Atheism

Portrait of Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach (1723 - 1789) was an early advocate of atheism in Europe.

In terms of contemporary definitions of atheism, the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary defines atheism in two ways: "1) a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods 2) a philosophical or religious position characterized by disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods." Lexico.com (Oxford University Press) defines atheism as "Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods." See: Definition of atheism

Atheism, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and other philosophy reference works, is the denial of the existence of God. Paul Edwards, who was a prominent atheist and editor of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy, defined an atheist as "a person who maintains that there is no God." See also: Strong atheism

Beginning in the latter portion of the 20th century and continuing beyond, many agnostics and atheists have argued that the definition of atheism should be a lack of belief in God or gods. See: Purpose of redefining atheism and Weak atheism

Atheism has been examined by many disciplines in terms of its effects on individuals and on societies and these effects will be covered below.

As far as individuals adopting an atheistic worldview, atheism has a number of causal factors and these will be elaborated on below as well.

As of March 2025, data compiled by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary indicates that there are 831,000 fewer atheists in the world than a year ago. On March 15, 2024, Frontier Partners International reported concerning global atheism: "Simultaneously, atheism, which once saw a peak around 1970 with 165 million adherents, is on the decline. The current growth trend for atheism is -0.12 percent, with their number falling from 147 million in 2020 to 146 million in 2024." The world's atheists have a below replacement level of births (See: Atheism and fertility rates). See also: Global atheism statistics and Desecularization

Types of atheism

See also: Schools of atheist thought and Atheist factions

Diagoras of Melos was an ancient Greek atheist, poet and Sophist of the 5th century BC. See: History of atheism

The history of atheism can be dated as early as the 5th century B.C. Diagoras of Melos was a 5th-century B.C. Greek atheist, poet and Sophist. Since then many schools of atheist thought have developed.

Atheism and why do atheists state they disbelieve?

See also: Weak atheism and Strong atheism

Atheists claim there are two main reasons for their denial of the existence of God and/or disbelief in God: the conviction that there is positive evidence or argument that God does not exist (strong atheism, which is also sometimes called positive atheism), and their claim that theists bear the burden of proof to show that God exists, that they have failed to do so, and that belief is therefore unwarranted (weak atheism).

As alluded to above, theists and others have posited a number of causes of atheism and this matter will be further addressed in this article.

Attempts to broaden the definition of atheism

In 1876, Charles Bradlaugh proposed that atheism does not assert "there is no God," and by doing so he endeavored to dilute the traditional definition of atheism. As noted above, in the latter portion of the 20th century, the proposition that the definition of atheism be defined as a mere lack of belief in God or gods began to be commonly advanced by agnostics/atheists. It is now common for atheists/agnostics and theists to debate the meaning of the word atheism.

Critics of a broader definition of atheism as a mere lack of belief often point out that such a definition is contrary to the traditional/historical meaning of the word and that such a definition makes atheism indistinguishable from agnosticism.

For more information, please see:

• Definition of atheism

• Definitions of atheist and agnostic

Some common types of atheism

Joseph Stalin's atheistic regime killed tens of millions of people.

See: Atheism and mass murder

Below are a few common ways that atheism manifests itself:

1. Militant atheism, which continues to suppress and oppress religious believers today.

Topics related to militant atheism:

• Atheism and communism

• Atheism and intolerance

• New Atheism

• Atheism and dogmatism

• Atheism and open-mindedness

2. Philosophical atheism - Atheist philosophers assert that God does not exist. (See also: Naturalism and Materialism)

Secular humanism is a philosophy that holds that human beings are the most important figures, and that social problems are best solved without the involvement of religious doctrine.

The philosophy of postmodernism is atheistic (see: Atheism and postmodernism).

3. Atheistic Buddhism (some schools of Buddhism are theistic)

4. Practical atheism: atheism of the life - that is, living as though God does not exist.

5. Other schools of atheist thought: Schools of atheist thought

Atheist factions

See also: Atheist factions and Western atheism, schisms and political polarization and Atheist organizations

On July 24, 2020, the atheist PZ Myers wrote about atheism: "Deep rifts, ongoing fragmentation, and crumbling reputations seems to be the order of the day in atheism." See also: Atheist factions and Atheist organizations and scandals and Atheist scandals

Richard Dawkins was a central figure in the Elevatorgate controversy.

Jacques Rousseau wrote in the Daily Maverick: "Elevatorgate..has resulted in three weeks of infighting in the secular community. Some might observe that we indulge in these squabbles fairly frequently." An ex-atheist wrote: "As an Atheist for 40 years, I noticed that there is not just a wide variety of Atheist positions, but there exists an actual battle between certain Atheist factions."

Atheist infighting

See also: Atheist movement and Atheism and anger and Atheists and conflict resolution

Blair Scott served on the American Atheists board of directors. Mr. Scott formerly served as a State Director for the American Atheists organization in the state of Alabama. On December 1, 2012, he quit his post as a director of outreach for the American Atheists due to infighting within the American atheist movement.

Mr. Blair wrote: "I have spent the last week mulling over what I want to do at this point in the movement. I’m tired of the in-fighting: at every level. I am especially tired of allowing myself to get sucked into it and engaging in the very behavior that is irritating...me."

The atheist Neil Carter wrote: "Friends of mine have noted lately how biting and critical the atheist community can be, not only toward outsiders, but even toward its own members. Has there ever been a subculture more prone to eating its own than this one? I really don’t know."

The atheist David Smalley said about the atheist movement: "We're eating our own... We’re disintegrating."

See also: Antitheism and antisocial behavior

Atheist infighting causing fundraising difficulties

The atheist Hemant Mehta said about raising money from fellow nonbelievers: "Meanwhile, I’ve had one hell of a time convincing people to give to the Foundation Beyond Belief — and I help lead that organization."

See also: Atheist organizations and fundraising and Atheism and charity

See also: Atheist organizations and fundraising and Atheist fundraising vs. religious fundraising and Atheism and charity

In 2017, the atheist activist Lee Moore declared about American atheist organizations:

“

If you look at the major atheist groups right now, like the national groups, the ones that are doing the real activist work... They are not bringing in the kind of donations they used to. Most of them are starved for cash. They're downsizing left and right. Because people aren't just giving like they used to. And I talked to a lot of the major donors out there and they said, "Well, we're kind of tired of seeing the atheist community just fight amongst itself and not really get anything done. We'd rather not give money if we don't think it's going to go somewhere."

