History UsefulNotes / Atheism

** The belief that God is real and [[GodIsEvil a dirty rotten bastard]] is called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misotheism dystheism]] (or misotheism, or maltheism), not atheism. Dystheism is the belief that God is not wholly good and ''may'' be evil. The ''conviction'' that God exists and is evil is Maltheism. If you hate God as a result of that, it's also Misotheism. On TVTropes we refer to the Dysthiesm, Maltheism and any resulting Misotheism as [[NayTheist Nay Theism]].

What is an atheist? In the most literal possible terms: someone who does not believe in any god or gods. In the colloquial, it more generally refers to belief in what appears to be most scientificly accurate.

You see, atheism is not an organized religion the way Christianity or Islam is. While ([[http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/23/new-pew-survey-21-of-atheists-believe-in-god/ most]]) people who identify as atheists fit this description, the very broadness of it means that any two atheists may be as dissimilar as any two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism monotheists.]] Further, not all atheists ''call'' themselves atheists, any more than Jews might call themselves monotheists. Given these facts, it's very difficult to talk about atheists as a group. Take the following definitions and generalizations as ''probably'' correct.

First things first: Atheists, as we have said, are those who ''do not believe''. This "do not" part is very important. Atheism is not a subscription to a belief that there is no god, it is a dis-belief in the likelyhood, or even possibility of gods.

What is an atheist? In the simplest possible terms: someone who does not believe in any god or gods.

Beyond that, however, it gets a little complicated. You see, atheism is not an organized religion the way Christianity or Islam is. While ([[http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/23/new-pew-survey-21-of-atheists-believe-in-god/ most]]) people who identify as atheists fit this description, the very broadness of it means that any two atheists may be as dissimilar as any two [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism monotheists.]] Further, not all atheists ''call'' themselves atheists, any more than Jews might call themselves monotheists. Given these facts, it's very difficult to talk about atheists as a group. Take the following definitions and generalizations as ''probably'' correct.

First things first: Atheists, as we have said, are those who ''do not believe''. This "do not" part is very important, for there are generally two groups of atheists: atheists who ''positively believe'' no gods exist -- these are referred to as "positive" or "strong" atheists -- and atheists who do not commit either way -- "negative" or "weak" atheists. Just as one might be unsure about whether [[AlienTropes extraterrestrial intelligent species]] exist [[AbsentAliens or not]], one may be unsure about whether a god exists. A very easy way to annoy an atheist is to ascribe to them beliefs they do not hold -- more on that anon.

Agnosticism is the source of a common confusion: although typically presented as a third, stand alone position, "agnosticism" means not having ''knowledge'' about whether God exists or not. (The word literally translates from ''gnosis'', knowledge, and ''a-'', a prefix meaning "not".) It, too, has a "strong" variant -- the belief that it cannot be known whether any god exists. As a point of fact, an agnostic ''can'' be a theist -- "fideist" is the usual term. That said, people who tell you they are agnostics are usually negative atheists.

* In London, an Atheist Bus Campaign decided to raise £100,000 to counter the evangelizing of religious groups, and Lo and Behold, atheists put aside their differences and stumped up the cash (RichardDawkins offered to match £5,500 worth of donations)! And when the campaign decided on the slogan 'There's probably no God so just stop worrying and enjoy life', then they fell out again. Some atheists don't like the 'probably' and plenty of atheists aren't hedonists either.
** Slight correction: They set out to raise only £11,000. Dawkins said that he would match the first £5,500 so the Campaign only needed to raise £5,500 from the public. The target was reached within a few hours of the website going live and the money kept coming. After 4 or so days the final amount raised was about £150,000. TheOtherWiki has more information [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_Bus_Campaign here]].

* In London, an Atheist Bus Campaign decided to raise £100,000 to counter the evangelizing of religious groups, and Lo and Behold, atheists put aside their differences and stumped up the cash (RichardDawkins offered to match £5,500 worth of donations)! And when the campaign decided on the slogan 'There's probably no God so just stop worrying and enjoy life', then they fell out again. Some atheists don't like the 'probably' and plenty of atheists aren't hedonists either.
** Slight correction: They set out to raise only £11,000. Dawkins said that he would match the first £5,500 so the Campaign only needed to raise £5,500 from the public. The target was reached within a few hours of the website going live and the money kept coming. After 4 or so days the final amount raised was about £150,000. TheOtherWiki has more information [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_Bus_Campaign here]].

