Atheism: Welcome to the Reality-Based Community
69What is Atheism?
To understand the meaning of atheism, we must first examine what is meant by theism. Theism refers to the belief that some sort of god or gods exist. That is, a theist is someone who makes a specific claim (i.e., that a god or gods exist). This is what I will refer to as the theistic belief claim because a theist is one who believes that this claim is true.
Atheism is nothing more than the absence of theistic belief. That is, an atheist is one who does not accept the theistic belief claim. Atheism is not a religion, a philosophy, a worldview, or anything similar. It is not the conviction that there are no gods, ghosts, angels, etc. It is simply a lack of belief that any sort of god(s) exist.
Some have attempted to derive subcategories of atheism (e.g., positive, strong, radical, etc.), but these are neither necessary nor particularly useful for understanding atheism. Atheism is nothing more than the lack of belief in a god or gods.
The importance of this definition is that it reminds us that the burden of proof rests solely on the theist. The theist is the one making the belief claim, and like any other belief claim, it is reasonable to expect evidence in support of such a claim. If the theist fails to make a reasonable case, atheism is the only sensible position. This is how knowledge works - the group advocating belief in something bears the burden of proof. Nobody expects you to prove that you do not have a fairy godmother, but if you claim that you do, we all (including theists) expect evidence. Belief without evidence is intellectually dishonest to say the least.
For more information see:
- Defining Atheism: The Advantage of Parsimony
- Atheism is Not a Religion, Philosophy, Ideology, or Belief System
Learn About Atheism
- Atheist Revolution
Atheist Revolution is a blog dedicated to breaking free from irrational belief and opposing Christian extremism in America. - Squidoo Atheism Lens
This is a collection of information for persons wishing to learn more about atheism. - Ask the Atheists
Do you have questions for atheists? Ask them here. - What is Atheism Really All About?
Description of atheism and answers to common questions by Richard Carrier.
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- Words of Wisdon: Emma Goldman
God today, no longer represents the same forces as in the beginning of His existence; neither does He direct human destiny with the same iron hand as of yore. Rather does the God idea express a sort of spiritualistic stimulus to satisfy the fads and fancies of every shade of human weakness, In the course of human development the God idea has been forced to adapt itself to every phase of human affairs, which is perfectly consistent with the origin of the idea itself. - Emma Goldman, The Philosophy of Atheism Subscribe to Atheist Revolution Tags: Emma Goldman, atheism Copyright © 2008 Atheist Revolution. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
- Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is an Atheist
Image by longplay via FlickrDaniel Radcliffe, the actor who has player Harry Potter in the films of that name, has confirmed in an Esquire interview that he is an atheist. As reported in The Telegraph, Radcliffe not only identified himself as an atheist in this interview but expressed his respect for Richard Dawkins. I suppose Christian extremists have yet another reason to boycott the Harry Potter films. Radcliffe was quoted as saying,I'm an atheist, but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do. Anything he does on television, I will watch.It is good to see another talented actor join the ranks of the reality-based community. H/T to Trina Hoaks, Atheist Examiner Subscribe to Atheist Revolution Tags: Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter, atheist, Richard Dawkins Copyright © 2008 Atheist Revolution. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
- Humanist Symposium #39 at Daylight Atheism
The 39th edition of the Humanist Symposium has been posted at Daylight Atheism. Be sure to check it out. And while you are there, take some time to browse Daylight Atheism. It is one of the atheist blogs that should be on your must-read list. Subscribe to Atheist Revolution Tags: humanist, humanism, atheism, atheist, blog carnival, Humanist Symposium Copyright © 2008 Atheist Revolution. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
- My First Abortion
Image by willem velthoven via FlickrThis is one of those posts that I am writing without having much confidence that I'll actually ever post it. After watching an episode of The Daily Show in which Jon Stewart interviewed Mike Huckabee on the subject of abortion, I found myself thinking about how my life could have been very different if not for having the option of legal abortion. I was 15 and living in a lower-middle class family on the West Coast. We were comfortable enough, and although I was still aware of living in a smaller and older home than nearly all of my friends, our lack of material success did not bother me as much as it had during junior high. My first year of high school had been rough for a variety of reasons I won't go into here. I did not fit in very well, have a lot of friends, or do much to endear myself to the "cool kids." But that was about to change dramatically as I turned 15 and begin my second year. This was the year I finally started to fill out a bit and develop some muscle (I was fairly tall and had been way too thin up to this point). This was the year I would make many new friends, discover alcohol, and lose my virginity. From the perspective of any reasonable adult, including