Regarding atheism and its adherent's widely held beliefs. Not every atheist will meet every one of these but most do.
1. Atheism is not a religion, it is a philosophy in which its adherents hold that no god exists or has ever existed.
2. The scientific theory of Evolution states that the biological nature of complex life has changed over time in response to external stimuli. This is NOT the same as (and is fundamentally unrelated to) the scientific theory of the Big Bang that states that the universe began from a singularity billions of years ago from which all elementary units of matter and energy came.
3. Many atheists arrive at the conclusion to not believe in any god through a logical process of thought regarding religious belief. Many are well educated on at least one main religion and its teachings, if not more.
4. Not all atheists are irreligious. Some may adhere to beliefs that are characterized as "religious" but do not believe in a personal god, such as Buddhists.
2007-07-26 07:21:37 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
5. Some atheists may not reject the notion of god outright but instead are agnostics who, by definition, cannot arrive at a conclusion regarding the existence of god. Most agnostics, then, choose to live their life under the assumption that there may be no god and instead rely on a humanistic and natural understanding of the world. Thus, agnosticism is often referred to as weak atheism.
2007-07-26 07:23:18 · update #1
Regarding #2 above, its relevance is that many atheists subscribe to the notion of knowledge attained through scientific inference. The theories presented are two of the most common regarding religion that many atheists hold to be true.
2007-07-26 07:25:47 · update #2
Gelfling: I corrected myself in my 2nd detail above. Although what you said is absolutely correct, the discussion of evolution or the big bang is often brought up in atheism vs theism dialogue.
2007-07-26 07:27:23 · update #3
Michelle D: Just thought I'd put it out there. People can do with it what they want.
2007-07-26 07:28:59 · update #4
Novangelis: Well put. If I could change it, I would. Focusing on two specifics was... too specific. LOL
2007-07-26 07:32:30 · update #5
Whalers: I didn't want to "waste" space explaining why but I wanted to have a good set of points to educate someone I know on atheism. I figured what better way than to put some things out there and ask for some feedback (as well as additions).
2007-07-26 07:36:27 · update #6
Evolution is NOT part of Atheism. Atheism is the disbelief in gods ONLY. Anything else falls under some other category.
2007-07-26 07:25:04 · answer #1 · answered by gelfling 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Atheism treads in between the waters of religion and philosophy. In practicality, it is considered a religion; in truth, it's closer to a philosophy on religion. Does that make it a religious philosophy?
*shrugs*
I would say, as an atheist, that I don't really necessarily agree with number 1 on the list. It seems pointless, from my view, to quabble over. I'm a rationalist first, an atheist second.
2007-07-26 07:27:29 · answer #2 · answered by GP99 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Point taken. Yes, there are mind types of atheists. But since when does evolution have anything to do with atheism? That is science fact. Christians think that atheism is a religion because we don't believe in their god, but we don't believe in any god, religion, any supernatural or an afterlife. Quite simple.
atheist
2007-07-26 07:28:48 · answer #3 · answered by AuroraDawn 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Any process requiring deity to create the universe adds complexity that is not required, making it the weaker choice by Occam's razor.
Your #2 is misguided. Detailing the science rather than simply stating that the universe and life can be explained by naturalistic processes alone, would suffice.
2007-07-26 07:30:33 · answer #4 · answered by novangelis 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Atheists do not "hate" god, nor do they have an aversion to morality, love, brotherhood, etc. They adhere to most if not all morals and ethics shared by their religious counterparts. They simply do so without being threatened with damnation for not doing so.
In addition, the majority of atheists are atheists for intellectual reasons, not emotional ones. It is a rare and misguided atheist who became one due to personal hurt and/or animosity towards a religious group. They became atheists because they cannot rationally make themselves believe in something that they can clearly see is false.
2007-07-26 07:32:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
A response to Osis Dorsey:
Atheists believe in lots of things:
Optimism rather than pessimism
Hope rather than despair
Learning in the place of dogma
Truth instead of ignorance
Joy rather than guilt or sin
Tolerance in the place of fear
Love instead of hatred
Compassion over selfishness
Beauty instead of ugliness
And reason instead of blind faith or irrationality.
We also believe in the common moral decencies of altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness and responsibility.
We just don't believe in God.
Paul Kurtz
Statement of Humanist Principles.
.
2007-07-26 07:49:18 · answer #6 · answered by Wise@ss 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Another group of "religious" Atheists are early Native Americans. They believed that spirits guided everything on the Earth, but no actual "God" per se.
2007-07-26 07:25:31 · answer #7 · answered by Professor Farnsworth 6 · 6⤊ 1⤋
6. Most Atheists live by a moral code that has been established by society and exists despite of, not because of the Bible.
2007-07-26 07:25:46 · answer #8 · answered by ɹɐǝɟsuɐs Blessed Cheese Maker 7 · 14⤊ 0⤋
i see agnostics as completely different than atheists
2007-07-26 07:26:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
6. We don't worship Satan or any other gods either. Atheism=lack of beleif in deities.
2007-07-26 07:25:38 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 15⤊ 0⤋