”

Eddie Tabash on atheist argumentativeness

See also: Atheism and social intelligence and Atheism and emotional intelligence

The American atheist activist Eddie Tabash said in a speech to the Michigan Atheists State Convention, "Since we are a bit of a cantankerous, opinionated lot...".

Angry and bitter demeanor of militant atheists

See also: Atheism and anger and Atheism and unforgiveness

On January 1, 2011, CNN reported:

“

People unaffiliated with organized religion, atheists and agnostics also report anger toward God either in the past, or anger focused on a hypothetical image - that is, what they imagined God might be like - said lead study author Julie Exline, Case Western Reserve University psychologist. In studies on college students, atheists and agnostics reported more anger at God during their lifetimes than believers.

”

An angry atheist speaking to a woman with a Bible in her hand.

The Christian philosopher James S. Spiegel says that the path from Christianity to atheism among several of his friends involved moral slippages such as resentment or unforgiveness. See: Atheism and unforgiveness

According to Anthony DeStefano:

“

But are (atheists) really dangerous, too? You bet they are. The truth is, the atheist position is incapable of supporting any coherent system of morality other than ruthless social Darwinism. That’s why it has caused more deaths, murders and bloodshed than any other belief system in the history of the world. Atheists, of course, are always claiming hysterically that Christianity has been responsible for most of the world’s wars, but that’s just another example of atheistic ignorance. The main reasons for war have always been economic gain, territorial gain, civil and revolutionary conflicts. According to Philip Axelrod’s monumental "Encyclopedia of Wars," only 6.98 percent or all wars from 8000 BC to the present were religious in nature. If you subtract Islamic wars from the equation, only 3.2 percent of wars were due to specifically Christian causes. That means that over 96 percent of all the wars on this planet were due to worldly reasons.

”

Various studies found that traumatic events in people's lives have a positive correlation with "emotional atheism".

The atheist and lesbian Greta Christina told the journalist Chris Mooney on the Point of Inquiry podcast, "there isn't one emotion" that affects atheists "but anger is one of the emotions that many of us have ...[it] drives others to participate in the movement."

Social science research indicates that antitheists score the highest among atheists when it comes to personality traits such as narcissism, dogmatism, and anger. Furthermore, they scored lowest when it comes to agreeableness and positive relations with others.

For additional information, please see: Atheism and social intelligence and Atheism and emotional intelligence and Atheism and unforgiveness and Atheism and bitterness

Atheism and its retention rate in individuals

See also: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals and Conversion from atheism to Christianity and Atheism and children and Desecularization and Atheism and apathy

In 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household in the United States remain atheists as adults. See: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals

In 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that only about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household remain atheists as adults. See also: Atheism and children

A 2012 study by the General Social Survey of the social science research organization NORC at the University of Chicago found that belief in God rises with age, even in atheistic nations. The Pew Forum reports about American atheists: "Among self-identified atheists and agnostics, the median age is 34, and roughly four-in-ten adults in these categories are between the ages of 18 and 29." See also: Atheism and immaturity.

In addition, in atheistic Communist China, Christianity is experiencing rapid growth (see: Growth of Christianity in China). Also, there was a collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union (see: Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union).

See also:

• Desecularization
• Decline of the atheist movement
• Atheism and inspiration
• Atheist indoctrination

Difficulty in participating in atheist community

See also: Atheism and loneliness and Atheism and apathy and Atheism and motivation and Internet atheism

According to an international study done by William Bainbridge, atheism is frequent among people whose interpersonal social obligations are weak and is also linked to lower fertility rates in advanced industrial nations (See also: Atheism and fertility rates). See also: Atheism and loneliness and Atheism and social skills

In comparison to many religious groups, which have many meetings/conferences in numerous places in a given day or week that are convenient to attend, atheist meetings and atheist conferences are sparse. One of the causes of this situation is the apathy of many atheists (see: Atheism and apathy and Atheism and motivation).

Most atheist organizations are relatively small in terms of active participants as most atheists are apathetic about organized atheism (see: Atheism and apathy). An exception is the Communist Party of China, which requires its members be atheists (see: Atheism and China and Atheism and communism). At the same time, due to the explosive growth of Christianity in China, there are now more Christians in China than Chinese who belong to the Communist Party of China (see also: East Asia and global desecularization).

In recent times, the number of people attending atheist conferences has grown smaller. Atheist David Smalley wrote: "And we wonder why we’re losing elections, losing funding, and our conferences are getting smaller." In 2017, the atheist activist Lee Moore said about atheist conferences, "Most conferences are gone now. They're either gone or in some kind of life support form."

Jerry Coyne speaking at a 2013 atheist meeting entitled The Amazing Meeting (TAM). TAM is an annual meeting.

Atheist Francois Tremblay wrote about the difficulty of motivating atheists to engage in activities related to atheism: "One last problem that undermines any propagation of atheism is inspiration. Let's be honest here, "there is no god!" is not a very motivating call for most people." (see also: Atheism and inspiration). The atheist Jerry Coyne said about atheist meetings/conferences, "But to me the speakers and talks have often seemed repetitive: the same crew of jet-set skeptics giving the same talks."

In an essay entitled How the Atheist Movement Failed Me, an atheist woman noted that participation in the atheist community is often expensive due to the cost of attending atheist conferences and even local atheist meetings in restaurants and bars challenged her modest budget. As a result of the challenges that atheists commonly have in terms of socializing in person, many atheists turn to the internet in terms of communicating with other atheists. Often internet communication between atheists turns contentious (see: Atheist factions).

Christian organizations have been significantly more successful than atheist organizations as far as evangelizing via the internet (see: Internet evangelism: Christians vs. atheists and Internet atheism). Beginning sometime between 2008 and 2012, there has been a big decline in internet atheism in terms of web traffic (See: Internet atheism web traffic volume).

For more information, please see: Atheism and loneliness

Abandonment of atheism and communist regimes

• Growth of Christianity in China
• Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union
• Growth of Protestantism/Evangelicalism in Russia

Decline of the atheist movement

See also: Decline of the atheist movement and Morale of the atheist movement and Desecularization and Atheist movement

In 2011, atheist Jacques Berlinerblau declared: "The Golden Age of Secularism has passed."

Numerous atheists have declared that the "atheist movement is dead" or that it is dying. See: Decline of the atheist movement

Before the atheist movement died/declined, various atheists attempted to change the public's perception concerning atheism and atheists, but they were largely unsuccessful (see: Attempts to positively rebrand atheism).