my parents, I was a terror by 15. Aside from doing well in school, I rebelled in every way imaginable. My friends were any parent's worst nightmare, and our weekend activities were a blur of hard liquor, loud music, fast cars, and girls. This would get far worse as I turned 16 and then 17, but that isn't relevant for the subject of this post aside from demonstrating that this was not merely a brief episode of bad judgment. Against this backdrop, I somehow managed to lose my virginity. I was 15 at the time, and she was 14. She ended up getting pregnant and had an abortion without telling me about either. Although we were still together throughout this time, I did not find out that she had been pregnant or had aborted it until a few months afterward. She had told a good friend of mine in confidence. He managed to keep her secret too long but did eventually tell me. At the time, I remember being very upset that she hadn't told me. It isn't that I would have tried to talk her out of it - I wouldn't have. No, I was upset because I would have tried to be there for her. I hated the thought that she had to go through that alone. Of course, I suppose that there is no telling how I would have actually behaved at that time had I known what was going on. I think about this sometimes. I could have had a kid at 15. I can't imagine what that would have been like at the time. I was not one of those people who might have been able to grow up quickly and get his shit together at that age. You hear about some young parents being able to do that. I wouldn't have been one of them. I might have been able to pull it off by 18 or 19, but even that is highly doubtful. But at 15, I would have been a thorough disaster. And the girl? There was no way her mother was going to allow her to have a child at 14 even if she had wanted to (which she didn't). Had she been 16 or 17, I suspect adoption would have been considered. But at 14, there is no way her mother would have put her through that. In the debate over reproductive rights, I think we do not stop to consider situations like this thoroughly enough. It is one thing to say that abortion should not be used as a means of birth control among college students or adults. In the abstract, some of us might even be tempted to agree with that. But when one stops to think about one's 13 or 14 year-old daughter getting pregnant...well, I have a very difficult time understanding those who seek to make this a crime. Subscribe to Atheist Revolution Tags: abortion, reproductive rights Copyright © 2008 Atheist Revolution. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
- Proud to be an American?
Image by BL1961 via FlickrThroughout small town America today, one will see flags, fireworks, and junk food on display. A common sentiment you'll encounter is pride, and many find it necessary to express their pride in being Americans. I'd like to make two small additions to this conversation, neither of which are original and one of which is presented in video form. First, please consider the following from "10 Things Every Adult Should Know" written by f*cking c*nts:America is not #1. Well, not unless you count military spending and handgun related deaths. We’re shit at public education. Our health care system is both the most expensive and the least effective in the developed world. Literacy, infant mortality, per capita living below the poverty line and/or without any health insurance … etc., etc. We’re kind of horrible at a whole lot of things, if you want to be honest about it. We’re also, on average, fat as fuck.Second, consider the absurdity of being proud over something that one did not do and had no control over (i.e., being born in America). But don't take my word for it. Instead, see what George Carlin had to say on the subject: Have a good day, stay safe, and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Take pride in what you have accomplished (e.g., managing to break free from religious delusion), but don't get sucked into the mire of blind patriotism. I'll try to do the same. H/T to toomanytribbles Subscribe to Atheist Revolution Tags: America, American, fireworks, patriotism, pride, George Carlin Related articles by Zemanta American War Propaganda Top Ten (oup.com) Four Freedom Movements You Should Know About This Independence Day (takepart.com) Celebrating the Fourth without a bang (cnn.com) Copyright © 2008 Atheist Revolution. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
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Here are acouple of blogs in response to your "Call For Posts On Atheism." If you like these and are intested in more, please email me. Both of these blogs stimulated a lot of discussion so the comment section is worth checking out.
<a href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog. Sam Harris and Paul Kurtz both get it wrong?</a>
<a href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog. Of Dogma: The First Atheist Billboard</a>
My apologies, I just relized you wanted my above comment posted on your blog.
religion is good,how else would you keep weak minded people in line.think about it if they knew there was no god what reason would they have to be good.
atheism is a great topic for discussion.
if atheism is true, how do you define what's moral and what's not? also, if you're an atheist, than you believe in natural selection, survival of the fitest. that means if you kill someone, that just means you're more fit to live than the other person and eventually, the type of person that you killed will evolve away.
also, have you heard of pascal's wager? it's statistically better for you to believe in God than not.
