Can anybody be an Atheist? Or is there certain criteria that one needs to be an Atheist?

Question

Does one have to have a high IQ to be an Atheist? Does one have to have tons of knowledge in terms of science such as evolution, the big bang theory, abiogenesis, the nebular theory and whatever else? Or is anybody welcome to become an Atheist? For instance I'm contemplating becoming an Atheist? Would I make a good Atheist? Am I smart enough to be an Atheist? What are your thoughts when it comes to me Atheists? Or should I just stick to being a Freethinker/Agnostic/Humanist? Or should I just be an Agnostic Atheist? What kind of Atheist would I qualify as a Weak/Negative Atheist? A Strong/Positive Atheist? Could I still keep my other titles of Freethinker and Humanist? I'm just curious as to what everybody has to say. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

An atheist is someone who lacks belief in a god. If you answer the question "Do you believe a god exists?" with anything but a "yes," you are an atheist.

Even if you say "I don't think so, but I don't know," you are an agnostic atheist.

[Q] Does one have to have a high IQ to be an Atheist?
[A] No. Atheist can be foolish or stupid, too.

[Q] Does one have to have tons of knowledge in terms of science such as evolution, the big bang theory, abiogenesis, the nebular theory and whatever else?
[A] No. Atheists can misunderstand science, too.

[Q] Or is anybody welcome to become an Atheist?
[A] It's not a case of "welcoming." Either you are an atheist, or you aren't.

[Q] For instance I'm contemplating becoming an Atheist?
[A] That simply means that you are beginning to doubt the existence of gods. You only "become" an atheist in relation to your (lack of) belief in gods.

[Q] Would I make a good Atheist?
[A] There's no such thing as a "good atheist." But you can be a good person, and be an atheist.

[Q] Am I smart enough to be an Atheist?
[A] Anyone can be an atheist. It doesn't hinge on smarts.

[Q] What are your thoughts when it comes to me Atheists?
[A] None.

[Q] Or should I just stick to being a Freethinker/Agnostic/Humanist?
[A] Being a freethinker, agnostic, and humanist are all good things, and are not mutually exclusive with atheism. Most freethinkers and humanists are atheists, too, and vice versa.

[Q] Or should I just be an Agnostic Atheist?
[A] You may be an agnostic atheist regarding some gods (say poorly defined ones, or ones you've never heard of), and at the same time, you may be a gnostic strong atheist regarding other gods (say one that is defined as being always obviously physically present on your shoulder, and one that makes the Packers win every game).

[Q] What kind of Atheist would I qualify as a Weak/Negative Atheist?
[A] A weak atheist is as much an atheist as a strong one. Most atheists are both for different gods.

[Q] A Strong/Positive Atheist?
[A] See above.

[Q] Could I still keep my other titles of Freethinker and Humanist?
[A] Of course.

Answer 2

Don't worry so much about labels and the other BS. Anyone can be an atheist. If you find supernatural claims to be ridiculous and/or unfounded then you qualify. If you don't think it makes sense to accept the existence of an invisible man in the sky then you qualify. You can keep the other labels if you like because most of those people who fall under those are atheists. Thomas Henry Huxley "coined" the term agnostic but his position, if you read his works, was the same as mine.

Don't worry about the labels, just be HONEST about what you believe or know. That is what is important.

Answer 3

Lol, it's not necessary for you to be smart to be an atheist. being an atheist only suggests that you don't believe in the existence of God. Why you don't believe in Him is totally up to you. Maybe God has never answered your prayers; maybe, He hasn't made you witness miracles you badly want to witness; or maybe, you support the way of evolution the way science puts it. You know, all that matter and antimatter. of course you could keep your other titles, provided your other sides remain the same...provided your views and morals don't change after you stop going to church, or mosques, or temples. Atheists are not necessarily bad. The only difference between them and the religious people is their religious beliefs that probably does affect their own way of thinking, but doesn't really bother others. Whether you'll be a strong or weak atheist also totally depends on you. Being a strong atheist would signify that you're pretty sure God doesn't exist and you strongly believe that there has to be something else involved; being a weak atheist would show that you still have some doubt working inside you: you're not very sure of your decision of turning to atheism because a couple of your wishes did not come true ...it could be anything., not just your wishes count. You would feel guilty for not believing in God, but yet, would have pretty significant reasons for doing so. So bottom line is, whether you want to be an atheist depends on you and your beliefs. You don't need to know that much of science. I know atheists who have no idea about the theory of evolution in science. They merely disagree to the existence of God because they want to. :):)

Answer 4

Well, I believe that anyone can be atheist. Since it's not a religion, you don't have to study or be initiated into it.
I was Christian until last year when I realized how bogus religion was and that's when I started calling myself an atheist.
I think you can keep your other titles. Being an atheist just means you don't believe in god; it doesn't mean you don't believe in anything, if that makes any sense.
Hope this helped.

Answer 5

Just click your heels three times and say, "I am what I am and that's all I am."

Conceive it and if you believe it you're an unbeliever. Then you can sort through the various categories and pick the one you think best describes you. The categories overlap, of course, and they are more alike than different.

If you question the popular religious concepts of a supernatural entity you're smart enough to be an atheist (of whatever label you assign).

Rev. Art - Atheiologian & Freethought Evangelist

Answer 6

Anyone can become an Atheist.