At the 2018 American Atheists convention, the ex-president of the American Atheists organization David Silverman declared regarding the atheist movement being in a demoralized state:

“

It is a hard time to be an atheist activist. This has affected us. And it has affected our community... ...it has really affected us. We are suffering a level of defeatism that I have never seen before... We feel the loss. And we feel like we have lost. We feel like we lost the election... We see this cascade of attack coming down at us over and over from all different directions and we feel like it's over. I have heard so many times it makes me sick. It makes me sad. It feels like we lost. The apathy that follows. It doesn't matter. We can't win anyways. It's useless to fight. This apathy is infecting us. It's hurting us. And people are reacting to each other now. And so that is causing a division. Lots and lots of division in our movement. Hard, bad division... And that has resulted in a splintering and factioning of the movement that I have never seen before and none of us have. In other words, we're in a bad situation and it's getting worse.

”

In 2017, atheist David Smalley has indicated that leftist/progressive atheists were "killing the atheist movement" through being contentious and divisive (see also: Atheist factions). Former new atheist PZ Myers, who subscribes to progressive politics, says he is no longer a member of the atheist movement.

The atheist movement saw a number of setbacks during the latter portion of the 20th century and beyond in terms of historical events/trends (See: Causes of desecularization). As a result, it has lost a considerable amount of confidence (see also: Decline of the atheist movement and Atheists and the endurance of religion).

Globally, the atheist population is declining in terms of the percentage of the world's population that are atheists (see: Global atheism statistics).

Atheism and Communism

see also: Atheism and communism and Militant atheism and Atheism and economics and Atheism and mass murder and Atheist cults and Atheism and Karl Marx

Vladimir Lenin

Atheists Karl Marx, Vladmir Lenin and Chou En-lai

Karl Marx said "[Religion] is the opium of the people." Marx also stated: "Communism begins from the outset (Owen) with atheism; but atheism is at first far from being communism; indeed, that atheism is still mostly an abstraction."

Vladimir Lenin similarly wrote regarding atheism and Communism: "A Marxist must be a materialist, i.e., an enemy of religion, but a dialectical materialist, i.e., one who treats the struggle against religion not in an abstract way, not on the basis of remote, purely theoretical, never varying preaching, but in a concrete way, on the basis of the class struggle which is going on in practice and is educating the masses more and better than anything else could."

In 1955, the Chinese Communist leader Chou En-lai declared, "We Communists are atheists".

In 2014, the Communist Party of China reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.

In 2016, the International Business Times reported:

“

A senior Chinese advisor on religious affairs has said the country should promote atheism throughout society, in remarks that appear to reflect a deepening campaign to reinforce traditional Marxist values in China — and could add to concern about official attitudes among believers in the country’s five officially recognized religions.

”

Russian Revolution caused the most notable spread of atheism

According to the University of Cambridge, historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power."

Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg, a Soviet physicist, wrote that the "Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists." However, prior to this, the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution established a state which was anti-Roman Catholicism/Christian in nature (anti-clerical deism and anti-religious atheism and played a significant role in the French Revolution), with the official ideology being the Cult of Reason; during this time thousands of believers were suppressed and executed by the guillotine.

Atheistic Communism and mass murder

See also: Atheism and mass murder and Atheist atrocities

The militant atheistic regime of Joseph Stalin killed tens of millions of people.

Joseph Stalin is the figure on the right and Vladimir Lenin is the figure on the left,

See: Atheism and mass murder

It has been estimated that in less than the past 100 years, governments under the banner of Communism have caused the death of somewhere between 40,472,000 and 259,432,000 human lives. Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term democide (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987. Richard Dawkins has attempted to engage in historical revisionism concerning atheist atrocities and Dawkins was shown to be in gross error. See also: Atheism and historical revisionism

Christian apologist Gregory Koukl wrote relative to atheism and mass murder that "the assertion is that religion has caused most of the killing and bloodshed in the world. There are people who make accusations and assertions that are empirically false. This is one of them." Koukl details the number of people killed in various events involving theism and compares them to the much higher tens of millions of people killed under regimes that advocated atheism. As noted earlier, Richard Dawkins has attempted to engage in historical revisionism concerning atheist atrocities and Dawkins was shown to be in gross error.

Koukl summarized by stating:

“

It is true that it's possible that religion can produce evil, and generally when we look closer at the detail it produces evil because the individual people are actually living in a rejection of the tenets of Christianity and a rejection of the God that they are supposed to be following. So it can produce it, but the historical fact is that outright rejection of God and institutionalizing of atheism actually does produce evil on incredible levels. We're talking about tens of millions of people as a result of the rejection of God.

”

Theodore Beale notes concerning atheism and mass murder:

“

Apparently it was just an amazing coincidence that every Communist of historical note publicly declared his atheism … .there have been twenty-eight countries in world history that can be confirmed to have been ruled by regimes with avowed atheists at the helm … These twenty-eight historical regimes have been ruled by eighty-nine atheists, of whom more than half have engaged in democidal acts of the sort committed by Stalin and Mao … The total body count for the ninety years between 1917 and 2007 is approximately 148 million dead at the bloody hands of fifty-two atheists, three times more than all the human beings killed by war, civil war, and individual crime in the entire twentieth century combined. The historical record of collective atheism is thus 182,716 times worse on an annual basis than Christianity’s worst and most infamous misdeed, the Spanish Inquisition. It is not only Stalin and Mao who were so murderously inclined, they were merely the worst of the whole Hell-bound lot. For every Pol Pot whose infamous name is still spoken with horror today, there was a Mengistu, a Bierut, and a Choibalsan, godless men whose names are now forgotten everywhere but in the lands they once ruled with a red hand. Is a 58 percent chance that an atheist leader will murder a noticeable percentage of the population over which he rules sufficient evidence that atheism does, in fact, provide a systematic influence to do bad things? If that is not deemed to be conclusive, how about the fact that the average atheist crime against humanity is 18.3 million percent worse than the very worst depredation committed by Christians, even though atheists have had less than one-twentieth the number of opportunities with which to commit them. If one considers the statistically significant size of the historical atheist set and contrasts it with the fact that not one in a thousand religious leaders have committed similarly large-scale atrocities, it is impossible to conclude otherwise, even if we do not yet understand exactly why this should be the case. Once might be an accident, even twice could be coincidence, but fifty-two incidents in ninety years reeks of causation!

”

Xi Jinping is the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China which requires that all their members be atheists.

See: China and atheism and Atheism and communism

See also:

• Militant atheism
• Atheism and communism
• Soviet Union and morality
• Secular left
• Atheism and politics

Communism and religious oppression

See also: Communism and religious persecution and Atheistic communism and torture and Atheism and forced labor and China and involuntary organ harvesting

The atheism in Communist regimes has been and continues to be militant atheism and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.