David C, you have such old arguments, they have been refuted in every way possible. Thats why i am only gonna give you a short version.
Morality has nothing to do with religion. Why? Simple, as a herding type of animal, i have everything to gain by not hurnting you. If i dont hurt you, you dont hurt me and well, we can work as a team to survive.
Even so, if religion provided such perfect morals, why are there still murders?
Pascal's wager go's for xians two. Do you know how many gods there are, so how do you know you are whorshipping the right one? Pascal's wager is just a logical phalacy.
THE MEANING OF LIFE 1. THE PURPOSE OF MAN’S EXISTENCE Who we are? Why are we in this world? Where are we going? Have you ever asked yourself why this questions and what the meaning of the human life is? No matter what type of person you are or what your profession is, there are a few things which you, like most people, would agree with, that is: Money cannot satisfy man; neither can education satisfies man, nor can Pleasure do not satisfy man, Nor can success satisfy man. WHY? Because you have not yet realized:
2. GOD’S PLAN God has a plan. Which is to deposit his life into man his plan has everything to do with man? In the bible there are tree different words in Greek to designated the word “life”
1. Bios referring to the biological life our body 2. Psycho referring to the soul logical means study. The word Psychology means the study of the soul, emotions, mind and will. 3. There is another word for life that is Zoe the highest life. Whenever the bible speaks of eternal life speak of Zoe. In a Greek dictionary you will find the distinction. This is the reason why, Gods plan with the man he created, in first place is not to bring him to heaven, neither to save Him from hell. But to receive the life that was not created. God’s life. His plan with man is complete, from creation, while living in earth, and the future. This is the reason why God created man different than the rest of his creation
1. MAN HAS GOD’S IMAGE Please read the following verse: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness....”Genesis 1:26a God’s creation of man is different from His creation of all other things. He created man in His own image. A glove is created according to the likeness of a hand with the purpose of containing the hand.Likewise, man was created in the image of God with the purpose of containing God. 2. MAN IS A VESSEL Now read the next verse: God “should make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy...even us.”Romans 9:23-24 We are vessels of God. God wants to be our content. As bottles are made to contain water, we are made to contain God. It is no wonder that knowledge, wealth, pleasure, and accomplishment can never satisfy you, for you were created to contain God! 3. THE PARTS OF MAN Please continue by reading the next verse: “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete?”1 Thessalonians 5:23 Man is God’s vessel. The Bible divides this vessel into three parts—the spirit, the soul, and the body. See diagram below: The BODY is simply the physical body, belonging to the physiological level, contacting the things of the material realm, and is the most superficial part. The SOUL is the mental faculty, belonging to the psychological level, contacting the things of the mental realm, and is a deeper part. The SPIRIT is the deepest part of man, belonging to the spiritual level, and contacts the things of God. For problems of the body one may see a doctor. For problems of the mind one may visit a psychiatrist. Yet only God can solve the problems of the spirit.
4. THE MEANING OF LIFE God wants to enter into man’s spirit, to become his content and his satisfaction. This is the purpose of human existence! You are not merely created to contain food in your stomach, or to contain knowledge in your mind, but you are created to contain God in your spirit.
1. THE TWO NATURES OF MAN
Since man was made in the image of God, he possesses a good nature that matches God’s nature, with virtues such as truthfulness, goodness, loveliness, wisdom, kindness, and valor. However, there is also an evil nature in man which wars against his good nature. The Chinese met physicists refer to this war as a battle between reason and lust. Throughout history, both in the East and West, those who understand human nature acknowledge the existence of this evil nature which the Bible calls: 2. SIN
Because sin is in man, he is unable to carry out his good intentions.No one likes to be greedy, jealous, or murderous. No one likes to be boastful, arrogant, or deceitful. No one likes to be irritable, licentious, or lustful. No one likes to murmur, complain, or curse. Nevertheless, man cannot escape his evil nature. Please read the following verses: “For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but to do the good is not.”Romans 7:18 “But if what I do not will, this I do, it is no longer I that do it but sin that dwells in me.”Romans 7:20 This is a portrait of man.
