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Topic started on 11-7-2009 @ 10:02 AM by WikiEditor
Atheism can either be the affirmation of the nonexistence of gods or the rejection of theism. More broadly, it is also defined as an absence of belief in deities, or non-theism.

Many atheists are skeptical of all supernatural beings, citing a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Some argue for atheism on philosophical, social, or historical grounds. Many self-described atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism and naturalism, although there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which atheists adhere. Some religions, such as Jainism and Buddhism, do not require belief in a personal god.

The term atheism originated as a pejorative description applied to any person or belief in conflict with established religion. With the advent and spread of scientific skepticism, free thought, and criticism of religion, the term began to gather a more specific meaning and has been increasingly used as a self-description by atheists.

Etymology

In early Ancient Greek, the adjective atheos meant “godless”. The term began to indicate intentional, active godlessness in the 5th century BC, acquiring definitions of “severing relations with the gods” or “denying the gods” or “ungodly” instead of the earlier meaning.

In English, the term atheism was derived from the French athéisme in about 1587. The term atheist, in the sense of “one who denies or disbelieves in the existence of God”, predates atheism in English, being first used in about 1571. As a label of practical godlessness, atheist was used at least as early as 1577.

Definitions and Distinctions

Writers and scholars disagree about how best to classify and define atheism, and they contest what supernatural entities it applies to, whether it is an assertion in its own right or merely the absence of one, and whether it requires a conscious, explicit rejection. A variety of categories have been proposed to try to distinguish the various forms of atheism.

Range

Some of the controversy involved in defining atheism arises from the difficulty in reaching a consensus for the definitions of words such as deity and god. Different conceptions of god and deities lead to differing ideas regarding the application of atheism. In contexts where theism is defined as the belief in a singular, personal god, people who believe in a variety of other deities have been classified as atheists. These include deists and polytheists. In ancient Rome, Christians were accused of being atheists due to the fact that they did not worship the pagan gods. This view has fallen out of favor in the 20th century, with theism coming to be understood as an encompassing belief in any divinity.

Atheism is most contrasted with agnosticism when the definition of atheism used is the assertation that deities do not exist. The two positions are compatible, however, for those atheists who do not assert any knowledge of the non-existence of deities. Also, some non-theists self-identify as agnostic atheists.

The range of phenomena rejected in atheism includes anything from the existence of a god to the existence of any spiritual, transcendental, or supernatural concepts.

Types of Atheism

  • Implicit Atheism
    The absence of theistic belief without a conscious rejection of it
  • Explicit Atheism
    Conscious disbelief
  • Strong Atheism
    Explicit affirmation that gods do not exist
  • Weak (Negative) Atheism
    All other forms of non-theism
  • Positive Atheism
    Being morally upright
    Showing an understanding that religious people have reasons to believe
    No proselytizing or lecturing others about atheism
    Defending oneself with truthfulness instead of aiming to “win” any confrontations with outspoken atheophobes

Rationale

The broadest demarcation of atheistic rationale is between practical and theoretical atheism. The different forms of theoretical atheism derive from a particular rationale or philosophical argument. Practical atheism requires no specific argument and can include indifference to and ignorance of the idea of gods.

Practical Atheism

  • Also called Pragmatic Atheism
  • Individuals live as if there are no gods
  • Explain natural phenomena without resorting to the divine
  • Existence of gods is not denied, but may be designated unnecessary or useless
  • Gods neither provide purpose to life nor influence everyday life

Forms
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