** Slight correction: They set out to raise only £11,000. Dawkins said that he would match the first £5,500 so the Campaign only needed to raise £5,500 from the public. The target was reached within a few hours of the website going live and the money kept coming. After 4 or so days the final amount raised was about £150,000. TheOtherWiki has more information [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_Bus_Campaign here]].

* Many atheists believe that religious organizations generally do more harm than good to society, and some may even quote [[http://stupac2.blogspot.com/2006/10/does-religion-benefit-society.html scientific studies]] on the subject; and for atheists who are not certain God doesn't exist, they generally think that if one exists [[TheGodsMustBeLazy he's not doing much good]] compared to the harm caused by [[CorruptChurch religious organizations]] overall. (Not to say that other political group with pervasive powers, such as [[MegaCorp commercial]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporations]] or [[TheGovernment governments]], have not caused similar harm.)

Agnosticism is the source of a common confusion: although typically presented as a third, stand alone position, "agnosticism" means not having ''knowledge'' about whether God exists or not. (The word literally translates from ''gnosis'', knowledge, and ''a'', a prefix meaning "not".) It, too, has a "strong" variant -- the belief that it cannot be known whether any god exists. As a point of fact, an agnostic ''can'' be a theist -- "fideist" is the usual term. That said, people who tell you they are agnostics are usually negative atheists.

* '''[[EvilutionaryBiologist Worship Charles Darwin]]''': Atheists do not generally worship, venerate, or idolize -- in the religious senses of those terms -- ''anyone'', regardless of their stature. They may ''respect'' or even admire Darwin for his achievements as a scientist (similarly, Newton, Galileo, Curie, Feynman, and a host of others), but they do so without thinking he or anyone else was infallible or had all the answers -- or was even necessarily a nice person. (In other words: claiming "[[AdHominem Darwin was racist]]"[[hottip:*:[[http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA005_1.html Was he?]] Perhaps, but [[FairForItsDay he was less so than many of his countrymen]].]] doesn't disprove evolutionary biology, [[YouFailLogicForever so don't do it]].)

Contrary to popular opinion, atheists do ''not'' all:

* Unlike the clergy of organized religions, well-known atheists like RichardDawkins and Christopher Hitchens do not actually represent other atheists in any official capacity. This is something that non-atheists sometimes have trouble with, because they are used to the idea that a Baptist minister for example represents a Baptist ministry, but atheists don't have ministries, and indeed atheism is a negative position, a lack of belief, so aside from that lack of belief there's not really much else that all atheists have in common, as there are no central tenets or dogmas specific to atheism.

* Unlike the clergy of organized religions, well-known atheists like RichardDawkins and Christopher Hitchens do not actually represent other atheists in any official capacity. This is something that non-atheists sometimes have trouble with, because they are used to the idea that a Baptist minister for example represents a Baptist ministry, but atheists don't have ministries, and indeed atheism is a negative position, a lack of belief, so aside from that lack of belief there's not really not much else that all atheists have in common, as there are no central tenets or dogmas specific to atheism.

* Actual bona-fide miracles occurring (eg, raising the dead, "impossible" healing of sickness or injury, etc.) would not be automatic proof that the Christian god is "real" in the Biblical sense. Assuming for the moment that such miracles occur, it's also possible that they are unusual, yet natural happenings in our universe propelled by a mechanism we do not yet understand, or that the beings that style themselves as gods are another kind of lifeform that chooses to interact with us by posing as gods for some reason.