You can be anything you want, and you can still be an Atheist. Atheists are people too... they aren't just in one category of political or economic interest. It all depends on the person.

Answer 7

Actually, there is only one requirement, NONE.
But if you become an atheist, stick with it, since some people say they are atheists until a religious ignorant has a weapon pointing at you.
I am 12 yrs. old and an atheist, I was also thrown rocks at and got one leg broken by some christians, since i wouldn't say god was real be4cause i don't believe in him.

Answer 8

Let me first start by defining a few terms:

Atheist: the absence of belief of a god ( from the roots a-no, and theo: god)

Theist: One who believes in a supernatural god.

Agnostic: when one believes there is no way to prove or disprove something due to a lack of knowledge. Agnostics are sitting on the fense: they will not say there is supernatural god, for their is no proof for one, nor will there say there is no god-- because again there is no way to prove their isn't a god either. (from a-no and gnosis: knowledge)

So the idea of being an agnostic atheist is not really possible.


To answer your question directly I would say yes, anyone can be an atheist. In fact, if you think about it: everyone is born an atheist. (a fact that all religions consider) Children have to be taught religion- taught to believe in god.

To the second question of criteria for being an atheist: well a true 100% atheist says there is no god of any kind, and won't even consider the possibility of a god. Most people who consider themselves atheists don't believe 100% in this. In fact you can thing of religion as a spectrun (taken from a great book "The God Dellusion" by Dawkins)

-100% there is a god, I have no doubts, nothing could change my mind. (theist)

-I very much believe there is a god, but sometimes I doubt. (theist views)

-50% I have no idea one way or another-- as there is a lack of knowledge both ways (angostic)

-I very much believe there is no god, but I have an open mind. (open mind meaning that if evidence of god were presented to them- they would re-evaluate their belief and be willing to change their mind) (atheist views)

-100% no way is there a god and nothing-- not even a burning bush that talks to me is going to change my mind. (atheist)


If you come from a religious background (which I'm assuming) you are probably already aware that there are few true theists who believe 100% in god. Most people have doubts from time to time. But, as a rule, we tend to still consider them theists. Same thing with atheists. So as far as the conditions to be an atheist? I would say the requirement is to be on the lower part of the spectrum- you are neither a theist nor agnostic. If this is true you are an atheist.

To answer your other questions:

Does one have to have a high IQ to be an atheist?
-no. IQ has little to do with belief. This is the same as saying that religious people have low IQ's-- which is not true! Sure some atheists have high IQ's and some theists have low and vice versa, but not all do in any one case.

Does one have to have tons of knowledge in terms of....: I would say no. But most atheists I know (including myself) often seek out knowledge to support our belief. I am constantly researching religions- both eastern and western in origin, as well as reading up on the scientific theories you mentioned. I find both facinating. Doing so makes me feel reassured in my belief. I think this is very much the same reason why religious people often attend services at churches, temples, so on, as well as read passages from, say the Quran, more than once. It solidifies their beliefs.

As to the rest of your questions: I think I addressed the smart thing-- as to the Freethinker/agnostic/humanist. As I said agnostic and atheism don't mesh-- you have to choose. With freethinker: you can be a 100% atheist and as such not a freethinker, or you can just have atheist views and as such still be considered a free thinker (And on this point I consider free thinkers to be anyone who is not 100% a theist or 100% an atheist-- as to their conclusions that is their own. I know many religious friends who find that questioning their faith makes it that much stronger. I consider them very much freethinkers because of that.) And the humanist thing: humanism is a set of ethics and I would like to go out on a limb and say that EVERYONE theist or atheist and all in between are humanists.

Finally, I would say there are no negative/positive atheists, just as there are no negative/positive theists. Instead the actions of people can be considered negative or positive. Many I think associate atheism with anti-religion. This is somewhat true: atheists don't believe in god, and a belief in a god(s) is usually (Buddism and others as exceptions) the foundation of religion. But not believing in a religion does not mean we want to destroy religion. We are not anti-god or anti-religion. We just don't believe in it. (okay so some atheists are-- but not all of us! In fact I'll go out on another limb and say most of us are not anti-religious) For example: Christians are not Hindu. This makes a Christain man an atheist in respect to the Hindi religion. This does not mean that the same Christian man is anti-Hindi and as such wants to destroy the religion at any cost.

Whew! That is a bit long winded, but I hope it helps!

Answer 9

There is no way I know to test to see if I was created or if I just happened by accident. If my Creator exists, then He will have to reveal Himself to me. If He exists, then it is apparent to me that He is inviting me to seek Him. Now the burden is on me. Do I seek Him or not?

Why should I seek my Creator? To get to heaven? No, I think that would be just using Him to get something else that I really want. The only acceptable answer is that I seek my Creator to find Him and to come to know Him and to love Him.

To find a loving heavenly Father is very appealing but wait. To find my heavenly Father is also to find a higher moral authority than myself. I would have to acknowledge that He is God and I am not. I would lose my ability to be master of my fate and captain of my soul and that is not at all appealing.

So it all comes down to hope. I hope to find a loving Creator but lose my independence or to keep my independence and lose my loving Father.

Answer 10

Aw, you can join!

Nope, no requirements. I barely made it through science classes in HS and I have only a nodding acquaintance with evolution. I've never read the bible and I was an apathetic catholic.