Atheism Vs Religion Research Paper

What is atheism? Why would someone be an atheist? Why do people fear and dislike atheism? Simply stated, atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. Granted, atheists are each individuals and undoubtedly each of them prescribe [to] many different philosophies on life, politics and morality as do Christians. However, though atheists may choose to gather collectively for whatever purpose, unlike Christianity, atheism is not a belief system. An individual who identifies himself as an atheist is merely stating that he does not believe in [the existence of] god or gods. Atheism, as indicated by its name, is the opposite of theism which is belief in at least one god; to include polytheism (belief in many or more than one god) and monotheism

The question of God’s existence has been pondered by humans for centuries. There are an infinite number of different opinions, arguments, and ideas favoring for or against the idea of God. Personally, I strongly believe in God not only due to my religious affiliation, but also because of my own opinions, ideas, and experience. To begin with, the complexity of Earth and the life that has formed upon it cannot be based just on luck or chance. I believe that ultimately God, as a power, rather than a mystical being is the one created and controls the universe. Although the God and his authority are not entirely comprehensible by humans, it’s our faith as worshiper that eventually lead us to a greater understanding.

Having a Worldview is essential when it comes to how a person lives from day to day. A worldview is an initial set of expectations to which one pledges, this serves as a basis for accepting and understanding reality and will also deeply shapes how one will act (Waddell, 2015). There are different worldviews and they each have different beliefs. Atheism is a worldview that does not believe in God or any spiritual realm and leans more towards scientific theories. Pantheism worldview is quite the opposite, they are very spiritual and believe all is God. Even though they are so spiritual their God doesn’t have a relationship with humanity. Theism is a worldview that has three different religions that consist of Judaism, Christianity, and

The most engrossing historical event that I believe made a significant impact on society today is; Atheism. Although Atheism’s origin is not known, it is believed to be dated all the way back to at least the 5th century B.C. The belief of Atheism/Agnosticism has been traced back to the early Eastern religion such as Taoism, Buddhism, but the term Atheism or Atheist was not coined and put to practice; Atheos meaning without God(s);until the 16 century. In my appraisal Atheism played a big role throughout history because it delivered the philosophy of indifferences and estrangement to the people in a whole other perspective.

The question of God’s existence has been challenged by many philosophers and non-philosophers alike over the years. Arguments that have been used to support the existence of a divine being includes; the cosmological argument and the theological argument. However, there are some who oppose these arguments and philosopher H.J. McCloskey is among this group. In the article “On Being an Atheist” written by H.J. McCloskey, he argues that both these arguments are false and insufficient as it relates to “proof” of God’s existence. McCloskey believes that without proper proof, we must completely dismiss the idea of God’s existence. In his well-written article, he offers a few reasons why he believes that atheism is a much more comfortable belief versus, a belief in a God who allows the suffering of his people. He suggested that the problem of evil and the fact that evil exists meant that God could not exist. McCloskey urges that people should just help each other rather than, placing their faith in a God that is clearly imperfect due to the imperfect world that he has created. Credible as McCloskey may be, I saw many errors in his theory. It is my opinion that his attempt to define God is completely unsound, and his philosophy is at best debatable. In this response paper, I will be carefully examining each argument and also presenting a counter argument. I will be taking the stance from the perspective of a minimal theism who

In today’s world, most people have had at least one encounter with religion throughout their lives. For some people, religion is a belief that they must live by and follow the rules that it imposes. Some just view it as a practice that is optional. However, some just view it as an illogical myth. One of the bases of its belief is the believe of an all might perfect spirit that created the world called god. Many people around the world believe this belief, however there is still a great rising number of people who are bothered by it. Many scientist and even philosophers would argue that it is an idea that has just grown over the years yet has no evidence to be proven. Although there are many scientific theories that propose the creation of the earth, majority of Americans still believe in god. The numbers are declining but there is still a very high amount of the population that believes in god. There are arguments that say god exists, others say that he does not exists, but I believe in the existence of god.