Second: As previously mentioned, there are atheists who call themselves "atheists", and atheists who do not. First, there are several religions whose adherents are often atheists -- for example, Buddhism and Jainism. In addition, newborn children, having never heard of God before, are (barring any [[InTheBlood genetic religious beliefs]]) de facto atheists -- this is referred to as "implicit atheism".[[hottip:*:Naturally, "explicit atheism" is the opposite -- note in particular that explicit weak atheism is perfectly possible, and in fact common.]] On top of those, there are other labels some atheists adopt, such as "apatheism" (sheer indifference as to the existence of deities). Two of these are particularly noteworthy: "agnostic" and "non-religious".

** Incidentally, the reason Communism is associated with atheism is because (1) most communist philosophies denounce religion and embrace state-wide atheism, and (2) the RedScare was America's first encounter with widespread rejection of religion (one that would last for several decades). Even so, the association of Communism with irreligion is hardly perfect, as both North Korea and modern China demonstrate.

** Besides, atheists don't necessarily hate the ''concept'' of God(s) and religion. Some think that such omnipotent hidden being would be immoral (controlling mortals like toys, sending natural disasters, etc.), some think such a being could be a great source of good (saving mortals' lives, preventing natural disasters, etc.), but all would generally agree that their desires don't affect whether God exists.

** Besides, atheists don't necessarily hate the ''concept'' of God(s) and religion. Some think that such omnipotent hidden being would be immoral (controlling mortals like toys, sending natural disasters, etc.), some think such a being could be a great source of good (saving mortals' lives, preventing natural disasters, etc.), but they would generally agree that their desires don't affect whether God exists.

*** Let's reemphasize that first point for a moment: ''most'' atheists are not interested in converting others from their theistic beliefs. Some are, and, [[VocalMinority as you would expect]], they are overrepresented in the public eye. Even so, the preferred method of proselytizing is usually explaining what they believe and why they believe it over the alternatives, with a few exceptions. (See prior comment about "assholes".)

Contrary to popular opinion, atheists do ''not'':
* '''[[ReligionOfEvil Worship]] {{Satan}}''': Atheists do not believe in Satan any more than they believe in God. Therefore, they cannot worship either. (Note, though, that many proclaimed "Satanists" are actually atheists, and take the label for other reasons.)
* '''Hate God''' any more than they hate Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. They also do not [[RageAgainstTheHeavens shake their fists at the heavens]], for the same reason. (Many will even go so far as to say JesusWasWayCool, at least [[FairForItsDay for his time]].)

** Besides, atheists don't necessarily hate the ''concept'' of God(s) and religion. Some think that such omnipotent hidden being would be immoral (controlling mortals like toys, sending natural disasters, etc.), some would prefer that God exist (saving mortals' lives, preventing natural disasters, etc.), but both would agree ''wanting it'' and ''not wanting it'' don't control whether God exists.

** Most don't ''[[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions look down]]'' on religious people, either, or point and laugh and say "Those fools!" (Those who DO are what we like to call "assholes".) It's like having friends and family who are deeply into, say, stamp collecting: they have a hobby that they clearly get a lot out of, so good for them.

** Let's reemphasize that first point for a moment: ''most'' atheists are not interested in converting others from their theistic beliefs. Some are, and, [[VocalMinority as you would expect]], they are overrepresented in the public eye. Even so, their preferred method of conversion is generally a combination of explaining what they believe and arguing for it over the alternatives.

* '''[[EvilutionaryBiologist Worship Charles Darwin]]''': Atheists do not worship, venerate, or idolize -- in the religious senses of those terms -- ''anyone'', regardless of their stature. They may ''respect'' or even admire Darwin for his achievements as a scientist (similarly, Newton, Galileo, Curie, Feynman, and a host of others, but Chuck D seems to be the most frequent nominee for the position of atheists' Jesus), but they do so without thinking he or anyone else was infallible or had all the answers -- or was even necessarily a nice person. (In other words: claiming "[[AdHominem Darwin was racist]]" doesn't disprove evolutionary biology, [[YouFailLogicForever so don't do it]].)
** In the same vein, atheists do not "adhere to" or "believe in" science in the religious sense of those words. For scientific atheists, the scientific method is seen as an objective method to ascertain how pretty much everything works (or as much of it as we can figure out). It is ''not'' a dogmatic belief system. Therefore, saying things that put on the same level "belief in God" and "belief in science" is a sure-fire way to make most scientifically-minded atheists (which is to say, usually, the majority) [[BerserkButton really angry]]. Same with assuming that quotes from the Scriptures are worth as much as quotes from scientific journals (or more) during debates.
** Indeed, the scientific method is based upon the principle that we do not really 'know' what is going on and we are constantly trying to learn more. The nomenclature for hypotheses, theories, and even laws is the statement that these are things which 'seem to work pretty well', not 'complete and immutable understandings'. Science assumes every theory will eventually be proven incomplete by a newer, more comprehensive theory.

