Atheism
Atheism is disbelief in the existence of a god or gods.
Well-known atheists include Stephen Hawking, Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Douglas Adams, William Borden,Sam Harris, Jeremey Alliadiaere, Gary Neville and Ricky Gervais.
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Atheist morality
Atheists often base their moral code upon emotion, experience, empirically derived ethics, or some combination thereof.[Citation Needed] 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
Many atheists claim that atheism has existed for as long as man and that religion was invented by man.
A Christian would claim it can be traced back to specific date, as Adam and Eve believed in God so at some point somebody must have stopped believing.
Christian View of 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
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 gay 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 and indicate that atheists are among the most disliked minorities in the United States. In addition to discrimination in voting practices and marriage, former President George H.W. Bush has previously stated that he does not believe atheists should be considered citizens of the United States.
Penny, Edgell & Hartmann 2006- Table 1 (Percentage of respondents answering affirmatively):
| This Group Does Not At All Agree with My Vision of American Society: | I Would Disapprove if My Child Wanted to Marry a Member of This Group: | |
|---|---|---|
| Atheist | 39.6% | 47.6% |
| Muslim | 26.3% | 33.5% |
| Homosexual | 22.6% | NA |
| Conservative Christian | 13.5% | 6.9% |
| Recent Immigrant | 12.5% | Not Asked |
| Hispanic | 7.6% | 18.5% |
| Jew | 7.4% | 11.8% |
| Asian American | 7.0% | 18.5% |
| African American | 4.6% | 27.2% |
| White American | 2.2% | 2.3% |
However this may not be the case in all nations, in the Great Britain 2001 census, 15.5% of the population identify themselves as having no religious beliefs 2001 Census. It is important to note, however, that those who report having no religious beliefs are not necessarily atheists. Instead, to say that one has "no religion" can simply mean that one does not participate in any established religion while, nonetheless, believing in God. Similarly, some atheists consider atheism to be a religion and will not respond that they have "no religion" on surveys. As an example, 14.39% of the respondents to the 2004 General Social Survey in the United States claim to have "no religion." Of a subsample (197 respondents) of those persons with no religion who answered a second question on the origins of man, 19.80% believe that God created man while an additional 43.15% believe that God created man by guiding evolution over time. Thus, cumulatively 62.95% of those with "no religion" still believe that God was directly responsible for the creation of man in some fashion. These data are available and can be analyzed online GSS Data Online.
More specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 suggests that the true proportion of Atheists is 4% in the United States and 17% in Great Britain. However, the Christian research organization, the Barna Group, reports that 12% of Americans are atheist or agnostic.
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.
External Links
- Decline of Atheism -CreationWiki
- European Commission report on Social values, Science and Technology, includes info on Religious beliefs
