Visitors to this site, especially those who knew me when I was a Christian, may have general questions about the primary content on this site: Atheism. In this FAQ, I’ll try to run down some of the most popular topics.
On Terminology and Definitions
What is Atheism?
Atheism is a response to the theist claim that a god exists. It is simply the null position: I do not believe gods exist. It is similar to the position most people take towards the Loch Ness Monster, or towards Bigfoot: they simply believe that these entities do not exist.
Atheism is not the belief that no god exists, or proving the inverse of the theist claim. I do not make this claim, and most atheists do not either.
Theism, in its strictest sense, posits an intervening god, gods, or deities, which is fundamentally different from the conception of Deism, to be discussed in a moment.
Why are you not an Agnostic?
I am! The trouble with agnosticism and atheism is they are the responses to two different questions. Gnosis, from the Greek “Knowledge,” refers to what one thinks that they know. A gnostic claims to know with full certainty about their beliefs, while an Agnostic is uncertain, either about the absolute nature of their knowledge, or their own ability to be sure of that knowledge.
So I am an Agnostic Atheist: I do not believe there are gods, but I don’t think we really have the capability for knowing for certain that no god exists.
A corrolary to this would be a Gnostic Atheist. This person would believe with certainty based on knowledge that there is no God, which is difficult in light of our very limited, human ability to ascertain knowledge.
Another fairly common position is that of a Gnostic Theist. They believe in the full ability to know that a God exists (generally based on personal transcendental experience), and make an absolute claim. I stand in opposition to this on both counts: first that it is impossible to know god exists and that it is much more plausible to disbelieve that a god exists.
What is Skepticism/Freethought/Secular Humanism?
Atheism is simply one belief set, but these labels are generally reserved for worldviews. There are several that you may have heard of before, without knowing their definition
Skepticism is the worldview that takes a questioning attitude towards any and all new information, including beliefs that are often taken for granted. Asking “Why?” without accepting sub-par answers is a mantra therein, and it often extends to evidentialism, which requires evidence for claims made. Many atheists hold that position because they are first skeptics, and many skeptics often dismiss other supernatural claims because of lack of evidence (for example Buddhist claims of reincarnation).
Freethought is an active application of the scientific method to test claims, and that claims should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or dogma. Thus it is somewhat inline with the skeptic notion that no information should be taken for granted, but places greater emphasis on reason.
Secular humanism is a subset of Humanism, which is a worldview which places a strong value on the human life. Secular humanists reject dogma and religious tradition as a basis for morality and policy, and triumph philosophical and secular justice and ethics. Secular humanism arose from deism, the belief held commonly during the time of the Enlightenment, as well as by several of our founding fathers. The principles of the U.S. Constitution (specifically the bill of rights) were born out of secular humanist values and principles.
Deism? What is that?
Deism is the belief that there is an ultimate deity in charge of setting the universe in motion that then stepped back, leaving it to run it’s natural course. It specifically rejects the claims of a personal god (a la Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and many others), and has some extremely influential claimants. Thomas Jefferson (the Jefferson Bible), and Thomas Paine, author of “Age of Reason,” were both instrumental in America’s independence, as well as the initial set of laws the country was founded on. Thus, the U.S. was founded on secular values, rather than any specific set of religious dogmas.
Common Objections to Atheism
You were never a Real Christian!
Besides the fact that the Bible points out that no one has the authority to judge whether someone is a Christian or not, the whole point of the Jesus-message is that belief is the absolution of sins, not incumbent on any action. Therefore, when I believed Jesus existed etc. I prove that I was a Christian. This is a fairly weak argument, as it simply proves the ludicrous notion that because I believe in one supernatural being I could be forgiven of transgressions, including those that I was damned for before I was born. You should also ask yourself, if you think that works-based actions are the basis for your Christianity, are you a true Christian yourself?
I left quite a few posts up in my Spiritual Growth category from when I still claimed Christ, for posterity.
Why not just trust God anyways? Wouldn’t that be less risky than being an atheist?
