Is the word "atheism" that hard to understand?

Question

atheism:

a : a disbelief in the existence of deity

b : the doctrine that there is no deity

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/atheism

Is that too hard for people to understand?

Clarification:

The primary motivation for asking was the questions posed to atheists that appear to assume all atheists are astrophysicists, natural scientists, or share some common ideology about politics or any other subject.

In other words, some people seem to believe atheism means something far more or different than what it actually means.

For those who are interested, my own journey from Christianity to agnostic to atheist:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjMLcgbW_grpmKxqlTMnrUjsy6IX?qid=20060704033919AAaHQFk

Answer 1

No... but it seems as if people want to just ignore the meaning... or remain ignorant of the meaning.

Answer 2

And the point is...what?
NO GOD!
NO ALLAH!
NO GREAT PUMPKIN!

or whatever one wants to call it.

I am an existential atheist..believing there is no inherent meaning in life or even a requirement for me to exist. When I die I simply will no longer exist. It is a philosophy which leads one to live for the here and now not the non-existent hereafter. The world will not care whether I have or have not, I am all alone in a universe of utter chaos which is all to obvious. It is a philosophy that requires one to consider ALL others truly equal.

This is a scary thought for the weak minded who find it far easier to believe that some great Father figure is guiding their every step or that every misfortune is a product of evil or sin.

Answer 3

the subject is that communities like the ACLU, the media and a brilliant sort of community leaders leap throughout any white action picture star or comedian who utters the n observe, yet are completely effective letting Chris Rock toss out the c observe in his habitual. this could be a double prevalent. needless to say context concerns. no person took offense to Jackie Chan's use of the n-observe in Rush Hour because of fact it grew to become into so needless to say a humorous tale- he grew to become into enjoying the clueless foreigner (yet another comedic stereotype) attempting to emulate what Chris Tucker had in basic terms reported, and the reactions of the actors made it even funnier. Michael Richards on the different hand- it wasn't area of any arranged fabric. He have been given annoyed and the incorrect observe got here out in the ugliest way accessible- Steve Harvey could have been waiting to destroy out with asserting the same factor, if he did it with a grin. it is form of like the version between a guy calling a woman the b-observe promptly, and yet another woman doing it satirically. the former is seen as plenty uglier, and there could be hell to pay.

Answer 4

Good Question !

Hi JT - long time no see :)

Well even I was wondering when they ask questions on evolution, Big Bang, Matter - etc from Atheists :) They should ask that from scientists - Most scientists are atheists - that is a different issue

Well bottom line is that hey are showcasing the heights of ignorance again !

Answer 5

Is it too hard too understand that there is a God?

Someone once said if you are seeking truth or seeking what you want to believe?

I have seen both sides. I have experienced God. I knew it was Him. Since you do not believe in Him, why should He show you in spite of your beliefs?

Until atheists either experience or test the possibility with conclusive results, they refuse to believe. Refusing to believe outside of normal senses is an atheists religion.

Answer 6

In only that it is hard for people to look about them and believe that someone could actually disbelief/ or doctrines that there is no deity as he looks upward towards the blackened sky and see life eternal as far as the eyeball can see.

Answer 7

Understanding and accepting are two different things. I think what you're asking is why can't people stop preaching to you and get on with their lives, don't they realize they can't change you? Well, I do, so I won't try. Besides, I think you have a fair shot at being right, in that there is no heaven, hell, god, or afterlife. I'm not Christian anyway. I'll respect your beliefs so long as you respect mine.

Answer 8

What's sad is that after you just posted the definition there are people who are saying that "it takes faith to believe there is no god." It's a ridiculous strawman argument. Only a strong atheist believes that there is no god, a weak atheist just does not believe in god. And that is just as justified as believing that there are no leprechauns or unicorns. Lack of belief is the default position and because no theist has reached the burden of proof in proving their god exists, weak atheism is very justified.

