Atheism

With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion.
-Steven Wienberg

Understand the difference between atheism and agnosticism.

• An atheist does not believe that a god/gods do exist. Most atheists observe that there is no proof that a god/gods exist. Because there is no verifiable evidence that a god/gods exist, they do not incorporate a god/gods into their decision making. Agnostics do not believe it is possible to know of the existence of a god or gods.
• You do not have to be anti-religion. Most atheists, however, do disapprove of organized religion as well as the doctrine of faith as a virtue. There are others who still attend religious services for their own reasons, such as an agreement with some of the moral tenets, membership in a community, or even just a fondness for the music.
• You do not have to write off the possibility of unverified or unverifiable phenomena. You can acknowledge that they are possible without insisting or acting as if they are true, or trying to convince others that they are true.
• You do not have to subscribe to any set of beliefs. Atheism is not a religion. Atheists hold a wide variety of beliefs and outlooks, the only similarity being a lack of belief in a god or gods.

Understand that you do not have to give up your culture. Culture, tradition, and tribal loyalty are important to many people, including atheists. By denying belief in a god/gods, one need not totally dissociate oneself with the culture associated with his or her former religion. Virtually every northern hemispheric culture celebrates a winter solstice holiday. A possible explanation for this is the lack of agrarian work to be performed and the abundance of food stores for the dearth winter months ahead. Such a celebration can be, and is in many cases, still important to an atheist for its intrinsic values -- those of sharing and community, among others. Formerly Christian atheists still exchange gifts with their theist friends, put up Christmas trees, and gather with family and friends during Christmastime, without any religious connotation necessary. The same can be said of those formerly of other faiths or never of any faith.

Learn to see and come to conclusions about the world through a logical lens, rather than through faith. The Scientific Method is universally accepted as the best way to understand the world.

Discuss the world in this context with other atheists and with religious people. This will help you understand why people believe what they do and help you understand your atheism in that context.

Study various forms of theism. While most atheists argue that theists are making a positive assertion (and thus bear the burden of proof), it is important to thoroughly understand your former faith and its tenets as well as those of other faiths. The more versed you are in other religions and the more you understand why people believe what they do, the better basis you'll have for your worldview. Also, it will help you fend off those that will try to convert you to their religion, once they learn of your atheism.

Communicate your perspective to those who are curious. Do not be shy, but don't be condescending. Try to help them understand your point of view in a non-confrontational manner. However, you may choose to hide your perspective if it is clear you are going to run into trouble. In some countries or regions, the price of atheism can be very high.

Atheism has always been about asking questions. The question of whether a supreme being exists or not is one of the most important questions in human history, and not to mention your own life. Take some time and ask yourself the following questions. It may reinforce your belief in a deity, and it may lead you to atheism.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

