Atheism and Atheists:
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Atheism is defined as either:
a simple lack of belief in any Gods,
or an
active denial of the existence
of
any Gods.
Discussion of the two
main alternatives to Atheism.
Read news feeds of current topics related to Atheism.
A bit of humor:
Some statements about Atheism, Atheists, and people's beliefs in God(s) and Godess(es):
Unfortunately, there are different active definitions of the word "Atheist:"
- They are often viewed as people who actively deny the existence of any God, or Godess, or groups of Gods and Goddesses. They are often thought of as standing on a soapbox, and delivering a thundering ovation to a crowd.
Unfortunately, there is a common belief in North America and elsewhere that a person needs to believe in a deity in order to be capable of behaving morally and ethically. This means that many Theists -- people who believe in God's existence -- have a very dim view of Atheists.
- Others define Atheists as people who simply lack any knowledge of a proof for the existence of any God or Goddess, who would become Theists if they found convincing evidence of God's existence. For example, God, being all-knowing, could simply release a statement that accurately predicts the timing, location, strength, and depth of the next dozen earthquakes around the world. Another would be a statement by God that lists the next dozen locations and timings of strikes by asteroids that were large enough to hit the earth without having completely vaporized in the atmosphere. Only a God has the scientific knowledge to make such lists. They are well beyond the current knowledge of scientists. Unfortunately, for no reason that I have ever been able to figure out, God chooses to not openly prove his existence in this way.
The vast majority of people in North America have an element of Atheism in their belief system -- at least to the extent that, if asked, they would deny the existence of thousands of ancient gods and
goddesses -- including Aphrodite, Apollo, Annan, Anu, Ares, Rito, Artemis,
Athena, Baal, Bast, Brahma, Brigid, Caer, Charon, Chernobog, Cybele, Diana, Dylan, Ea, Elaine, Eostre, Fergus, Frigg, Hephaestus, Hera, Hestia, Horus, Iris, Ishtar, Juno, Jupiter, Kali, Lugh, Mars, Mercury, Minerva, Neptune, Pluto, Poseidon, Shef, Shiva, Shu, Taranus, Thor, Venus, Vesta, Vishnu, Vulcan, Wotan, Zeus, and many thousands of others too numerous to list.
How many Atheists are out there?
Atheists were once regarded as a tiny minority among U.S. adults. Polling agencies recently estimated that the percentage of adults who identify as Atheist ranged from 3% to 11%. However, these results only measure those Atheists who were willing to reveal their beliefs to a stranger over the telephone who claimed to be from an confidential polling agency. Because of the high level of prejudice and even violence against Atheists, only a minority of Athests have been willing to directly reveal their beliefs to polling agencies.
One innovative survey was recently designed to allow those Atheists surveyed to reveal their personal religious beliefs safely, confidentially, and unknowingly. The poll determined that 26% of U.S. adults are actually Atheists! That number is probably growing slowly.
Unfortunately, this method of estimating the number of Atheists was only recently developed. It will have to be used in polls for perhaps a decade before polling agencies can begin to get some measure about whether Atheism is increasing or decreasing in various countries, and at what rate.
Topics covered in this section:
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Discussion of some topics that may put Atheism in perspective:
Introduction to Atheism and its two main competitors
Part 1:
- More quotations.
- Atheism is an ambiguous term, and thus is difficult to write about and define.
- Would the U.S. accept an Atheist president?
Part 2:
- Are Atheists over or under represented
among the prison population?
- Why did God create Atheists? (A trick question!)
- Five things for Christians and other theists to avoid saying to Atheists
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Estimates of the percentage of adults who are Atheists in the U.S. and the rest of the world:
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Definitions of Atheism (There is no general consensus)
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 Beliefs by some conservative Protestants: >>>>> atheist5.htm
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Two news feeds of interest to Atheists and others:
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Copyright © 1996 to 2019 by Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2019-JAN-15
Author: B.A. Robinson
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