Religious persecution in the Soviet Union

See also: Soviet atheism

The persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union was the result of the violently atheist Soviet government. In the first five years after the October Revolution, 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were murdered, many on the orders of Leon Trotsky. When Joseph Stalin came to power in 1927, he ordered his secret police, under Genrikh Yagoda to intensify persecution of Christians. In the next few years, 50,000 clergy were murdered, many were tortured, including crucifixion. "Russia turned red with the blood of martyrs", said Father Gleb Yakunin of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to Orthodox Church sources, as many as fifty million Orthodox believers may have died in the twentieth century, mainly from persecution by Communists.

With its large population, China has the largest population of atheists.

The religious landscape of China is quickly changing, however, due to the rapid growth of Christianity. See also: China and atheism and Global atheism

In addition, in the atheistic and Communist Soviet Union, 44 anti-religious museums were opened and the largest was the 'The Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism' in Leningrad’s Kazan Cathedral. Despite intense effort by the atheistic leaders of the Soviet Union, their efforts were not effective in converting the masses to atheism.

Religious persecution in Communist China

See also: China and atheism

China has the world's largest atheist population (see: China and atheism). China is a Communist country. In 1999, the publication Christian Century reported that "China has persecuted religious believers by means of harassment, prolonged detention, and incarceration in prison or 'reform-through-labor' camps and police closure of places of worship." In 2003, owners of Bibles in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were closed. China continues to practice religious oppression today.

The efforts of China's atheist leaders in promoting atheism, however, are increasingly losing their effectiveness and the number of Christians in China is rapidly growing (see: Growth of Christianity in China). China's state-sponsored atheism and atheistic indoctrination have been a failure and a 2007 religious survey in China indicated that only 15% of Chinese identified themselves as atheists.

The above photograph shows the Russian Nikolai Khmara, a new Baptist convert in the Soviet Union, after his arrest by the KGB. He was tortured to death and his tongue was cut out.

Researchers estimate that tens of thousands of Falun Gong prisoners in Communist China have been killed to supply a financially lucrative trade in human organs and cadavers, and that these human rights abuses may be an ongoing concern.

Religious persecution in North Korea

North Korea is a repressive Communist state and is officially atheistic. The North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean Christians. Open Doors, an organization based in the United States, has put North Korea at the very top of its list of countries where Christians face significant persecution - for 12 years in a row.

Atheistic Communism and torture

See: Atheistic communism and torture

Atheistic Communist regimes and forced labor

See also: Atheism and forced labor and Atheism and slavery

In atheistic Communist regimes forced labor has often played a significant role in their economies and this practice continues to this day (see: Atheism and forced labor).

Atheism and the internet

See also: Internet atheism

As noted above, sometime between 2008 and 2012, there has been a big drop in internet atheism in terms of web traffic (See: Internet atheism web traffic volume).

In addition, in terms of reach and its ability to influence, internet atheism is ineffectual (See: Internet atheism has a small audience and an insignificant influence on the world).

Google Trends: From 2004 to June 2025, the number of worldwide Google searches for the term atheist is significantly down

See also: Google trends - Global searches for atheism and agnosticism terms

According to Google Trends, as of June 2025, worldwide Google searches for the term atheist is significantly below its levels in January 2024.

Atheism and politics

See also: Atheism and politics and Atheism and political science

Historically, atheists have favored the left side of the political aisle (see: Atheism and politics).

According to the Pew Forum, in the United States: "About two-thirds of atheists (69%) identify as Democrats (or lean in that direction), and a majority (56%) call themselves political liberals (compared with just one-in-ten who say they are conservatives)."

In some regions where the secular left has considerable influence, they are losing an increasing amount of their power. For example, in secular Europe right-wing, nationalist parties are growing and in China conservative Protestantism is growing rapidly (see: Growth of Christianity in China).

For more information please see:

• Atheism and politics
• Atheism and authoritarianism
• Secular left
• Decline of the secular left
• Atheism and socialism
• Secular right
• Atheism and political science
• Western atheism, schisms and political polarization

Atheism and history

Nikolai Yezhov walking with Joseph Stalin in the top photo taken in the mid-1930s. Subsequent to his execution in 1940, Yezhov was edited out of the photo by Soviet Union censors.

See also: History of atheism and Atheists and historical illiteracy and Atheism and historical revisionism and Atheist indoctrination

The history of atheism: History of atheism

Atheists and historical illiteracy

A common complaint concerning many atheists is their lack of depth when it comes to knowledge of history and historiography - particularly in areas such as historicity of Jesus Christ and atheist mass murders in history.

For more information, please see:

• Atheists and historical illiteracy
• Historicity of Jesus Christ

Atheists and historical revisionism

Atheists commonly engage in historical revisionism in order to illegitimately distort the historical record (see: Atheism and historical revisionism).

Religion/irreligion and war

See also: Irreligion/religion and war and Atheism and world peace

Louise Ridley (assistant news editor at the Huffington Post UK), Theodore Beale and others point out that academic studies and other research consistently challenge the link between religion and war.

Atheism and economics

• Atheism and economics
• Atheism and economic productivity
• Atheism and economic prosperity
• Atheists and income

Analysis of atheism and common objections to atheism

Commonly Cited Arguments Against Atheism and For Theism

See: Arguments for theism and against atheism

Anselm of Canterbury's version of the ontological argument appeared in his work Proslogium.

The majority of philosophers of religion, or those who have extensively studied the issue of the existence of God, are theists (72 percent).

In relation to the debate between theism and atheism, theists often criticize atheism as being contrary to persuasive argument and have a number of arguments against atheism (See: Arguments for theism and against atheism).

Within Christendom, the discipline of Christian apologetics has been developed. Christian apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith through logic/evidence based arguments. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia (from Greek ἀπολογία), which means "speaking in defense".

Arguments for the existence of God include:

• Teleological argument: The universe exhibits overwhelming evidence of deliberate, intelligent, purposeful design, which implies an intelligent designer. See also: Arguments against evolution and Origin of life

• Evidential apologetics is an approach in Christian apologetics which emphasizes the use of evidence to demonstrate that God exists and that there is compelling evidence to support Christianity and the Bible. In addition, there are various arguments that atheists or other unbelievers weigh evidence improperly (see: Atheism and evidence).

