Atheism: Why Would Someone Be An Atheist?

Fundamentalism is a strict adherence to a set of ideas or beliefs that are conservative in nature. It is a pejorative term usually associated with religious fanaticism. Usually, this is what comes to mind when there is mention of a fundamentalist. However, in Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist starring the protagonist Changez, a Pakistani Princetonian who is a top-ranked employee at a prestigious New York valuation firm, turns out not to be an Islamic fundamentalist, but a reluctant fundamentalist of US Capitalism. Hamid challenges readers to reevaluate their preconceived notions and prejudices of people different from themselves in post 9/11 America by employing the use of motifs, aphorism, and suspense, to create a conflation

The belief that morality requires God remains a widely held moral maxim. In particular, it serves as the basic assumption of the Christian fundamentalist's social theory. Fundamentalists claim that all of society's troubles - everything from AIDS to out-of-wedlock pregnancies - are the result of a breakdown in morality and that this breakdown is due to a decline in the belief of God. This paper will look at different examples of how a god could be a bad thing and show that humans can create rules and morals all on their own. It will also touch upon the fact that doing good for the wrong reasons can also be a bad thing for the person.

Religious individuals are viewed as illogical and even delusional, while those who claim to be atheists are seen as more intelligent. Sam Harris, a prominent atheist, made a statement reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson’s view on Christianity in a recent podcast. “It would be possible for you and I to invent a religion, right now, that was better than any existing religion.” His ‘religion’, he continued on to explain, would simply be a collection of benevolent rules to enforce moral behavior. To Harris, while the the majority of religious beliefs are outrageous, the moral framework they provide is beneficial to society. Another prominent atheist, Richard Dawkins, took a stance much closer to Thomas Paine’s in a speech titled Militant Atheism. Faith and reason, Dawkins argues, are incompatible and completely destructive to each other. “Not only is science corrosive to religion, but religion is corrosive to science. It teaches people to be satisfied with trivial, supernatural, non-explanations, and blinds then to the wonderful, real explanations that we have within our grasps,” (Dawkins). Whether Dawkins chooses to recognise it or not, the modern Catholic Church is still using logic to find its own wonderful, real

    Religious conscience in America has evolved considerably since the first settlers emigrated here from Europe. Primary settlements were established by Puritans and Pilgrims who believed "their errand into the wilderness [America] was above all else a religious errand, and all institutions - town meeting, school, church, family, law-must faithfully reflect that fact" (Gaustad 61). However, as colonies grew, dissenters emerged to challenge Puritan authority; indeed, many of them left the church to join untraditional religious sects such as "the Ranters, the Seekers, the Quakers, the Antinomians, and the Familists" (Westbrook 26). Debates over softening the stance on tolerance in

As the world grows, diversity follows. With this diversity different faiths, or even lack of, are created; one being Atheism. Atheism is the unbelief of God or any other supreme being. Atheism is becoming more present within the community which sometimes leads to criticism. Since Christianity is the is the polar opposite of Atheism, their beliefs, practices, and symbols (or lack of) are bound to clash. Nonetheless, Atheism continues to grow.

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.

She goes on to say that both the theist and atheist take a ‘leap of faith,’ explaining that it takes as much faith for a non-believer to believe that there is no God at all, as a believer who believes in God. With that being stated, Watson further opposes Rowan Williams’ statement against atheism wherein he claims that atheism only exists to contradict and challenge the whole of theism (‘atheism of negotiation’). Watson explains that atheism is not merely of the opposite extreme of theism. Atheism as well, has its source for spiritual and moral development (atheism of hope). It acquires its own atheistic ‘belief system,’ consisting of the fundamentals the Enlightenment, Rationalism, Communism, Existentialism and Humanism. Furthermore, Watson mentions the writings of Jean Paul Sartre and again Russell, in explaining that man sets out in life on his own, without being dictated by a being or force beyond him and his capacity. This, however, comes with a moral responsibility and inevitable consequences, in that as put by Watson “atheist must accept personal responsibility…to work out the ‘good life’ in a God-free world.” Russel also explains that in order to instill morality, one has to acquire intelligence, self-control and

This is why in the past twenty five years, “nonreligious Americans has increased by well over 200 percent...making it the fastest growing “religious” orientation in [America]”(Zuckerman, 5). Throughout the years, the stigma of secularism, more commonly known as Atheism, has a negative feel towards