Secondly, God’s people may choose to ignore the needs of the world because they fear a less physical and more emotional persecution. A great challenge for Christians is facing rejection from unbelieving family and friends. Unbelievers cannot take the Christian faith seriously because God has not opened their eyes to see what He has revealed to His own. Therefore, those people might not take a Christian seriously and may avoid association with and bad-mouth that child of God. This toys terribly with emotions because these people doing the ridiculing have been so close to the Christian, and it hurts to hear them speak that way. However, problems do not just arise in close relationships but also with unbelieving strangers, especially outspoken

There are several reasons why I have the religious affiliation that I do. My membership, unlike that of so many, has very little to do with the choices my friends and family have made. My decision was based on reason and personal experiences. While some may say that these things are both easily influenced by parents and peers, in my case I have parents of different faith and therefore have less direct influence from them.

Let’s actually clarify what the definition of atheism is. Atheism is the doctrine or belief that there is not God. In Chapter five, Why Do People Believe, Sam Harris says, “when is finally achieves escape velocity from the constraints of terrestrial discourse-constrains like reasonableness, internal coherence, civility, and candor”. Simply meaning that people have faith because at the core of their being, and not just in their minds, they have allowed themselves to be grasped by God.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” This is the difference between Christians and unbelievers. Unbelievers do what they want, while christians use their faith to walk. We trust God to lead us down our path to destiny, even if others discourage to go down a different path. For we as believers must follow his plan for us and not our human instincts. Even if it may seem unclear at the time God has a bigger picture for us.

Lance Armstrong, Morgan Freeman, John Lennon, and Brad Pitt. What do they all have in common? They're all Atheists. Many religious followers think that Atheism is a disgrace and that Atheists should be punished. The American Atheist Society defines Atheism as being a lack of belief in the religious system. But many people think that Atheism is a disbelief in a god or gods. (“History of American Atheists”). Atheists are being attacked and treated unfairly because of their lack of belief in the religious system. Violence by religious followers and stereotypes from religious books prove that Atheism is not yet accepted by the religious community.

Atheism has a long and colorful history, but that history has been largely hidden from the public's view due to religious suppression. It is therefore, with great effort, that modern atheists are re-discovering their heritage. Some early Greek philosophers were among the first to write down atheistic ideas. Great thinkers such as Heraclitus, Democritus, Protagorus, and Lucretius expressed views that questioned the existence of gods.

When asked the question on my definition of religion, I decided to look at it in a way that goes beyond just my religion. Religion goes much deeper than being something that we just believe in, it is a relationship or a part of a person’s culture. My purpose of religion is something for me to try and understand what my goal in life is, as well as building a relationship with a higher being. Religion gives people that higher being that they can look to for guidance and comfort. I feel that you can also express your culture through religion as well as explain some of the reasons for some of the things that you have done in your life.

Fundamentalism and Religion For a vast majority, the term “fundamentalism” evokes images of hostage crises, embassies under siege, hijackings, and suicide bombers. But these images hardly present a comprehensive picture. People in the west associate fundamentalism with Islam, this is indeed a mistaken belief. Fundamentalism is defined as " the affirmation of religious authority as holistic and absolute, admitting of neither criticism nor reduction; it is expressed through the collective demand that specific creedal and ethical dictates derived from scripture be publicly recognized and legally enforced ." (Lawrence)

During the course of this class, I have learned a lot about different religions. I still have an unprejudiced view of religion. However, I did not suspend my belief to have an understanding of religion. I have been able to learn of other religious beliefs without feeling threatened of my own. I found there are many different practices in other religions, some I agree with and some I do not agree with. I have come to except others, ways of worship without getting upset. I have become humble in my conclusion now that I have a better understanding of others beliefs. The world seems to jump to conclusions and be judgmental about other religions. Postponing ones judgement on a religion is a difficult thing to do. Being raised and taught a certain religion and set of beliefs is distilled in to one’s mind. I, on the other hand, reserved my personal judgement until I have learned more about it.