* '''Have an angry and bitter disposition''': Another common stereotype is that atheists are perpetually angry and/or defensive, and therefore this proves that atheism makes people unhappy. Ironically, atheists might be less cranky if "why are you unbelievers so mad all the time?" were a less common question. [[hottip:*:Less ironically, the [[GannonBanned continual repetition of any of these myths can have a similarly infuriating effect]].]] For one thing, the existence of angry atheists does not invalidate the existence of generally cheerful and upbeat ones (just as there are "God is love" believers as well as "[[FireAndBrimstoneHell fire and brimstone]]" believers). For another, many people have things they get upset about, and for atheists it may be the perception and treatment of atheists in society. It doesn't mean that the non-religious are angry all the time.
** The mileage may vary, but typically, the most bitter atheists are bitter not ''because'' of having no faith, just that people of faith can't see them as anything but bitter and hateful and therefore don't listen to them. It's an endless cycle.
** Some atheists also become bitter when realizing how much religion damaged their world, or when hearing news about executed gay persons in Iran in the name of God or forbidden abortion in the name of God. Barring psychological issues, which are NOT related to atheism in any way, this is a temporary condition and atheists are generally happy with their lives.
** As for the scientific opinion, it might be fairly described as 'ambiguous': some studies found a positive correlation between religious fervor and happiness, some studies found no significant correlation, and at least one study has found a ''negative'' correlation. Needless to say, none has found a binary division between uniformly contented theists and uniformly depressed atheists.
** The "angry atheist" stereotype seems to be a lot more prevalent in the United States than in most other countries. This may have something to do with having both a large degree of religious freedom and a significant proportion of the population that takes religion very seriously. In the more secular societies of Europe (including the formerly atheist countries of Eastern Europe) religion is a more personal matter and an atheist is less likely to be treated with condescension, while in countries with more theocratic tendencies (e.g. Iran or Afghanistan) even a genuinely angry atheist is very unlikely to speak up, fearing prosecution. In the US you get individuals who can openly proclaim their atheism, after having grown up being patronized and derided by their religious peers; those individuals tend to become quite a VocalMinority.
** Then there's the fact that many atheists are simply happy, well-adjusted people, who aren't bitter at all.

!Atheism Myths

!What Atheists Believe

!Morality and Meaning

!Atheism in the Media

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** To give an obvious counterexample: UsefulNotes/Objectivism, which is an ideology based on an atheistic understanding of the world, endorses a radically pro-free market and laissez-faire agenda.

** To give an obvious counterexample: Objectivism, which is an ideology based on an atheistic understanding of the world, endorses a radically pro-free market and laissez-faire agenda.

Liberal theologians of various religions often complain that atheists do not address their religion, preferring to mock a caricature thereof based on a shallow reading of their holy texts. Conversely, atheists complain that liberal theologians ignore the obvious meaning of their holy texts, and will even be heard to offer (left-handed) compliments to fundamentalists for their willingness to stand by a literal reading of the text. This is particularly aggravating because liberal theists and atheists often agree on moral and political issues, such as the separation of church and state.

The key difference, however, is that atheists in general have no reason ''not'' to take the book literally, especially given the millenia of history in which almost all believers did just that, and the fact that many such holy books state explicitly that they purport to be the exact literal truth and must be accepted or rejected all of a piece. Their interest is usually in two things: first, checking if the account is factually correct; and second, judging the religion described in a given holy text. Neither motive provides a reason to interpret an account as myth, parable, or poem save where the text makes this explicit (e.g. the Psalms in the Christian Bible) - instead, atheists will maintain that liberal theology calls upon sources outside their primary religious texts to form its attitudes and imposes those attitudes on their books. At which point these atheists ask why the book is even necessary.