Some atheists would even go as far to say that religion is a ''mental disorder'' and should be remedied[12]. It is shown that the very orthodox sectors of religion are against the rights of women and homosexuals[13] - the logic of very dated information, atheists say. Another thing atheists say is that religion uses fear a lot to get people into it, from an early age in children instilling fear by regarding the existence of a hell[14]. Religion tends to also accommodate the fact of a second life - a way to ease people's anxieties of

Richard Feldman revealed his religion choice of atheist. Feldman lectures a course called, “Rationality, Relativism, and Religion” and centers his research from findings in this class. He establishes that a good amount of the class are religion majors. Throughout the course, the students displayed two attitudes toward disagreement. These attitudes are intolerance and relativism. He feels we should have an open mind when coming about discussing disagreements. There is no room for religious bigotry simply because it is not useful. Having an open mind when engaging in these discussion allows for full analytical overview.

At first Nihilism and Atheism may seem like they mean the same thing. Looking deeper into the definition of each of the words we will find that they are not. Atheism is the “denial” ( Smart, J. J. C. ) in God(s). Furthermore, it could be said that Atheism is not a belief system, it doesn’t disbelieve the existence of Gods, it denies that there is a God. Older dictionaries have defined Atheism as a “belief” (OED) that there is no God. Disbelieving in something and denying something are two different things. Disbelieving in

As people, we are reliant on religion for the reason that it lines up morality in a set of instructions. Religion defines what we fight for, what we eat, and why we exist. For millions of years religions have provided us a reason to live. For these reasons it starts to make sense why people are becoming afraid of atheism. It threatens millions ways of life, and people use atheism as a scapegoat for why religion worldwide is becoming unpopular. As more and more people question faith and render it to not be logical people begin to fear. But using atheism as a scapegoat is falsely claiming it as the reason for people denying religion when it actually is the result. Religion's enemy is not atheism it is the followers of religion.

You hear the word atheist and you assume it means devil-worshiper. Well, let me tell you here and now, you’re wrong. It would be like calling Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and other inhabitants of Asia, all Asian. It’s just politically and morally incorrect and shouldn’t have created an assumption. Atheism is defined as no-religion, being -theism: belief in the existence of a god or gods. I firmly believe that Atheism shouldn’t be frowned upon and viewed negatively. I want to specifically argue that people shouldn’t judge so harshly based upon choice of religion. It would be like saying I hate 99% of the world because they believe in something else that I don’t. As humans, it is imperative that we learn to accept, forgive, and welcome change.

One might ask the question “what would make someone become atheist?” Unfortunately, it is a tough question to answer. There are many reasons as to why someone would become atheist. The knowledge of other religions, bad personal experience, scientific findings and philosophical arguments - these are all possible reasons for atheism. The cause of atheism is often times personal, or based on specific life experience. The last decade saw an increase number of atheist arranging rallies and protesting laws that are based on a holy book. For a long time, atheists were, quite stunningly, almost completely ignored by sociologists of religion” (LeDrew 2013). As a non-believer, an atheist feels like a minority all of their adult life, and have often been afraid to openly express and share their beliefs and ideas. As minorities, it is easy for atheists and agnostics to express anger, frustration, and disappointment at how we are depicted and treated by believers and defend ourselves. (Madeo, G 2009)

The second type of atheism is much more rare. It is based on a moral denial of God, and usually carries a much deeper understanding of the implications of his absence. It is stated best by Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov, through the character Ivan Karamazov who takes issue with God over the suffering of innocent children and declares that since he cannot understand or forgive injustice he will reject God, preferring to stand with the wicked rather than accept the suffering as part of his Lord's perfect plan. Camus seems to advocate this form of atheism too in the section on metaphysical rebellion in The Rebel and also in The Plague, where the protagonist, Dr. Rieux, concludes, "since the order of the world is shaped by death, mightn't it be better for God if we refuse to believe in Him and struggle with all our might against death, without raising our eyes toward the heaven where He sits in silence" (117-118). This form of rebellion, the denial of God even if He does exist, is much more logical and coherent than the atheistic assumptions of science, but both rest on Enlightenment presuppositions.