Atheism

Atheism is belief that holds there is (are) no God (or gods).

Well-known Atheists include Stephen Hawking, Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Douglas Adams, William Borden and Sam Harris.

Atheist morality

Atheists often base their moral code upon emotion, experience, empirically derived ethics, or some combination thereof. It is important to note, however, that just as many religions disagree on specific moral points, and there is sharp disagreement within many religions (e.g. denominational disputes within Christianity), atheists differ substantially from each other in the details of their moral beliefs. Thus, it is difficult at best to summarize the beliefs of the "average atheist."

Atheists typically hold that no religious text can be our only source of morality although all of them may contain useful ideas or principles. As atheists do not believe in any form of deity, books purported to be based upon the wishes of such deities are inherently suspect. Additionally, many atheists point out that all religious texts contain, and often ascribe to God, extremely immoral acts such as the Israelite expulsion of heathen nations from Canaan (i.e. ethnic cleansing), the stoning of homosexuals to death, questionable treatment of women and the institution of slavery. Additionally, atheists often point to a large number of prominent contradictions present in the bible and other religious texts. The presence of such contradictions challenges claims that these works are the infallible word of God.

Atheists sometimes subscribe to the secular humanist idea that it is far more desirable to do what is right because you believe that it is right, rather than because you fear divine punishment or desire divine reward. This view is illustrated by celebrated atheist Albert Einstein:

“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death”.

Atheists sometimes condemn religious desires for exclusive reward (and the punishment of others) such as are found in all religious texts.

Origins

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," or forms of non-materialistic atheism. In any case, it is likely impossible to determine the true origins of atheism as it was presumably the default belief of most humans prior to the development of religion.

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^{[Citation Needed]}.

Prejudice Against Atheists

Recent research indicates that atheists are the least-liked minority group in the United States. Research by Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis and Douglas Hartman in the American Sociological Review indicates that most Americans would be more willing to vote for a Homosexual or Muslim Presidential candidate than an Atheist. The same study indicates that 47.6% of Americans would disapprove of their child marrying an atheist. More recent gallup polls confirm this finding. In addition to discimination in voting practices and marriage George H.W. Bush has previously stated that he does not believe Atheists should be considered citizens of the United States.

Given the extremely negative stereotype of atheists, it is unsurprising that most choose not to advertise their faith. Additionally, given the wide dislike of Atheists and the relatively small numbers of Atheists in the population (frequently estimated at 4%-5%) claims of a discriminatory conspiracy of atheists are almost certainly false. It is, mathematically speaking, far more likely that Atheists are facing persecution from theists than the reverse.

The Problem of Evil

One argument against belief in all-powerful entities ('gods') is the problem of evil. First identified by the philosopher and materialist Epicurus (341-270 BC), this problem points out the difficulty created by the mere existence of evil:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

A number of responses to this logical paradox have been put forth including those which assert human ignorance as the culprit, the concept of free will and the specific writings in some faiths which discuss the co-existence of good and evil (such as the book of Job in the Christian and Jewish faiths).[1] Many Atheists, however, do not regard such evasions as convincing solutions to the underlying problem.