Answer 9

Hi i m MRIDUL from India[Delhi].ATHEISM is not a word, it is a belief like other religions.One can easily become an atheist on encountering a sitiuation where he expected god to do a favour and in return he gets nothing.one of the major cause of atheism is NOT forseeing any mysterious thing in life.For further details u can look down.

Belief in no God, or no belief in God

Quotations: Isaac Asimov, "On Religiosity", Free Inquiry magazine: "Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism."
H. Havelock Ellis: "And it is in his own image, let us remember, that Man creates God."
George H.W. Bush, as presidential nominee for the Republican party; 1987-AUG-27: "No, I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God." 1
Dan Barker, Author: "Losing Faith in Faith: "I have something to say to the religionist who feels atheists never say anything positive: You are an intelligent human being. Your life is valuable for its own sake. You are not second-class in the universe, deriving meaning and purpose from some other mind. You are not inherently evil -- you are inherently human, possessing the positive rational potential to help make this a world of morality, peace and joy. Trust yourself."
Doug Jesseph: "As an atheist, I deny exist of all Gods: those of the Mayans, the Hindu, the Ancient Egyptians, and the God of the Old and New Testaments. If I am right, all of these are fictional constructs invented by clever humans for purposes, a variety of purposes, ranging from psychological comfort to entertainment." 2
Steve Hays: "Unbelievers deny the existence of God because that gives them sexual license. Unbelievers deny the existence of God because they’re afraid of divine judgment." 2
John Buchan: "An Atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support" (We suspect that he meant this quote to apply equally well to women).
Annie Wood Besant: "No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism."



Overview:
Note to the reader:
I have been struggling with the following text for over an hour, trying to find out why our %*&?$$# Microsoft FrontPage editor is showing this section is such bold, large letters. No success yet.


Atheism is not a religion in the sense that Christianity, Islam, and, Judaism are. Atheism is not generally perceived as offering a complete guideline for living as do most religions.

Atheism is confined to one factor: the existence or non-existence of a deity.
Atheism can involve the positive assertion that there is no deity. This is sometimes referred to as "strong Atheism." It is the most common dictionary definition for the term "Atheist."
Atheism can be the absence of a belief that there is a deity. This is the belief promoted by the American Atheists group and many individual Atheists.

Each atheist has a personal moral code. However, it is generally derived from secular considerations, and not from any "revealed" religious text.

To a degree, most people in North America are Atheists. Christians will generally deny the existence of the Mayan, Hindu, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Sumerian, Sikh, and many hundreds of other Gods and Goddesses, even as they assert their belief in the Christian Trinity. Thus, the difference between a typical Christian and a typical Atheist is numerically small: The strong Atheist believes that none of the many thousands of Gods and Goddesses exist; the Christian believes that one God exists in a certain structure -- a Trinity -- whereas all of the other thousands of deities are nonexistent, artificial creations by humans. Although the numerical difference is much less that 0.1%, the philosophical difference is immense.

There exists massive discrimination against Atheists in the U.S.

Part of this may be based on the historical linkage between Communism and Atheism. Most Communists are Atheists. But many people do not realize that most Atheists in North America are not Communists.
Another reason for this discrimination is the common belief that a person cannot be motivated to lead a moral life unless they hope for the reward of heaven, and fear the punishment of Hell. In the past, this belief had been codified into law. Conscientious objectors opposed to participate in warfare were thrown in jail if their opposition to killing was not based on belief in God.
Still another cause of discrimination is a widespread linkage between theism -- the belief in the existence of God -- American citizenship and Christianity.


nothing.

Answer 10

I think that many Theists are only confused about Atheism because they just cannot imagine not believing in God, and they can't fathom how someone could not believe in God. I think that is the source of the confusion for many people. I personally understand Atheism, but I do think maybe that's what it is for those who don't.

Answer 11

whats your point? If atheists are (a) and (b), then why do they spend all their time in the religion section of Yahoo Answers?

A true atheist wouldn't spend any more time here than they would in a discussion about the existence of the tooth fairy.

The poseur atheists here are just angry, disillusioned idiots who try to push peoples buttons.