Atheism: When I Questioned Religion

Unit 7 Study Guide All test questions are derived from the key terms list and the questions on this study guide. QUESTIONS FROM PAST UNITS WILL ALSO BE ON THIS TEST. 1. What was the purpose of the Civil War for: The North/Union?

Have you ever wondered what the term "at-will employment" means? According to Cornell University Law School, the employment-at-will doctrine "refers to the presumption that employment is for an indefinite period of time and may be terminated either by employer or employee" (n.d., para. 1). This doctrine is said to level the playing field between employee and employer as each party can end their relationship at-will. At-will employment however is not equally applied between public and private business sectors, nor is it supported in every state within the United States. Employees who work for the public sector such as teachers or firefighters, or those working in California or Montana for example, can only be

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

Religion was and is a major aspect of our everyday lives, but discovering its origin and meaning is a whole different concept. Many religions have similar aspects or stories due to cultural diffusion. For example, according to the Hebrew Bible, a virtuous man named Noah was instructed by God to build an ark to save him and his family from a great flood which would destroy the world. This ancient story and many other variations of it are still believed today. In the ancient Sumer religion, the epic poem titled The Epic of Gilgamesh recalls the god

People in our society today who have the atheist point of view on religion, which is the belief that there is no god, are going against the so-called norms of society, and therefor are seen as deviant. Deviance is just an idea. Society determines what is deviant by the ideas they hold of what should be the norm. Atheism is seen as a negative deviance, or below the norm. They have a status that is placed on them in society. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they believe in evil, although that is how it is sometimes viewed from people in society who have a specific religion or faith. Atheism, which is not a new idea, has been evolving in our society, and is the reason for problems leading to debate and court cases, and for

Throughout my less than satisfactory summer I had the pleasure of reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which follows the troubled life of a teenager by the name of Charlie. I also had the chance to view the movie based on the novel and I am shocked to say how well it interprets the book. However there are a few minor differences between the novel and its screenplay. These differences include the narration of the story and the relations between the characters. They also share some common factors but I will speak of only one, Charlie’s progression.

I found both the Mesopotamian and Egyptians religions to be intriguing because they seem to believe in naturalistic elements but they add gods and goddesses to religion that control them and the elements. It seems since the beginning of time humanity has been searching for a higher power. Something greater than ourselves that controls us and the universe we live in. While there are many different types of religions currently most are still based on the ideas of nature, one god who rules the universe and mankind, or many gods and goddesses who rule, which I believe connects back to the religions of ancient

In Atheism: The Case Against God, George H. Smith refutes arguments that many Theists use to try and prove God’s existence. One example of this is what he describes as “The Argument from Life.” This argument is often referred to as the fine-tuning argument as it argues that the Universe that humanity is a part of is so unlikely, it is as if it has been fine-tuned by a supernatural force. Although Smith argues against this claim using a variety of arguments, he is ultimately unsuccessful in refuting it because an intelligent designer is a better explanation for life than chance.

Recently, I've noticed that some of my friends have become concerned about me because I'm an atheist. This is odd, because I've never made any secret of that fact, although I don't go around preaching it to anyone who will listen. Ever since I realized that I no longer agreed with any of the religious viewpoints which I was brought up with, I have explained my opinions, as clearly as I can, to those who were interested, curious, or who challenged by beliefs.

There are many religions in this world and many creation myths that accompany those religions. Each religion has its own unique viewpoint on how the world came to be. The Cherokee myth I have chosen is something that may seem outrageous to the outsider, but it is how the Cherokee Indians have viewed their creation for many years.

McCloskey refers to the arguments for God’s existence as “proofs” and often implies that they can’t definitively establish the case for God, so therefore they should be abandoned. However, the biggest problem with viewing the arguments for God’s existence as “proofs” is that they are not proofs like the proofs in Mathematics which are one-hundred percent certain. (Foreman) These are arguments, not “proofs”, as there is no way to come to a one-hundred percent certain conclusion with such arguments. Therefore, McCloskey is viewing and trying to use the arguments for God’s existence in a wrong way and in a way that they were not meant to be used.

My story stands in contrast to Michael Collett’s touching story of sincere faith lost. Bit I take particular issue with Michael Jensen’s seemingly polite reply to Collett’s article. “I hope I’ve put Collet’s case…in such a way as he would recognise it”, he simpers, before paraphrasing Collett’s denial of God’s existence in a way which amounts to a “tacit acknowledgement that God exists”.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines atheism as “a disbelief in the existence of deity.” This definition of atheism is broad and general. Most people only know that atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods, but they do not know what atheists do believe in or if atheists have faith in anything. Also, atheism is often seen as the opposite of religion. Religion is the belief in a god or gods, while atheism is the disbelief in the same. Does this view of atheism limit our understanding of what it means to be an atheist? Is there more to being an atheist than what meets the eye?

In the article, “On Being an Atheist”, H.J. McCloskey discusses the reasons of why he believes being an atheist is a more acceptable than Christianity. McCloskey believes that atheism is a more rational belief versus having a God who allows people to suffer so he can have the glory. He believes to live in this world, you must be comfortable. The introduction of his article, he implements an overview of arguments given by the theist, which he introduces as proofs. He claims that the proofs do not create a rationalization to believe that God exists. He provides 3 theist proofs, which are Cosmological argument, teleological argument, and the argument of design. He also mentions the presence of evil in the world. He focuses on the existence

However, as the political world of Greece evolved, atheism would not remain unscathed. An earlier instance of this can be found within the works of Plato, a renowned philosopher. Of all of his works, the tenth book of The Laws is most historically relevant to atheism. Within this text, Plato essentially disavowed all aspects of atheist philosophy, disregarding non-believers as “certain clever moderns” and “young men” with foolish opinions (Whitmarsh 136). Furthermore, he declared the belief in the Greek deities was essentially to the functioning of a “just society,” suggesting legal penalties for all those who undermine the gods (137). However harmful, this work raises the important question of how many atheists there truly were in Plato’s