The lack of belief in a deity or deities. Just that. Nothing else.
Atheism doesn't hold any answers to life's big questions. It won't tell you the meaning of life and it won't tell you how it all started. It's not a religion, not a philosophy, not a way of life. Atheism is quite simply *non-belief*.
Atheism doesn't hold any answers to life's big questions. It won't tell you the meaning of life and it won't tell you how it all started. It's not a religion, not a philosophy, not a way of life. Atheism is quite simply *non-belief*.
#1: "I heard you're an atheist and don't believe in God, #2. If that's true then how did the universe begin?"
#2: "I don't know for sure. The leading scientific theory right now is the Big Bang theory, but that has a few problems and might not be correct."
#1: "If there's no God then where do we know right from wrong from?"
#2: "Again, I don't know for sure, but the general theory is that we evolved this feature because social creatures do better if unit cohesion isn't hindered by constant murdering."
Atheism isn't about answers. It's not really about anything, actually.
#2: "I don't know for sure. The leading scientific theory right now is the Big Bang theory, but that has a few problems and might not be correct."
#1: "If there's no God then where do we know right from wrong from?"
#2: "Again, I don't know for sure, but the general theory is that we evolved this feature because social creatures do better if unit cohesion isn't hindered by constant murdering."
Atheism isn't about answers. It's not really about anything, actually.
by mrbogart December 27, 2011
Atheism is absence of belief in god(s). It is not necessarily belief that no god(s) exist. Just as asexual is absence of sex in reproduction, not opposition to sex or asymmetrical is absence of symmetry, not opposition to symmetry. Atheism is simple absence of theism.
Frequently people confuse the theism vs atheism question with the gnostic vs agnostic question. The word gnostic means pertaining to knowledge. It is a question about whether a person is certain or "knows".
Everybody is either theist or atheist and everybody is either gnostic or agnostic. There are agnostic theists. They believe god(s) exist, but don't claim to know for sure personally. There are gnostic theists. They believe and claim to know for sure that god(s) exist. There are agnostic atheists. They do not believe in god(s), but do not claim to know with certainty that no god exists. There are also gnostic atheists who claim to know that no god exists. It possible and quite common among atheists to not have been convinced of the hypothesis that god(s) exist without taking the position that no god exists.
Frequently people confuse the theism vs atheism question with the gnostic vs agnostic question. The word gnostic means pertaining to knowledge. It is a question about whether a person is certain or "knows".
Everybody is either theist or atheist and everybody is either gnostic or agnostic. There are agnostic theists. They believe god(s) exist, but don't claim to know for sure personally. There are gnostic theists. They believe and claim to know for sure that god(s) exist. There are agnostic atheists. They do not believe in god(s), but do not claim to know with certainty that no god exists. There are also gnostic atheists who claim to know that no god exists. It possible and quite common among atheists to not have been convinced of the hypothesis that god(s) exist without taking the position that no god exists.
by AllmanBros July 29, 2015
A non-prophet organisation
by Archolas April 27, 2011
The idea that there is no god. That's it.
Distance yourself from r/Atheism and the stereotype all atheists are whiny intolerant assholes who poke fun at innocent theists. Yes, there are some atheists that act like that, but the average atheist (think next door neighbour) is not like that.
Atheism is often associated with Nihilism. In some ways they are very similar, such as the rejection of religion. But there are other philosophical paths that do not involve religion, just as good as each other.
Distance yourself from r/Atheism and the stereotype all atheists are whiny intolerant assholes who poke fun at innocent theists. Yes, there are some atheists that act like that, but the average atheist (think next door neighbour) is not like that.
Atheism is often associated with Nihilism. In some ways they are very similar, such as the rejection of religion. But there are other philosophical paths that do not involve religion, just as good as each other.
by \_(0_0)_/ December 3, 2016
There are two kinds of atheism: strong (positive) atheism and weak (negative) atheism. The difference between these two is basically that a weak atheist doesn't believe in God, while a strong atheist believes in no God.
Weak atheism is essentially the same as agnosticism. It states that since we have no proof of a God, we cannot know for sure that one exists. Strong atheism states that since we live in a scientific world where the existence of things is determined solely by their observability, we cannot assume anything unobservable to exist. God isn’t observable, therefore he doesn’t exist (cf. Occam’s Razor). This doesn't mean that an atheist wouldn't WANT to believe in God, it merely means that he has no REASON to believe in it/him.
Strong atheists often question the special treatment weak atheists – and theists – give to religion. If they believe that the tooth fairy or Santa Claus do not exist, why are they willing to give God a benefit of the doubt?
Strong atheism is often equated with religion since it takes a strong stance on the issue. This is, however, fallacious. Religion is not based on rationality, and strong atheists value rationality over fantasy. Therefore atheism is not parallel with religion.
Weak atheism is essentially the same as agnosticism. It states that since we have no proof of a God, we cannot know for sure that one exists. Strong atheism states that since we live in a scientific world where the existence of things is determined solely by their observability, we cannot assume anything unobservable to exist. God isn’t observable, therefore he doesn’t exist (cf. Occam’s Razor). This doesn't mean that an atheist wouldn't WANT to believe in God, it merely means that he has no REASON to believe in it/him.
Strong atheists often question the special treatment weak atheists – and theists – give to religion. If they believe that the tooth fairy or Santa Claus do not exist, why are they willing to give God a benefit of the doubt?
Strong atheism is often equated with religion since it takes a strong stance on the issue. This is, however, fallacious. Religion is not based on rationality, and strong atheists value rationality over fantasy. Therefore atheism is not parallel with religion.
by Servant Of Progress October 21, 2004
Atheism, despite its small profile amoungst most of humanity is actually a default position to which all human beings are born into, its just that many people are either indoctrinated from childhood into following, or later in life choose to follow some form of theism, polytheism, or even pantheism.
by Icehawk April 13, 2004
Atheism is the disbelief of the existence of a god or gods in any religion. Often confused with Satanism by bigoted Christians.
Atheism: Prove God exists.
Christianity: Prove he doesn't!
Atheism: Prove the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't.
Christianity: ...
Atheism: That's what I thought.
Christianity: Prove he doesn't!
Atheism: Prove the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't.
Christianity: ...
Atheism: That's what I thought.
by MGN February 26, 2009