1. Why do I believe in a god? This is the most important question of all. Do you have any reason to believe? If so, what is your reason?
2. How did I come to believe in a god in the first place? If you are a theist, you are most likely to have been raised in a religious home. As children, we are extremely susceptible and prone to learning, which means that what we learn may be hard to shake. Another important thing to note is the fact that if you were born in the United States of America (or any other majority Christian nation), you are most likely to become a Christian. If you were born in Saudi Arabia, you are most likely to become a Muslim. If you had been born in Norway in the viking ages, you would have believed in Thor and Odin. If you were not raised in a religious home, however, take some time to analyze what happened in your personal process of conversion.
3. Is there any evidence for a god? So far, there is no evidence at all for any supreme being. If you think you have evidence for a god, do some research. You may be surprised.
4. Why do I believe in my specific god?/What if I'm wrong? There are thousands of different gods to choose from. If you are a Christian, then what if the Roman gods are the true gods? And of course, the other way around. Since there is no evidence for any god, you are taking a risk based on blind faith, that your god is the right one. Most monotheistic religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, support the concept of a hell, where nonbelievers will be damned fall all eternity. What if the other religions are right and yours is wrong?
5. Focusing on Christianity, what does "Jesus is the son of God" actually mean (or imply)? Where did Jesus get the 23 chromosomes needed to become a human? Is God the biological father of Jesus? Is God the spiritual father of Jesus? Is God some other kind of father?
6. Is God really "omniscient"? What is "knowable"? (e.g., "The number hairs on the heads of all living people" is "knowable".) Does God really see or know ALL things? We take in "knowledge" through our "senses" – sight, hearing, etc, and save the "knowledge" in our brains. What sort of "senses" does God have? How does God obtain information? Does "knowing" require a physical basis in a living thing?
7. Is God really "omnipotent" and/or "omnibenevolent"? A lot of really "bad" things (earthquakes, murders, rapes, car accidents, etc.) happen in the world all of the time. Did God cause any of them? Has God ever done anything to stop anything "bad" from happening? Is there any evidence that God has ever used his power? Is there any expectation the he will ever use his power?
8. Is God really "omnipresent"? One definition/explanation is: "[t]he attribute of God by which he fills the universe in all its parts and is present everywhere at once. Not a part, but the whole of God is present in every place." We know that God is not "physical" (He is not composed of atoms). How do we know if God is always present if he can’t be seen or measured?
9. What does it mean "to exist?" We know that God is not "physical" (He is not composed of atoms). No one has measured God as a “force” (like gravity). So what does it mean for God "to exist"? One cannot prove a negative (it can’t be proven that God does not exist). But if no one has really been able to prove (by scientific methods) that God exists, does anyone expect that a real proof will be forthcoming in the next 100 years?
10. Can there really be "life after death"? We know that our souls are not "physical". So after death, how do we think, see, hear, talk, communicate, etc.?
11. Do miracles really happen? Does God answer prayers? Is God an “active” God? Let’s define a miracle as “any event that cannot possibly be explained by any of the natural forces or natural laws – something that must have been a supernatural act of a divine agent.” For example, finding a rock that is suspended in mid air, or witnessing one element/compound being converted into another – copper into gold, water into wine, etc. (Note that evidence of a miracle would not prove that God exists, it would simply prove that that there is a force in the universe which we cannot comprehend. It could be God or some other deity, or aliens, anything.) Since there have been no documented miracles in the recent past, does anyone seriously believe that there will be a miracle in his/her lifetime? But if there are no miracles, then God is not an “active” God; i.e., God does not intervene in any way on our planet – everything that happens occurs within the boundaries of the “natural forces and natural laws”. Therefore God has not answered prayers and is unlikely to ever answer prayers. Is it self-centered to ask God to suspend the natural order for us? Many objectively bad things happen (earthquakes, plane crashes, murders, rapes, etc.) to people, with seemingly no regard for the religious beliefs. Should exceptions be made just in our case? If you do not believe that God intervenes, is it logical to pray to him? To worship him?
12. How well do you understand your “human nature”? Let’s define three “levels of faith”, each requiring a “larger leap” than the preceding one: (1) a belief that God exists; (2) a belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and (3) a belief that the Bible is “inerrant” (totally true). Note that each level requires a belief in something that cannot be proved – beliefs that must be taken “on faith”. A reasonable person, examining the physical evidence found in our universe, would come to the conclusion that the Earth is significantly older than 10,000 years. But those who believe that the Bible is inerrant believe God created the earth (and universe) some 10,000 years ago. Because of the nature of the human mind, this belief is treated not only as a fact, but is treated as a fact that has precedence over anything else that the mind can observe and think about. In their view, any observation that contradicts this fact must have been observed (or reported) incorrectly: e.g., “Since there are fossil dinosaur bones, then dinosaurs were alive 10,000 years ago and some unknown process fossilized and buried their bones. Even if we can’t figure out the process and even it is beyond human understanding, God knows”. So people who are not at “level 3 faith”, when thinking about people at “level 3 faith”, must conclude that there is something about human nature that allows beliefs to “blind” people to the reality around them. (This may be why “faith” is often called “blind faith”.) People at “faith levels 1 and 2” should then look at themselves and question whether their faith also blinds them to the reality around them (heaven and hell do not exist, there can’t possibly be life after death, miracles do not happen, etc.). Too often, when people question their faith, they look within themselves for reasons why they question their faith, and do not question why their articles of faith do not stack up against reality.