• Moral argument. Objective morality exists. Atheism lacks objective moral standards. Not possessing a coherent basis for morality, atheists are fundamentally incapable of having a coherent system of morality (See also: Atheism and morality and Atheist population and immorality and Atheism and hedonism and Atheism and lust and Atheist hypocrisy) . Atheism leads to moral and cultural decline (see: Atheism and culture).

• Cosmological argument: Every event in our universe necessarily has a cause. However, it is impossible that there should be an unending chain of causes going back. Therefore, there necessarily must be a cause distinct from the universe as we know it which is capable of causing all things and is itself uncaused. Atheism denies that that first cause is God. Christians point out that the question "Who created God" is an illogical question. See also: Atheism and the origin of the universe

The argument from beauty is a commonly used argument for the existence of God.

• Historical arguments for the existence of God (subset of evidential apologetics). For example, arguments stemming from historical accounts such as Christian historical apologetics, Christian legal apologetics and archaeological evidence such as Bible archaeology

• Argument from beauty

• Argument from religious experience

• Bible prophecy

• Atheism and presuppositional apologetics

See also:

• Rebuttals to atheist arguments
• Pascal's wager
• Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian

Biblical statements concerning atheism

See also: Bible verses relating to atheism

The writers of the Bible considered the existence of God to be self-evident and Moses simply wrote: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1).

Accordingly, the psalmist David declared:

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." — Psalms 14:1 (KJV)

Atheism and debate

See also: Atheism debates and Atheism vs. theism

Dr. Greg Bahnsen became known as "the man atheists fear most" due to Michael Martin's cancellation of their scheduled debate.

As far as atheism debates, the majority of the public debates are Atheism vs. Christianity debates (although there have been a few Atheism vs. Islam debates).

Beginning in the latter part of the 20th century, there were a number of notable instances of prominent atheists being reluctant to debate (see: Notable cases of prominent atheists being reluctant to debate).

On May 14, 2011, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published a news story entitled Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God. In The Daily Telegraph article Dr. Daniel Came, a member of the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University was quoted as writing to fellow atheist Richard Dawkins concerning his refusal to debate Dr. William Lane Craig, "The absence of a debate with the foremost apologist for Christian theism is a glaring omission on your CV and is of course apt to be interpreted as cowardice on your part."

Greg Bahnsen became known as the "man atheists fear most". This is because Harvard-educated Michael Martin was scheduled to debate Bahnsen but pulled out of the debate at the "eleventh hour". A press release at the time said that Dr. Martin offered ruses on why he pulled out and didn't want the scheduled debate recorded but the real reason was that "...Michael Martin is afraid that he will be publicly humiliated just as his friend and fellow atheist, Dr. Gordon Stein, was...".

In 1990, Michael Martin indicated there was a general absence of an atheistic response to contemporary work in the philosophy of religion and in jest he indicated that it was his "cross to bear" to respond to theistic arguments. See also: Atheology and Atheist apologetics

A majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the naturalistic evolutionary position since World War II have been atheists. After doing poorly in a series of debates in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, evolutionists are generally reluctant to debate (see: Creation vs. evolution debates).

Atheism and morality/ethics

The atheist PZ Myers declared: "I am so, so tired of hearing about atheist scandals and scumbaggery."

See also: Atheism and morality

See also: Atheism and morality and Atheist population and immorality and Atheist hypocrisy and Religion and morality

Objective morality incompatible with atheism

Under an atheist worldview, there is no logical basis for objective morality or ultimate meaning and purpose. See also: Atheism and morality and Atheism and moral relativism and Atheism and meaninglessness

Atheism and moral relativism

See also: Atheism and moral relativism and Atheism and morality

Dr. Phil Fernandes states the following regarding atheism and moral relativism:

“

Nietzsche preached that a group of "supermen" must arise with the courage to create their own values through their "will to power." Nietzsche rejected the "soft" values of Christianity (brotherly love, turning the other cheek, charity, compassion, etc.); he felt they hindered man's creativity and potential.... Many other atheists agree with Nietzsche concerning moral relativism. British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) once wrote, "Outside human desires there is no moral standard." A. J. Ayer believed that moral commands did not result from any objective standard above man. Instead, Ayer stated that moral commands merely express one's subjective feelings. When one says that murder is wrong, one is merely saying that he or she feels that murder is wrong. Jean-Paul Sartre, a French existentialist, believed that there is no objective meaning to life. Therefore, according to Sartre, man must create his own values. There are many different ways that moral relativists attempt to determine what action should be taken. Hedonism is probably the most extreme. It declares that whatever brings the most pleasure is right. In other words, if it feels good, do it. If this position is true, then there is no basis from which to judge the actions of Adolph Hitler as being evil.

”

Atheism and various types of immorality

The perverse and cruel atheist Marquis de Sade in prison, 18th century line engraving. See: Atheism and sadism

• Atheism and human rights violations
• Atheism and sexual immorality articles
• Atheism and violence articles
• Atheism and deception articles
• Atheism and unforgiveness articles
• Atheist mass shooters
• List of atheist shooters and serial killers
• Atheism and various types of immorality

Atheism and sociopathy

See: Atheism and sociopathy

Atheist mass shooters and serial killers

• Atheist mass shooters

• List of atheist shooters and serial killers

Study: U.S. public perception of atheist morality

In 2014, a University of Kentucky study was published by Will M. Gervais, which was entitled "Everything is permitted? People intuitively judge immorality as representative of atheists", and the study indicated that "even atheist participants viewed immorality as significantly more representative of atheists than of other people."

Barna Group studies: Atheism and morality

Barna Group study on the behavior of atheists vs. evangelical Christians:

Richard Deem wrote:

“

A random sample of 1003 adults were surveyed in May, 2008 by The Barna Group for their participation in a number of negative behaviors within the previous week. The results showed that there were vast differences in the behaviors of evangelicals compared to agnostics/atheists. These results show that atheists/agnostics participate in morally questionable behaviors to a much greater degree than evangelical Christians - an average of nearly five times the frequency!

”

Barna Group study related to atheist beliefs about behaviors:

The Barna Group found that atheists and agnostics in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality.

Given the many diseases associated with homosexuality, the biblical prohibition against homosexuality is quite arguably one of the many example where the Bible exhibited knowledge that was ahead of its time. See also: Atheism and sexual immorality

Atheism and uncharitableness

See also: Atheism and charity and Atheist organizations and scandals and Atheism, uncharitableness and depression

Most atheists likely live in East Asia (see: Asian atheism).

A beggar in Cambodia. In Cambodia, the vast majority of the population adheres to a nontheistic form of Buddhism called the Theravada school of Buddhism.

A comprehensive study by Harvard University professor Robert Putnam found that religious people are more charitable than their irreligious counterparts.