3. THE FALL OF MAN Sin entered into man and caused him to fall. See diagram below: (1) Sin caused man’s spirit to be deadened: “And you, being dead in your offenses and sins.”Ephesians 2:1 (2) Sin caused man’s mind to rebel: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by evil works.”Colossians 1:21 (3) Sin caused man’s body to sin: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to obey its lusts.”Romans 6:12 The fallen man is like: A damaged and untunable radio which cannot receive and play music, but rather meaningless noise. He is also like:A cup that has fallen into the gutter still having its original fine form but now covered with mud.
4. MAN CANNOT SAVE HIMSELF Throughout history, man has tried every possible way to escape sin, but he has found that: Good works cannot save him from sin. Education cannot save him from sin. Ethics cannot save him from sin. Chanting cannot save him from sin.Religion cannot save him from sin. This picture of man simply depicts the battle between his good nature and his evil nature.
1. WHO IS CHRIST? Christ is the Savior sent from God to the world to solve the problems of human life. He is the embodiment of the Triune God. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”Colossians 2:9 He is also God incarnated: “The Word was God...the Word became flesh and tabernacle among us...full of grace and reality.”John 1:1, 14 Therefore, He is both the complete God and the perfect man. See the following diagram: He is more than a good man! He is more than a great man! He is more than moral man! He is more than a holy man! He is the God-man!
2. THE DEATH OF THE GOD-MAN This God-man was nailed to the cross to accomplish the work of redemption. He died with three statuses: (1) As the Lamb of God, He died to take away man’s sin. “...the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”John 1:29 (2) As the brass serpent that had been lifted up, He died to crush the old serpent, Satan, and to deal with the serpent’s poison within man—his sinful nature. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”John 3:14 (3) As a grain of wheat, He died to release the divine life. “...a grain of wheat...dies, it bears much fruit.”John 12:24 NOW: His death has taken away the sin which man has but should not have!His death imparts into man the life which he needs but does not have!
1. THE TWO BECOMINGS OF CHRIST
God became flesh, born as a man called Jesus. Please read the following verse: “The Word became flesh and tabernacle among us.”John 1:14 The Lord became the Spirit called the life-giving Spirit by His resurrection from the dead. Read the following verse: “The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.”1 Corinthians 15:45 Since this Spirit is the life-giving Spirit, He dispenses God with His life into His believers. Hence, the Bible says: “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”1 John 5:12
2. REGENERATING MAN In his first birth, man obtains a physical life. When man receives God’s life through Christ, he experiences a second birth, which the Bible calls regeneration. “God...has regenerated us...through the resurrection of Jes
Dear rafael: this is a hub on ATHEISM where you can post a comment whether you agree or not. It is not a place for you to write a 3 page dissertation on your level of understanding of "the lamb". If you want to learn more about why religion is obsolete, and yet another explanation of how the mind works and why we can do well enough without superstition, please read my hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Kingdom-of-One.
I hope it will help you with your struggle. VJACK, keep up the great work, I am also an avid supporter of Pat Condell.
Thanks for this hub. I've been feeling a bit outnumbered in several discussions on this site. This is refreshing. It's nice to know there are other thinking minds out there. I've written a few hubs directly opposing the Christian faith. Check them out if you're interested.
Let God speak for himself. If he exist. I'm taking the first road that is credible whether it be evolution or whatever. Freedom before slavery.
There is no way a Christian will ever tolerate an atheist. Have you ever been to a church? Christian's are non excepting to non conformist who happen to be Christian's. Christian's would not get along with me very easy. God may exist and if he does that is good but Christian really suck. These Hubs are kind of lame with Christian's looking for some special attention acting knowledgeable about everything. I can't imagine a person can actually talk about God and be scientifically credible even if God does exist. God would not had made faith if he wanted you to prove something. That is what it is all about is faith,. God made faith not knowing mandatory. I have read thee bible a lot. Either in ecclesiastics or one of the books of Solomon it says.,"Be educated in nothing at all, but just trust in the Lord." Yes it is actually there I just can not reference it by the verse. So for true believers it's nothing more than a powerful God, not the original sin of knowledge.
Why does faith deserve respect?
Matt Sunderland says:
2 years ago
Nice definition! The term should be more inclusive; labeling people as "not real atheists" is silly. Though I'm not quite sure having the voluntary ability to distinguish yourself as a "strong atheist" is not useful.
It might be hard to capture this definition is a formal debate though, because the consequence is capturing the supperrogative, something usually only "agnostics" get.