First things first: Atheists, as we have said, are those who ''do not believe''. This "do not" part is very important, for there are generally two groups of atheists: atheists who ''positively believe'' no gods exist -- these are referred to as "positive" or "strong" atheists -- and atheists who refuse to commit either way -- "negative" or "weak" atheists. Just as one might be unsure about whether [[AlienTropes extraterrestrial intelligent species]] exist [[AbsentAliens or not]], one may be unsure about whether a god exists. A very easy way to annoy an atheist is to ascribe to them beliefs they do not hold -- more on that anon.

Second: As previously mentioned, there are atheists who call themselves "atheists", and atheists who do not. First, there are several religions whose adherents are often atheists -- for example, Buddhism and Jainism. In addition, newborn children, having never heard of God before, are (barring any [[InTheBlood genetic religious beliefs]]) de facto atheists -- this is referred to as "implicit atheism".[[hottip:*:Naturally, "explicit atheism" is the opposite -- note in particular that explicit weak atheism is perfectly possible, and in fact common]]. On top of those, there are other labels some atheists adopt, such as "apatheism" (sheer indifference as to the existence of deities). Two of these are particularly noteworthy: "agnostic" and "non-religious".

Atheism, in the broadest sense, is the lack of a belief in religion or spiritualism; essentially, an atheist is a person unwilling to say "I believe in [a] god". Someone willing to make the claim "I know no gods exist" are referred to as "positive" or "strong" atheists, while someone who refuses to commit either way is usually called a "negative" or "weak atheist". Atheism is not an organized religion the way Christianity or Islam is. Although secular humanism (see below) is a belief system adopted by many atheists, the two are not the same thing. As such, it's very difficult to talk about atheists as a group, since the only universal criterion for being an atheist is ''not'' believing in some sort of god.

Now, that said, while ([[http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/23/new-pew-survey-21-of-atheists-believe-in-god/ most]]) people who identify as atheists fit this description, so do many persons who profess other identities, such as "agnostic". Additionally, many people who identify as belonging to a religion are also atheists -- for example, Buddhism and Jainism are often atheistic by the above definition. In addition, newborn children, having never heard of God before, are (barring any [[InTheBlood genetic religious beliefs]]) de facto atheists -- this is referred to as "implicit atheism".[[hottip:1:Naturally, "explicit atheism" is the opposite -- note in particular that explicit weak atheism is perfectly possible, and in fact common]]. Other labels some atheists adopt, such as -- "apatheism" or "pragmatic atheism", which imply sheer indifference as to the existence of deities.

One, however, is the source of a common confusion: although typically presented as a third, stand alone position, "agnosticism" means not having ''knowledge'' about whether God exists or not. (The word literally translates from ''gnosis'', knowledge, and ''a'', a prefix meaning "not".) It, too, has a "strong" variant -- the belief that it cannot be known whether any god exists. Although it should be noted that agnosticism is certainly not incompatible with any form of theism or atheism -- fideism is the usual form of agnostic theism -- people who identify as agnostic usually are negative atheists.

"Non-religious" people, or people who do not adhere to any religious beliefs, and many are atheists -- however, there ''are'' some non-religious theists, such as Epicurus, who believed that the gods do not concern themselves at all with human affairs. A common form this takes is deism: the belief that God (or the gods) created the universe, but do not interfere. This was popular in the 18th century and held by many of the Founding Fathers in the United States, including GeorgeWashington, Benjamin Franklin and ThomasJefferson. However, though many modern persons are deists, it no longer holds a prominent position in the public eye.

A contrasting view often mentioned in the context of atheism is pantheism - the belief that the entirety of universe is God, and the entirety of God is the universe. These views are often conflated - particularly when atheists describe the awe that they feel at the majesty of the natural world in religious terms - but in principle (and [[NewAge frequently]] in practice) there's a distinction.