Concerning the issue of atheism and uncharitableness, the evidence indicates that per capita charitable giving by atheists and agnostics in America is significantly less than by theists, according to a study by the Barna Group:

“

The typical no-faith American donated just $200 in 2006, which is more than seven times less than the amount contributed by the prototypical active-faith adult ($1500). Even when church-based giving is subtracted from the equation, active-faith adults donated twice as many dollars last year as did atheists and agnostics. In fact, while just 7% of active-faith adults failed to contribute any personal funds in 2006, that compares with 22% among the no-faith adults.

”

A comprehensive study by Harvard University professor Robert Putnam found that religious people are more charitable than their irreligious counterparts.

See also: Atheism, social justice and hypocrisy

Church-state issues emphasis. Charity low priority

See also: Atheism and uncharitableness and Western atheism and race and Atheism and love

In June 2014, the African-American atheist woman Sikivu Hutchinson wrote in the Washington Post that atheist organizations generally focus on church-state separation and creationism issues and not the concerns the less affluent African American population faces. Hutchinson also mentioned that church organizations do focus on helping poor African Americans.

Atheist nonprofit scandals

See also: Atheist organizations and scandals and Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science - Embezzlement allegation

In a 2018 YouTube video entitled David Silverman Ousted as President of American Atheists, the atheist YouTube channel Utah Outcasts said in a video about David Silverman and atheist organizations: "Many other people were also like maybe he was embezzling funds because we know people in atheist activist communities where that kind of sh*t happens. Yes, it was kind of common."

Two atheist nonprofit scandals that recently received some publicity were the organizations Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and the We Are Atheism organization.

In addition, David Gorski at Scienceblogs indicated that many atheist/skeptic organizations are poorly run from a financial standpoint.

For more information, please see: Atheist organizations and scandals

Irreligion and domestic violence

See also: Irreligion and domestic violence and Atheism and women and Atheism and rape

Research suggests that irreligiousity is a causal factor for domestic violence.

The abstract for the 2007 article in the journal Violence Against Women entitled Race/Ethnicity, Religious Involvement, and Domestic Violence indicated:

“

The authors explored the relationship between religious involvement and intimate partner violence by analyzing data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households. They found that: (a) religious involvement is correlated with reduced levels of domestic violence; (b) levels of domestic violence vary by race/ethnicity; (c) the effects of religious involvement on domestic violence vary by race/ethnicity; and (d) religious involvement, specifically church attendance, protects against domestic violence, and this protective effect is stronger for African American men and women and for Hispanic men, groups that, for a variety of reasons, experience elevated risk for this type of violence.

”

Secular Europe and domestic violence

See also: Secular Europe and domestic violence

Atheism and racism

See also: Atheism and racism and East Asia, China, atheism and racism and Western atheism and race

The atheist population has a significant amount of racism within its midst (see: Atheism and racism).

Atheism and empathy

See: Atheism and empathy

Atheism and pornography

[[File:Larry Flynt Wheelchair.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|The pornographer Larry Flynt is an atheist.] See also: Atheism and pornography

One of the causes of atheism is a hedonistic lifestyle. See: Atheism and hedonism.

The infamous pornographers Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt was and is (taken separately in the order indicated) both atheists (taken together).

In 2003, Arena magazine magazine listed Flynt as #1 on the "50 Powerful People in Porn" list. Flynt is paralyzed from the waist down due to injuries sustained from a 1978 assassination attempt by the serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin.

RationalWiki and web visitor interest in pornography

See: RationalWiki and web visitor interest in pornography

Atheism and child pornography

See also: Atheism and child pornography

In 2005 Denmark was ranked the third most atheistic country in the world and the website adherents.com reported that in 2005 43 - 80% of Danes are agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.

The 2003 book entitled Overcoming Violence Against Women and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide Problem written by authors Rahel Nardos; Mary K. Radpour; William S. Hatcher and Michael L. Penn, declared:

“

The largest source of commercial child pornography is Denmark. Denmark became the world's leading producer of child pornography when, in 1969, it removed all restrictions on the production and sale of any type of pornographic material. "The result," notes Tim Tate, "was a short-lived explosion in adult pornography, and the birth of commercial child pornography. ....by 1979 when Denmark finally banned the production and sale of child pornography it had already become such a financial success on the international market that it has proven to be nearly impossible to bring its spread under control.

”

Suzanne Ost, in her 2009 book Child Pornography and Sexual Grooming: Legal and Societal Responses published by Cambridge University Press, wrote about the child pornography created by Denmark/Holland during this period: "Taylor and Quayle note that the material produced during this period still constitutes the largest part of child pornography that is currently available, having been transferred into digital format and uploaded onto the internet."

Atheism, pedophilia and NAMBLA

[[Image:Harry Hay.jpg|thumb|150px|Many consider atheist Harry Hay to be the founder of the American homosexual movement.]]

see also: Atheism, pedophilia and NAMBLA and Teenage homosexuality

The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) was founded in December 1978 and is an activist homosexuality and pedophilia/pederasty coalition group.

Some of the well known atheist advocates of the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) are:

1. The atheist and homosexual David Thorstad was a founding member of the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).

2. Harry Hay (1912 - 2002) was an liberal advocate of statutory rape and the widely acknowledged founder and progenitor of the activist homosexual agenda in the United States. Hay joined the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) in 1934. Harry Hay was an atheist. He was a vociferous advocate of man/boy love. In 1986, Hay marched in a gay parade wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words "NAMBLA walks with me."

3. The writer Samuel R. Delany is an atheist and a homosexual. Delaney said he was a supporter of NAMBLA.

See also: Richard Dawkins on child molestation and so called "gentle pedophiles" and John Maynard Keynes and pederasty

Atheism and slavery/forced labor

• Atheism and slavery
• Atheism and forced labor

Dietary practices of atheists. Eating of dogs, cats, horses and babies/children

See: Dietary practices of atheists (Dietary habits of various irreligious regions)

Atheists and the eating of babies/children

• Communist China and baby eating
• Atheists and the eating of babies/children (China, Soviet Union, North Korea and other issues)

Major news organizations reporting on China baby flesh powder scandal

• Chinese-Made Infant Flesh Capsules Seized in S. Korea, ABC News

• Chinese cannibalism of infant flesh outrages the world, Washington Times

• Thousands of pills filled with powdered human baby flesh discovered by customs officials in South Korea, The Daily Mail

• Horrifyingly, Ground Baby Pills Are a Real Thing by Alexander Abad-Santos, The Atlantic

Immorality of prominent atheists

See also: Atheism, polyamory and other immoral relationships

James Randi

James Randi is a leader within the atheist community. Brian Thompson, former James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) Outreach Coordinator, wrote:

“

But I no longer identify with this community of benevolent know-it-alls, because not all of them are the best folks in the world. In fact, a good percentage of the top ten worst humans I’ve ever met are prominent members of the skeptics’ club. They’re dishonest, mean-spirited, narcissistic, misogynistic. Pick a personality flaw, and I can probably point you to someone who epitomizes it. And that person has probably had a speaking slot at a major skeptical conference. I grew particularly disgusted with the boys’ club attitude I saw among skeptical leaders and luminaries. The kind of attitude that’s dismissive of women, sexually predatory, and downright gross. When I first started going to skeptical conferences as a fresh-faced know-it-all, I started hearing things about people I once admired. Then I started seeing things myself. Then I got a job with the JREF, and the pattern continued.

