What is Atheism?

Atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. The term “Atheism” is literally derived from “A” which means “No” and “Theos” which means “god” thus giving you “No god”.

Is Atheism a religion?

Religious groups sometimes attempt to portray Atheism as simply being another religion, placing it on a par with any other belief system, however Atheism is not a religion nor a belief system.

Religion is defined as a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. As Atheism is the lack of belief in a supernatural power, it cannot be defined as a religion.

What is the difference between Atheism and Agnosticism?

Atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods, whilst Agnosticism is the view that there is insufficient evidence to support the idea of a god or gods. Agnostics belief that a god might exist but we simply cannot know for sure. The term “Agnosticism” is literally derived from “A” which means “no” and “Gnosis” which means “knowledge” thus giving you “No Knowledge.”

Are Atheism and Agnosticism compatible?

Atheism and Agnosticism are compatible because neither of them claim any belief in a god or a supernatural power and both contain a certain level of skepticism in theistic beliefs.

The distinction between the two is that Agnostics will not go as far as to deny the possibility of the existence of a god or a supernatural power.

What is the difference between weak and strong Atheism?

Weak Atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods without going as far as to deny the possible existence of a god or gods. Strong Atheism not only supports the lack of belief in a god or gods but also denies the possible existence of a god or gods.

How many Atheists are there?

In a 2001 US census it was deemed that 15% of the American population considered themselves to be Atheist or Agnostic although some other polls found this figure to be closer to 10%.

Globally figures differ vastly. In Japan 65% of the population claim to be Agnostic or Atheist, whilst in the UK and in Australia the figure is closer to 25% of their population.

Do Atheists have an agenda?

Unlike Religion, Atheists do not have to agree on all issues and share similar agendas. Atheists can be conservative or liberal, capitalist or communist, republican or democrat, black or white, male or female. Some Atheists are completely neutral in regards to religion and it’s place in society, whilst other Atheists do have certain agendas. Some of the more common Atheistic agendas include the separation of church and state and the teaching of evolution in our school systems. It must be said however that these are individual groups within the Atheist community and in no way represent the Atheist community as a whole.

What do Atheists base their morals on?

The very concept of Atheism is underpinned by an approach to life based on logical and reasonable principles. As such, an Atheists’ morals are derived from these very principles. The idea of individual property rights is a logical concept which protects the individual from bodily or material harm. As such it is not logical for a society to allow acts such as murder and theft.

In Athens in 594 BC, a Greek merchant and poet by the name of Solon developed a legal structure based on logical principles which our legal systems today still emulate. This includes concepts such as property law, social democracy, fair trials and equal rights for all people. These principles were based on logical and reasonable ideas and did not require any religious or philosophical influence.

It is worth noting that it has been those laws that were not based on logical or reasonable principles but on religious ideas that have caused the most harm to society. Ideas such as Apartheid, slavery and sexual discrimination are not logical yet they have all been supported by religions and religious institutions, even as late as the 20th century. You could go one step further and compare Athens’s legal system under Solon to the Israelite legal system under Moses. While they were celebrating legal concepts such as democracy, justice and equality in Athens in the 6th century BC, the Israelites across the Mediterranean were encouraging legal principles such as stoning disobedient children to death (Deut 21:18-21), excommunicating women after they had given birth for being “unclean” (Lev 12:2-5) and formalizing slavery laws (Exod 21:2).

The laws in Athens were based on reason and logic, whilst the laws in Israel were based on religious instruction. It’s the tale of two cities and I know which city I would have like to have lived in…