A final final note: The FamilyGuy episode [[DethroningMomentOfSuck "Not All Dogs Go To Heaven"]] is ''NOT'' a good example of how most atheists act. The writer for that episode (Danny Smith) is just an asshole who happens to be an atheist.

* '''Have an angry and bitter disposition''': Another common stereotype is that atheists are perpetually angry and/or defensive, and therefore this proves that atheism makes people unhappy. Ironically, atheists might be less cranky if "why are you unbelievers so mad all the time?" were a less common question. [[hottip:2:Less ironically, the [[GannonBanned continual repetition of any of these myths can have a similarly infuriating effect]].]] For one thing, the existence of angry atheists does not invalidate the existence of generally cheerful and upbeat ones (just as there are "God is love" believers as well as "[[FireAndBrimstoneHell fire and brimstone]]" believers). For another, many people have things they get upset about, and for atheists it may be the perception and treatment of atheists in society. It doesn't mean that the non-religious are angry all the time.

A quick trip over to HollywoodAtheist, IfJesusThenAliens, and similar tropes will quickly confirm that atheism is a widely misunderstood theological position. Just to start with, "atheist", "agnostic" and "non-religious" are ''not'' interchangeable, any more than "no", "I don't know", and "I don't care" are in any other circumstances.

Atheism in the broadest sense is simply the lack of belief that any deities exist: essentially, an atheist is a person unwilling to say "I believe in [a] god". This does not necessarily mean active disbelief (also called ''hard atheism'' or ''strong atheism''), the willingness to say "I believe ''no'' gods exist" -- someone who refuses to commit either way is usually called a "negative atheist" or "weak atheist". "Weak" in this case refers to the claim, not the argument - and which position you take will depend on the working definition of "god".

Now, that said, while ([[http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/23/new-pew-survey-21-of-atheists-believe-in-god/ most]]) people who identify as atheists fit this description, so do many persons who profess other identities, such as "freethinker", "bright", or "agnostic". Additionally, many people who identify as belonging to a religion are also atheists -- for example, Buddhism and Jainism are often atheistic by the above definition. In addition, newborn children, having never heard of God before, are (barring any [[InTheBlood genetic religious beliefs]]) de facto atheists -- this is referred to as "implicit atheism".[[hottip:1:Naturally, "explicit atheism" is the opposite -- note in particular that explicit weak atheism is perfectly possible, and in fact common]]. There are other labels which atheists take -- "apatheism" or "pragmatic atheism", for example, which consists of sheer indifference to the existence or non-existence of gods -- but most of these are less commonly known.

One, however, is the source of a common confusion: although typically presented as a third, stand alone position, "agnosticism" means not having ''knowledge'' about whether God exists or not. (The word literally translates from ''gnosis'', knowledge, and ''a'', a prefix meaning "not".) It, too, has a "strong" variant -- the belief that it cannot be known whether any god exists. Although it should be noted that agnosticism is certainly not incompatible with any form of theism or atheism -- fideism is the usual form of agnostic theism -- in many cases, persons identifying as agnostic are negative atheists.

Moving on: "non-religious" people do not adhere to any religious beliefs, and many are atheists -- however, there ''are'' some non-religious theists, such as Epicurus, who believed that the gods do not concern themselves at all with human affairs. A common form this takes is deism: the belief that God (or the gods) created the universe, but do not interfere. This was popular in the 18th century and held by many of the Founding Fathers in the United States, including GeorgeWashington, Benjamin Franklin and ThomasJefferson. However, though many modern persons are deists, it no longer holds a prominent position in the public eye.

A final note: remember that atheism is not an organized religion the way Christianity or Islam is. Nor is it a belief system. Although secular humanism (see below) is a belief system adopted by many atheists, the two are not the same thing. As such, it's very difficult to talk about atheists as a group, since the only universal criterion for being an atheist is ''not'' believing in some sort of god. It's like trying to make meaningful statements about, say, people who ''don't'' play baseball. What follows are mostly generalities and some recurring themes in the atheist/theist discourse.