An Introduction to Atheism

[MountainMan]

An Introduction to Atheism (1997)

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/ ... intro.html

This article attempts to provide a general introduction to atheism. Whilst I have tried to be as neutral as possible regarding contentious issues, you should always remember that this document represents only one viewpoint. I would encourage you to read widely and draw your own conclusions; some relevant books are listed in a companion document: Atheist Resources.

To provide a sense of cohesion and progression, I have presented this article as an imaginary conversation between an atheist and a theist. All the questions asked by the imaginary theist are questions which have been cropped up repeatedly on the Usenet newsgroup alt.atheism since that newsgroup was first created. Some other frequently asked questions are answered in a companion document: Atheist Arguments.

Please note that this article is arguably slanted towards answering questions posed from a Christian viewpoint. This is because the FAQ files reflect questions which have actually been asked, and it is predominantly Christians who proselytize on alt.atheism.

So when I talk of religion, I am talking primarily about religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, which involve some sort of superhuman divine being. Much of the discussion will apply to other religions, but some of it may not. (See Definition of a "cult.")

"What is atheism?"

Atheism is characterized by an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This absence of belief generally comes about either through deliberate choice, or from an inherent inability to believe religious teachings which seem literally incredible. It is not a lack of belief born out of simple ignorance of religious teachings.

Some atheists go beyond a mere absence of belief in gods: they actively believe that particular gods, or all gods, do not exist. Just lacking belief in Gods is often referred to as the "weak atheist" position; whereas believing that gods do not (or cannot) exist is known as "strong atheism."

Regarding people who have never been exposed to the concept of 'god': Whether they are 'atheists' or not is a matter of debate. Since you're unlikely to meet anyone who has never encountered religion, it's not a very important debate...

It is important, however, to note the difference between the strong and weak atheist positions. "Weak atheism" is simple scepticism; disbelief in the existence of God. "Strong atheism" is an explicitly held belief that God does not exist. Please do not fall into the trap of assuming that all atheists are "strong atheists." There is a qualitative difference in the "strong" and "weak" positions; it's not just a matter of degree.

Some atheists believe in the nonexistence of all Gods; others limit their atheism to specific Gods, such as the Christian God, rather than making flat-out denials.

"But isn't disbelieving in God the same thing as believing he doesn't exist?"

Definitely not. Disbelief in a proposition means that one does not believe it to be true. Not believing that something is true is not equivalent to believing that it is false; one may simply have no idea whether it is true or not. Which brings us to agnosticism.

"What is agnosticism then?"

The term 'agnosticism' was coined by Professor T.H. Huxley at a meeting of the Metaphysical Society in 1876. He defined an agnostic as someone who disclaimed both ("strong") atheism and theism, and who believed that the question of whether a higher power existed was unsolved and insoluble. Another way of putting it is that an agnostic is someone who believes that we do not know for sure whether God exists. Some agnostics believe that we can never know.

In recent years, however, the term agnostic has also been used to describe those who simply believe that the evidence for or against God is inconclusive, and therefore are undecided about the issue.

To reduce the amount of confusion over the use of term agnosticism, it is recommended that usage based on a belief that we cannot know whether God exists be qualified as "strict agnosticism" and usage based on the belief that we merely do not know yet be qualified as "empirical agnosticism."

Words are slippery things, and language is inexact. Beware of assuming that you can work out someone's philosophical point of view simply from the fact that she calls herself an atheist or an agnostic. For example, many people use agnosticism to mean what is referred to here as "weak atheism," and use the word "atheism" only when referring to "strong atheism."

Beware also that because the word "atheist" has so many shades of meaning, it is very difficult to generalize about atheists. About all you can say for sure is that atheists don't believe in God. For example, it certainly isn't the case that all atheists believe that science is the best way to find out about the universe.

"What about the term 'freethinker'? What does that mean?"

A freethinker is one who thinks freely -- one who is prepared to consider any possibility, and who determines which ideas are right or wrong by bringing reason to bear, according to a consistent set of rules such as the scientific method.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation have a "nontract" on what it means to be a freethinker, at:

http://ffrf.org/nontracts/freethinker.php.

"So what is the philosophical justification or basis for atheism?"