”

See also:

• Atheism, polyamory and other immoral relationships
• Richard Carrier, adultery, divorce and polyamory
• Atheist conferences and inappropriate sexual activity

Atheism and rape

• Atheism and rape
• Mass rape of German women by the Soviet army

Atheism and abortion

The Journal of Medical Ethics wrote this about the atheist and sadist Marquis de Sade:

“

In 1795 the Marquis de Sade published his La Philosophie dans le boudoir, in which he proposed the use of induced abortion for social reasons and as a means of population control. It is from this time that medical and social acceptance of abortion can be dated, although previously the subject had not been discussed in public in modern times. It is suggested that it was largely due to de Sade's writing that induced abortion received the impetus which resulted in its subsequent spread in western society.

”

Population control is based on pseudoscience and ill founded economic assumptions. CBS News reported: "According to a mail-in survey of nearly 4,000 British doctors, those who were atheist or agnostic were almost twice as willing to take actions designed to hasten the end of life."

Atheism and profanity

See also: Atheism and profanity and Atheism and culture

Studies indicate that atheists engage in more profanity than Christians/theists and are more likely to believe that obscene language is acceptable to engage in. Use of profanity by individuals is negatively correlated with conscientiousness and agreeableness.

For more information, please see: Atheism and profanity

Irreligion and crime/prison population

• Religion and crime reduction
• Irreligious prison population

Atheism and psychopathy

See also: Atheism and psychopathy

The serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer engaged in cannibalism. He was an atheist while he committed these acts. See: Atheism and cannibalism

A psychopath is someone with an anti-social personality disorder characterized by violent, perverted or immoral behavior often leading to criminality. Psychopaths have little or no concern for other people. Some psychopaths equate love with sexual arousal.

A 2016 study relating to atheism and psychopathy published in Plus One indicates:

“

Similarly, a survey of 312 college students examining the relationship between Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (RSWB) and ‘dark triad’ personality traits found that “RSWB was confirmed to be negatively correlated with these negative aspects of personality, in particular with subclinical psychopathy.” ...moral concern is associated with a spiritual worldview.

”

According to the 2014 journal article Correlates of psychopathic personality traits in everyday life: results from a large community survey published in the journal Frontiers of Psychology lack of belief in God is positively associated with psychopathy.

Atheism and theft crimes

• Atheism and theft crimes
• Irreligion and car theft
• Secular Europe and pickpocketing
• Atheist organizations and scandals

Atheism and infanticide

Infanticide is the practice of killing very young children. An infant is a child too young to speak.

Each year thousands of dogs are stolen in atheist, communist controlled mainland China and as many as 20 million dogs are killed in China to satisfy the dog meat industry. For more information, please see: Atheists and dog meat eating

According to ABC News, gruesome techniques are used in Chinese dog slaughterhouses. Brutal beatings of dogs are occurring in the Chinese dog meat trade during the slaughtering process. See: Atheism and animal abuse

China has the world's largest atheist population. It also has state atheism (See: China and atheism).

Most atheists in the world are East Asian (see: Asian atheism).

Below is an article on atheism and infanticide:

• Atheism and infanticide

Atheism and bestiality

See also: Atheism and bestiality

Atheism and cannibalism

See: Atheism and cannibalism

Atheism and animal abuse

See: Atheism and animal abuse (Brutal dog/cat meat trades, etc.)

Atheism and veganism

See: Atheism and veganism

Atheism and hypocrisy

See also: Atheist hypocrisy

In order to attempt to justify their atheism, atheists often engage in hypocritical argumentation. In addition, atheists often engage in hypocritical behavior. Please see: Atheist hypocrisy

Atheism and social justice

See: Atheism and social justice

Atheism and care of the environment

See: Atheism and care of the environment

Atheism and other moral issues

For more information please see: Atheism and morality and Atheism and hedonism

Earlier definitions of atheism

Dictionaries point out that previous/archaic meanings of the word atheism are: ungodliness. wickedness, immorality

Atheism and philosophy topics

If philosophical naturalism were true, then we ought not to trust our capacity for reason for the human brain would be a byproduct of blind/unintelligent natural forces.

See: Atheism and reason and Atheism and the brain

Atheism and naturalism

See also: Atheism and naturalism

Scientific naturalism proposes that only explanations which can be scientifically tested are valid, yet this proposition cannot be scientifically tested. Therefore, scientific naturalism is self-refuting. See also: Atheism and incoherency

Atheism and issues relating to knowledge acquisition

• Atheism and knowledge

• Atheism and epistemology

• Atheism and reason

• Atheism and evidence

• Atheism and logic

• Atheism and logical fallacies

• Atheism and critical thinking

• Atheism and meaninglessness

Why atheism is irrational

See also: Atheism and irrationality and Irreligion and superstition

A common and legitimate criticism of the atheist worldview is that atheism is irrational. In short, atheism is a fundamentally incoherent worldview with a number of inconsistencies. For example, the atheistic worldview cannot account for the laws of logic. See also: Atheism and critical thinking

The atheist worldview cannot explain the existence of consciousness either and the theistic worldview can offer a reasonable explanation.

A common and legitimate criticism of the atheist worldview is that atheism is irrational. In short, atheism is a fundamentally incoherent worldview with a number of inconsistencies.

For more information, please see:

• Atheism and irrationality
• Atheism and logic
• Atheism and incoherency
• Irreligion and superstition
• Atheism and groupthink
• Atheism and epistemology
• Atheism and postmodernism

Atheism and reason

See also: Atheism and reason and Atheists and unreasonableness

If naturalism is true, then we ought not to trust our capacity for reason for the human brain would be a byproduct of blind/unintelligent natural forces. Therefore, believing in naturalism is self-defeating.

