So what is atheism?

Question

Previously I asked and received numerous answers.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061220104522AAZXI1K&r=w

But the question remains...if atheism denounces God then doesnt it denounce the presence of human soul that lasts forever?

Denounce and disbelief is same in the end.
You do not believe in a diety therefore you do not believe in a lasting soul.

The presence of a soul is not physical and there is no proof of it...but the sheer fact that its there shows its been created by someone..not something..as obviously..physical things cannot create non physical ones. therefore..souls are not created in this plain but in a higher plain therefore they proove the existence of god : / atheists confuse me

Answer 1

an atheist is a person who does not believe in the existence of god .then there is no question of denouncing god and the human soul. hitherto there is no scientific data to support the existence of soul.

Answer 2

Atheism doesn't denounce God, it says that God is nothing but a word, and has no meanin beyond that of a word.

I don't know if it neccessarily also means that there is no human soul that lasts forever - certainly, this is what most Atheists believe, but just because there isn't a God doesn't mean, as a matter of course, that there is no soul.

Still, it is easier to find someone who believes in God but questions the existence of a soul than it is to find someone who thinks God is just a word but believes in a soul.

If you are trying to consider the existence of a human soul, think about this:
- Does a soul exist before we as individuals are created (in which case reincarnation seems to be right on the nose), or does the combination of sperm and egg bring the creation of an ever-lasting soul?
- If someone gets alzheimers, does it damage their soul as well as their brain? Or are all the memories, etc, kept in the soul but not transferred to the moral body in this disease?

There are many more, but I think I actually answered your question with the first bit.

Answer 3

Not necessarily. One could be atheist and still believe in non-god spirits, for example.

I would guess, though, that most atheists, like me, believe that there is no such thing as a soul separate from the physical body.

Many people have difficulty with the idea that our lives end with the death of our bodies. But this is often because they have been taught to believe in something different and perhaps better: immortality.

To improve your thinking, try to consider the possibility that you were taught about this incorrectly. Question authority, ask for evidence or supporting information. Consider the likelihood of alternatives.

This can be troubling at first, so give it time. Eventually you may come to realize that an appreciation for this life, as all we really have, can lead to a beautifully clear peace and happiness.

A good portion of the world's people believe in no life after death, and it does not cause them to be insane, cruel, or criminal. Indeed, it seems to keep them from such acts as 9/11, crusades, suicides, and taking reckless risks.

Answer 4

It doesn't denounce god. Atheism is a lack of belief in god. One doesn't "denounce" something one considers nonexistent.

Atheism, broken down, means without (a-) belief in the existence of a god or gods (theism). Babies and grown people who've never heard of the god concept are atheists in that respect.

Similarly, I don't "denounce" the presence of a human soul because I don't "denounce" what I consider nonexistent. Denunciation is "speaking out against" and if there's nothing to denounce, at least in my mind, then I couldn't possibly denounce that which doesn't exist.

*edit* Saying "the soul exists, it's a fact" doesn't make it so. You can't just create any old premise, insist that it's true and then treat it as such. The responsibility of demonstrating your positive assertion as true (the burden of proof) is upon you, and in failing to live up to this responsibility, I have every right to completely doubt you when you say "the soul exists, it's a fact". You didn't prove it so why should I accept it as "fact"? Why should anyone?

Answer 5

Atheists believe there is not a being controlling our destiny. If I mess up I take responsibility and if I do something good I give myself credit. In my opinion religion is responsible for a lot of the atheism going on. Every preacher has their way of interpreting Christianity and no 2 will be the same, therefore you have to interpret for yourself what kind of person you are and what kind of life you want to live. I am an atheist but I know I have a good soul. What does one have to do with the other?

Answer 6

Atheism:
1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.


Hence by definition the belief there is no God does NOT say there is no soul. Most I have spoken to do not believe in the soul but the definition doesn't say that

Answer 7

atheism is the ability to deny logic and call it logical....it makes you stand up on a pedestal and promote your idea that when everyone dies, the atheist will be proven right....oh wait, according to atheism, there is nothing afterward, I guess they can't even celebrate.

They have the same "facts" as christians but interpret it against logic to come to a conclusion that they already had before ever looking at the "facts".

It's the ability to claim you have no bias, even though anything that doesn't fit into a "natural realm" is not even looked at.

It is the thing that says, I'm one of billions over billions of years (that came from nothing by the way) so I am not unique or special and no one is better than anyone else, therefore everyone is worthless.

It tells them to come to a "spiritual" forum merely for open exchange but then mocks anything that disagrees with them.

It puffs them up in their "enlightened" intelligence and makes them feel smarter than the next person for the expressed purpose of using that higher intellect to ask questions like, "Does God fart?" or "How can a loving God cause folks to suffer"....a God they clearly do not believe in.

An interesting group to say the least. They all need to know the love of Christ.

Answer 8

Probably some do, but your assumptions are incorrect and clearly intend to announce their bias.
Atheists don't denounce god, as their is nothing to "denounce". It's like saying " I denounce Snoopy". I suppose you could, but it wouldn't really have any meaning.
Next, whether god exists or not has no immediate bearing on whether or not a "soul" exists.
Hope that helps.

Answer 9

Atheism is the state of disbelief or non-belief in the existence of a deity or deities.

Atheism is very often equated with irreligion or non-spirituality in Western culture, but they are not the same. Some religious and spiritual beliefs, such as several forms of Buddhism, have been described by outside observers as conforming to the broader, negative definition of atheism due to their lack of any participating deities

Answer 10

You can't denounce something that you don't believe exists. Atheism is when a person doesn't believe in God. It's quite simple. You are born and you die. There is no soul. Your personality is all product of the nervous system and the electrical circuits that run your body.

Answer 11

Do you "denounce" Santa?

You can't denounce pretend beings.

Yes, most atheists that I know don't believe in things called "souls" but that's not to say that they can't. All atheism says is that they don't believe in the existance of god. It says nothing about souls.