There are many philosophical justifications for atheism. To find out why a particular person chooses to be an atheist, it's best to ask her.

Many atheists feel that the idea of God as presented by the major religions is essentially self-contradictory, and that it is logically impossible that such a God could exist. Others are atheists through scepticism, because they see no evidence that God exists.

There are a number of books which lay out a philosophical justification for atheism, such as Martin's "Atheism: A Philosophical Justification" and Smith's "Atheism: The Case Against God". A few such books are in the document listing "Atheist Media".

Of course, some people are atheists without having any particular logical argument to back up their atheism. For some, it is simply the most comfortable, common sense position to take.

"But isn't it impossible to prove the nonexistence of something?"

There are many counter-examples to such a statement. For example, it is quite simple to prove that there does not exist a prime number larger than all other prime numbers. Of course, this deals with well-defined objects obeying well-defined rules. Whether Gods or universes are similarly well-defined is a matter for debate.

However, assuming for the moment that the existence of a God is not provably impossible, there are still subtle reasons for assuming the nonexistence of God. If we assume that something does not exist, it is always possible to show that this assumption is invalid by finding a single counter-example.

END OF EXCERPT

This is only 5% of the entire article on atheism, an excellent explination that details the arguements for atheism. Since this is a copywrited document i have only included a snipet and i encourage you to follow up and read the rest of this article at the following link - MountainMan.

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/ ... intro.html

[SAN ANTONIO]

Refreshing to hear from a fellow theologian who has followed his philosophy and strayed from the "accepted wisdom" against the hostility of an insular populace.

[admin]

So True.

The average person is an idiot. Proof - just look around you at what they do with their lives, who they vote for, what they watch on TV, what books they read (or do they read at all?), how they raise their kids and what religion they belong to.

Ask the average person who God is and you'll generally recieve a blank stare - they can say they believe in God, but they cannot tell you who that person is. (But they do know that for sure God is a superhuman Man).

I'll take the opium thank you!

[MountainMan]

Where are you oh smart and brave souls who are ready to discuss religion?

Why are there so many who have read the athiests blog but none have responded with intelligent replies? Is it that believers in montiesm have no valid arguements for their blind faith? That books written thousands of years ago can still brain wash?

Oh it is sad indeed.

Please I beg of you - challenge me!

[Paul]

I hate the term ATHIEST. It is negative. Just says what someone doesn't believe in whereas a religion says what you DO believe in.

Atheism says nothing about my personal view of the world.

[admin]

Paul what do you suggest as a name for those of us who refuse to be brain washed by corporate religions?

[admin]

You know I am often confronted by religious brain washed folks who love me and worry for my salvation firmly believing that I will burn in hell for all eternity simply because I do not believe in their God. And it has nothing to do with my way of life, for I live as a monk does, without the love of a good woman, without the sweet nectar of wine, without so much as tobacco in my lungs. I give to the poor and help the downtrodden. Yet this matters not because since i have failed to believe blindly in the bats that fly in their brains I am sure to die and go to Hades where I will burn for all eternity in a pit of fire. While they will sit by God's side in a palace of gold with a garden of delight.

It's so weird to think of eternity as anything other then a moment that does not change - that is a frozen moment in time - for we can't measure eternity as we cannot measure that which does not move, such as time stopped. They are actually one and the same. Its amazing how effective religion is in brain washing the masses. Good people too are sucked into the madness of God and his henchmen, I mean angels, who are waiting to 'save' us from the devil in whose grip we have been now for some 2000 years since they (name deleted to protect them) murdered Christ (and only because he was upsetting their apple cart too!). I can't think of a single religion on this god forsaken planet that has any validity, that can be believed, that should be followed or supported. They are all to a whole, just plain silly.

I do hope that you have cleansed your mind of the madness of your youth, of the foolishness of your parents good intentions, and have partaken of the sacred fungus sprouting from the fermented grasses of the vegetarian beef body. It is time now to stop believing in demons and fairies and believe that your fellow man has enslaved you in the name of righteousness and stand up for your freedom your individuality your own sacredness. Give not another ounce of blood to the liars and thieves who control you who spew lies from their television and radio programs who teach in the university and speak from the pulpit and the podium.