*J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005, Jul;60(4):P207-14. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15980288 Does religiousness buffer against the fear of death and dying in late adulthood? Findings from a longitudinal study]. Wink P1, Scott J.</ref>  Wink and Scott also found that moderately religious people fear death the most.<ref>[http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050628_deathfearfrm.htm Fear of death: worst if you’re a little religious?], World of Science]</ref><ref>J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005, Jul;60(4):P207-14. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15980288 Does religiousness buffer against the fear of death and dying in late adulthood? Findings from a longitudinal study]. Wink P1, Scott J.</ref>
  
 
==== Atheists who believe in an afterlife ====
 
==== Atheists who believe in an afterlife ====

Revision as of 22:03, December 30, 2015

Atheism, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and other philosophy reference works, is the denial of the existence of God.[1] See also: Definition of atheism

Although many atheists deny that atheism is a worldview, atheists commonly share a number of beliefs such as naturalism, belief in evolution/abiogenesis.[2]

Some attributes of the atheist worldview

Atheists and naturalism

See also: Naturalism

A majority of atheists hold to the philosophy of naturalism which rejects the miraculous.

Atheism and views of death

See also: Atheism and death

According to a study performed in the United States by researchers Wink and Scott, very religious people fear death the least.[3]

View of death for atheists who hold to naturalism

See also: Atheism and death and Atheism and Hell

The atheist who holds to naturalism sees only oblivion and personal extinction in death: cessation of existence, no knowledge, no pain, no pleasure, no activity, nothing: no heaven, no hell, no punishment for being evil, no reward for being holy. (See Revelation 22:11[4].) Significantly, the medical profession has found that the two groups who face death with the least degree of anguish are devout Christians and absolute atheists.[5]

According to a study performed in the United States by researchers Wink and Scott, very religious people fear death the least.[6] Wink and Scott also found that moderately religious people fear death the most.[7][8]

Atheists who believe in an afterlife

Science Daily reported that Death anxiety increases atheists' unconscious belief in God.[9] In a Psychology Today article, Dr. Nathan A. Heflick reported similar results in other studies.[10]

The website the Skeptics Guide declared:

“ A survey compiled in 2014 by The Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture (AISFC) reveals that 32 percent of Americans who identified themselves as agnostics and atheists believe in an afterlife of some kind. In addition, 6 percent of the same non-theistic group expressed a belief in a “bodily resurrection”. These numbers were taken from a sample of 15,738 Americans, all of which were between the ages of 18 and 60. According to the data, 13.2 percent of Americans identify themselves as atheist, agnostic, or some other variation of non-believing.

I found these results to be quite surprising. Having been immersed in circles of atheists and agnostics for the past 20 years, the numbers revealed by this study are higher than I would have guessed, by quite a lot. What stands out the most is that 6% expressed a belief in resurrection. It could be a statistical anomaly of some sort (perhaps the respondents did not understand the question about bodily resurrection?) Why an atheist or agnostic would believe that a dead person could come back to life seems entirely contrary to their worldview.[11]

”

Atheism and evolution

evolution darwin theory
Late in Charles Darwin's life, Darwin told the Duke of Argyll that he frequently had overwhelming thoughts that the natural world was the result of design.[12] See also: 15 questions for evolutionists

See also: Atheism and evolution

The vast majority of Western World atheists are evolutionists. Since World War II a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the theory of evolution which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists or agnostics.[13] As far as nontheist Buddhism, as no major beliefs/principles of Buddhism are contrary to it, many Buddhists are also evolutionists.[14] See: Atheism and evolution

The atheist philosopher of science Michael Ruse admitted: "Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today."[15] In the their Question evolution! campaign, Creation Ministries International asks as a part of their 15 questions for evolutionists: "Why is a fundamentally religious idea, a dogmatic belief system that fails to explain the evidence, taught in science classes?...If “you can’t teach religion in science classes”, why is evolution taught?[16]

Atheism and morality

See also: Atheism and morality

Not possessing a religious basis for morality, which can provide a legitimate basis for objective morality, atheists are fundamentally incapable of having a coherent system of morality.[17] For example, atheists have been the biggest mass murderers in history (see: Atheism and mass murder).

For more information, please see:

Theodicy: the problem of evil

See also: Atheism and the problem of evil

The atheist is faced with the problem of evil, and crime and violence prevention, but does not attribute the cause of evil to the devil or to human sin, only to the mystery of human behavioral psychology and genetics.[18]

Atheism and meaninglessness

Under an atheist worldview, there is no objective meaning or purpose in life.[19] Through Jesus Christ, Christianity offers objective meaning and purpose to life.[20] See: Atheism and meaninglessness

Atheism and epistemology

See also: Atheism and epistemology

Atheism provides no ultimate starting point for knowledge.[21] In addition, atheism lacks proof and evidence that it is a valid worldview (see: Attempts to dilute the definition of atheism). For more information, please see: Atheism and epistemology

See also


Atheism is a religion:


Commonly raised issues relating to the atheist worldview:


Causes of atheism:


Arguments against atheism:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Multiple references:
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Fear of death: worst if you’re a little religious?, World of Science]
  4. ↑ nirvana (Buddhist term) (oxforddictionaries.com)
  5. ↑ Perspectives on Death and Dying by an Atheist Nurse (atheist-community.org)
  6. ↑ Fear of death: worst if you’re a little religious?, World of Science]
  7. ↑ Fear of death: worst if you’re a little religious?, World of Science]
  8. ↑ J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005, Jul;60(4):P207-14. Does religiousness buffer against the fear of death and dying in late adulthood? Findings from a longitudinal study. Wink P1, Scott J.
  9. ↑ Death anxiety increases atheists' unconscious belief in God, Science Daily, Date: April 2, 2012
  10. ↑ Atheists, Death and Belief in God The Effects of Death Reminders on Atheists' Supernatural Beliefs, Psychology Today, Published on May 25, 2012 by Nathan A. Heflick, Ph.D. in The Big Questions
  11. ↑ Survey: 32% of Atheists & Agnostics Believe in an Afterlife
  12. ↑ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html
  13. ↑ Multiple references:
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ Ruse, M. (May 13, 2000). "How evolution became a religion: creationists correct?" National Post, pp. B1, B3, B7.
  16. ↑ Batten, Don (2011). "15 questions for evolutionists". Creation Ministries International.
  17. ↑ Paul Copan
  18. ↑ Facing Evil: Why Christians and Atheists Need Each Other (beliefnet.com}
  19. ↑
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ The Epistemological Argument against Atheism
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