This is known as Pascal’s Wager, and it is a false dichotomy: there are more than just the choice between believing in god or not, and there is quite a bit of drawback to being a Christian. Furthermore, there are multiple gods I would have to consider worshiping; what if I chose the wrong one. I generally don’t believe there’s enough evidence to merit belief in any god, and I answered this in a post that focuses on the historicity of Jesus.
You just have to have Faith! Don’t trust your instincts, lean not on your own understanding!
1 Peter 3:15 says “Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope you have.” When I was a Christian, I thought it was my duty to know why I believed what I did. To believe something without merit, especially when dealing with eternal security, is just plain dumb. In no other realm in which we exist would you do that.
Acts says that the early disciples checked the scriptures when they were taught new things. I thought that there was a need to have an intellectual, reasoned foundation for one’s faith, because otherwise, if it is just what one happens to be taught from childhood, then children born to Islamics, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, or any other spirituality or religion have just as much claim to being right as anyone else.
So I investigated for 10 years, which ultimately led me to dismiss the Jesus of the bible as a reliable portrayal of any man that actually existed. This, coupled with other factors, led me away from the church. It was not because I wanted to, but because I could not believe without grappling with an insurmountable amount of evidence to the contrary, as well as being intellectually dishonest for the rest of my life.
You just want a free license to sin!
No. I am no more evil or sinful with respect to intrapersonal harm than I was before. Just because I no longer worry about what a god thinks of my actions does not absolve me from moral responsibility. If I steal, lie, cheat, sleep around, or do any other number of things, my reputation (the one that matters in this life) will proceed to be become worth squat. I am a functioning member of society, and I recognize that I need to “treat others as I would like to be treated.”
There are certain dated practices that I no longer hold myself to, but most Christians don’t do this as well. Many teachers in our schools are female, in contradiction to 2 Tim 2:12. Christians have regularly been at the forefront of the movement to abolish slavery, contrary to God’s command to the Jews (and therefore to Christians) to make slaves of other nations. Christian women often cut their hair, and men often grow their hair long, in direct conflict with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11. I am no more sinful than most Christians are, directly ignoring scripture where it suits their prerogative.
What about _______?
Many of the common arguments for the existence of god have been thoroughly debunked, and I have read them. If you want to talk about anything in detail, toss me an Email at coffeeshopatheist@gmail.com and I will try to answer as best I can. Better yet, see if there is a post on the topic already using the search function on the right, then leave a comment!
One of the earliest subscribers to this blog had a graduate degree in apologetics. We had extremely good conversation, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss my views, and perhaps change them in response to new evidence or ideas.
Personal
Why are you vocal?
The Out Campaign is a recent subset of some of the more prominent atheists in the movement, that is designed to get people that are closet atheists out and talking. Growing up in the bible belt and being a prominent leader for many people in the church means I had a wide audience for my “coming out.” The principle behind the movement is to show that atheists are real, normal people, and we are not the villains that pastors sometimes make us out to be.
For those reasons, I speak out about my atheism, and make others aware that there are objections to their faith from at least one person that they already know. This also has provided me a unique opportunity to work with people who are also questioning their faith, and be a resource or moderator between people of different faith backgrounds.
Why do you write?
This is answered better in various blog posts in the Atheist Movement category, but very simply, I find it beneficial to share the reality of what I have learned. I found in atheism the “freedom” that was promised to me by Jesus but never existed. I think that the advancement of our humanity will be achieved much faster if we can shake off supernatural beliefs that have no basis in reality, and move towards an actual understanding of ourselves.
I think that religion harms people, whether they know it or not. I experienced this harm first-hand through Christianity, which presupposes that the natural human state is evil and deserving of punishment. I do not believe this is a good foundation to produce a healthy and happy people, and therefore I write to inform people of how these beliefs are harmful.
I think that the psychological state of some people is so warped as to render them unable to disconnect from religion, as they could not handle life without the reassurance that is their projection of god. However, to paraphrase a quote I saw the other day, “Those who are hurt trust god, those who end the hurt ask questions.” Therefore I write to try to get people to ask questions.
So enjoy this blog, and let me know (in comments) anything you want to know!
Last Updated 1/12/2012
