Atheism

Atheism is the idea that there are no gods or deities. It is the opposite of theism, which is the belief that at least one god exists. People who believe in atheism think that there is no evidence to support the idea of gods, and they feel that it is up to those who believe in gods to explain why they think that way.

Atheistic ideas can be found very far back in history, in ancient times and in early Indian philosophy. In Europe, atheism became more common again during the Age of Enlightenment in the 16th century. By the 20th century, atheism had become an important way of thinking for many people around the world. Today, it is estimated that between 500 million to 1.1 billion people do not believe in deities.

People who are atheists often argue that belief in gods is not needed because there is no proof. They also think that it is simpler to believe there are no gods rather than to try to explain why a god would allow bad things to happen. Atheist groups work to protect ideas like science, freedom of thought, and secularism, which means that governments and rules should not be based on any one religion.

Definition

People can think about atheism in different ways. Some say it means not believing in any kind of god. Others say it means actively saying that gods do not exist.

There are two main ways people talk about atheism. One is when someone simply hasn’t thought about gods or doesn’t believe in them without really thinking too hard about it. The other is when someone thinks about it and decides that gods probably don’t exist. Some thinkers say that just not believing in gods counts as atheism, while others say you have to really think about it to be an atheist.

Atheism can also be split into two more ideas. One is when someone says for sure that gods do not exist. The other is when someone isn’t sure but also doesn’t believe in gods. Some people who aren’t sure if gods exist still call themselves atheists. Others think these are different ideas altogether.

Etymology

Long ago, in ancient Greek, there was a word that meant "godless." People used it to describe someone they thought didn’t respect the gods. Over time, the word started to mean more than just not respecting the gods — it came to mean not believing in any gods at all.

Later, this idea moved into other languages. In French, the word for someone who doesn’t believe in gods became athée, and this idea eventually made its way into English. Today, when we talk about atheism, we’re usually talking about not believing in any gods.

Arguments

Some people who do not believe in gods say this is because they think we can never really know for sure if a god exists. They feel that ideas about things we can't see, like gods, shouldn't be taken seriously.

Others say that beliefs about gods don't make sense. For example, they might say words like "God" have no real meaning. Some think that saying "God exists" isn't a true statement at all.

Many atheists also believe there is only one kind of basic stuff in the universe, like matter. They think there are no invisible divine beings. They believe science can explain everything using natural laws and things we can observe.

Some atheists argue that ideas about gods, like the idea of a perfect creator, don't fit together logically. They also point out that a world with pain and suffering doesn't seem to fit with the idea of a all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving God.

Philosophers like Ludwig Feuerbach and Sigmund Freud have suggested that ideas about God are made up by humans to meet our emotional needs. Others, like Karl Marx, thought religion was used by leaders to control ordinary people.

Atheism and ethics

See also: Secular ethics and Secular morality

Sociologist Phil Zuckerman studied how society works with and without belief in gods. He found that places with fewer people who believe in gods often have better living conditions. In the United States, he found that people who don’t believe in gods tend to be less prejudiced, less racist, and there are fewer murders in areas with more non-believers.

Some people think that without belief in a god, life might seem meaningless or there would be no reason to be good. However, many atheists believe that people can decide what is right and wrong without needing a god to tell them. They think that being good should come from wanting to do the right thing, not just because a god says so.

See also: Criticism of religion

Some well-known atheists have spoken out about what they see as problems with religions. They point to things like wars and unfair treatments that have sometimes been linked to religious beliefs. They argue that relying only on a god’s rules can lead to strict and unchanging ideas that don’t allow for different opinions.

However, some believers point out that not all atheist-led governments have been good either. They say that terrible actions by leaders like Stalin were not because of atheism but because of their strict ideas and control.

Some people who call themselves atheists still follow religious traditions. For example, there are atheistic forms of Judaism and Buddhism. These people don’t believe in a creator god but still value their religious practices and beliefs.

History

Main article: History of atheism

Ideas that we today would call atheistic go back a very long time. Some early Indian philosophies did not believe in gods. One of these, called Chārvāka, said there were no gods at all. This was very different from other Indian thoughts at the time.

In ancient Greece, most people still believed in gods. But some thinkers, like Democritus, tried to explain the world without gods. Anaxagoras was even called “the atheist” for saying the sun was a hot stone, not a god. Later, Epicurus taught that gods existed but did not care about people.

During the Middle Ages, very few people openly said they did not believe in God. But in the Renaissance, thinkers began to question old ideas. In modern times, more people started speaking out against belief in gods.

In the 20th century, many ideas and movements, like Marxism and humanism, did not include belief in gods. Some countries even made laws against religion. Today, there are writers who strongly criticize religion and argue for a society without religion. The first big meeting for people who don’t believe in gods was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of atheism

It can be hard to know exactly how many atheists there are in the world. People might think about atheism in different ways when answering questions about their beliefs. A study from 2010 found that about 9.6% of people around the world did not follow a religion, and about 2.0% said they were atheists. This did not include people who follow religions that do not believe in a god, like some Buddhists. From 2000 to 2010, the number of atheists changed very little.

Global studies in different years found that between 9% and 13% of people called themselves "convinced atheists." Countries with the most atheists in 2012 included China, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea.

In Europe, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Estonia had the highest percentages of people who did not believe in any god or spirit. Countries like Poland and Greece had much lower numbers.

In Asia, North Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and China have many people who do not follow a religion.

In Australasia, many people in Australia and New Zealand say they have no religion, which includes atheists.

In the United States, about 3.1% of adults say they are atheists. However, more people say they do not believe in a god when asked directly.

In recent years, more people in the Arab world have started talking about atheism, even though it can be difficult to do so openly.

Atheists are often viewed negatively around the world. Some people believe that someone must believe in a god to be moral. Studies have also shown that atheists tend to have higher levels of education and income, and they often think in more analytical ways. However, these differences are not fully understood and may depend on many factors.