In short, atheism/naturalism and reason are incompatible.

Atheism and personhood

See: Atheism and personhood

Atheism and the problem of consciousness

See: Atheism and consciousness

Atheism and free will

See: Atheism and free will

Atheism and human worth

See: Atheism and human worth

Atheism and evidence

See: Atheism and evidence

Logical fallacies that atheists commonly commit

List of logical fallacies that atheists commonly commit: Atheism and logical fallacies

Atheism and meaninglessness

See also: Atheism and meaninglessness and Atheism and the meaning of life and Nihilism and Absurdism and Existentialism

Under an atheistic worldview, there is no objective meaning or purpose in life. Through Jesus Christ, Christianity offers objective meaning and purpose to life.

For more information, please see: Atheism and meaninglessness and Atheism and the meaning of life

Atheists/agnostics and ultimate purpose

See also: Atheism and purpose and Atheism, agnosticism and pessimism and Atheism and beliefs

One of the most popular arguments for God's existence is the teleological argument. Derived from the Greek word telos, which refers to purpose or end, this argument hinges on the idea that the world gives evidence of being designed, and concludes that a divine designer must be posited to account for the orderly world we encounter.

Academic research and historical data indicate that a significant portion of atheists/agnostics often see their lives and the world as being the product of purposeful design (see: Atheism and purpose).

See also:

• Atheists doubting the validity of atheism

Atheism and evil/suffering

• Atheism and the problem of evil

• Atheism and suffering

Arrogance of atheism/atheists

See also: Atheism and arrogance and Atheism and narcissism and Atheism and deception

One of the common and well-founded charges against atheists is their arrogance and presumptuousness.

Why atheism is an arrogant ideology

See also: Arguments against atheism and Atheism and arrogance

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: "But now God is dead. You superior men, this God was your greatest danger. Only since he is in the grave, have you risen again. Only now comes the great noontide; only now the superior man will be – Lord!".

The picture of Nietzsche above was taken in 1899. Nietzsche died in 1900. See: Atheism and arrogance

Atheists lack proof and evidence that God does not exist and ignore the clear and abundant proof and evidence that He does exist. The philosopher Mortimer Adler pointed out that atheism asserts an unreasonable universal negative that is self-defeating.

Contrary to the mistaken notion of individuals who are inexperienced in logic/philosophy, there are plenty of cases where universal negatives can be proven. However, atheists' universal negative claim that God does not exist is not a reasonable universal negative claim.

Atheists have also given themselves pretentious monikers such as freethinker, rationalist and "bright". See also: Brights Movement and Atheism and intelligence

In addition, historically militant atheists have commonly endeavored to limit the religious freedom of others while imposing their errant, atheistic ideology on others. See also: Atheism and intolerance

Atheists and lack of open-mindedness

Research indicates that atheists are less open-minded (see: Atheism and open-mindedness).

See:

• Atheism and open-mindedness

• Atheism and dogmatism

• New Atheism, dogmatism and Jonathon Haidt's study

Atheism and religion

Atheism is a religion

See also: Atheism is a religion and Atheist cults and Atheist hypocrisy

The British atheist Sanderson Jones is a founder of the Sunday Assembly "atheist church" movement.

See: Atheism is a religion

Atheism is a religion. And many of the leaders of the atheist movement, such as the evolutionist and new atheist/agnostic Richard Dawkins, argue for agnosticism/atheism with a religious fervor.

In addition, although many atheists deny that atheism is a worldview, atheists commonly share a number of beliefs such as naturalism, belief in evolution and abiogenesis.

Roderick Ninian Smart, a Scottish writer and professor, defined a seven-part scheme of understanding both religious and secular worldviews These can be understood as narrative, experiential, social, ethical, doctrinal, ritual and material.

English Pastor Daniel Smartt defines atheism as a religion, using Ninian Smart's seven dimensions of worldview as a list of criteria. It is not necessary in Smartt's model for every one of these to be present in order for something to be a religion. However, it can be argued that all seven are present in the case of atheism.

In 2013, a trend of atheist services began and atheist services were reported in the New York Times, The Blaze and other major news outlets.

See also:

• Atheism is a religion
• Atheist indoctrination
• Atheist cults

Atheist cults

See: Atheist cults

The Wall Street Journal reported: "A comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows ...that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians."

Atheism and spirituality

• Atheism and spirituality

Irreligion and superstition

See also: Irreligion and superstition

In September 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported:

“

The reality is that the New Atheist campaign, by discouraging religion, won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings. Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition. And that's not a conclusion to take on faith—it's what the empirical data tell us. "What Americans Really Believe," a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that traditional Christian religion greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of astrology. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians...."

”

According to Pew Forum, evangelical Protestant churches in America grew by 2 million from 2007 to 2014. See: Atheism vs. Christianity

Atheism and the occult

See: Atheism and the occult

Atheism vs. Abrahamic religions and religion

• Atheism vs. Christianity
• Atheism vs. religion
• Atheism vs. Judaism
• Atheism vs. theism

Atheism vs. Islam

See main article: Atheism vs. Islam

Atheism and miracles

See main article: Atheism and Miracles

In relation to atheism and miracles, modern scholars are divided on the issue of whether or not David Hume was an atheist. With that caveat in mind, Hume is well known for arguing that it is always more probable that the testimony of a miracle is false than that the miracle occurred. Christian apologists William Lane Craig, Norman Geisler, C.S. Lewis, JP Holding, and others have shown the inadequacy and unreasonableness of Hume's position regarding miracles.

The Christian Post reporter Stoyan Zaimov wrote: "Double-blind prayer experiments: where people pray for others with terminal illness. Habermas admitted that most such experiments have not worked, but the three that he knows of that have indeed worked were cases of orthodox-Christians praying for the sick."

Atheists who believe in life after death

See also: Atheism and the supernatural

A survey involving 15,738 individuals found that 32 percent of Americans who identified themselves as agnostics and atheists believe in an afterlife of some kind.

Atheism and death

[[File:Atheism and death.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|According to a study performed in the United States by researchers Wink and Scott, very religious people fear death the least.] See: Atheism and death

See also: Atheism and death and Atheist funerals and Atheism and Hell

Science Daily reported that Death anxiety increases atheists' unconscious belief in God. In a Psychology Today article, Dr. Nathan A. Heflick reported similar results in other studies. Under stress, the brain's processing works in a way that prefers unconscious thinking.

A United States study and a Taiwanese study indicated that the irreligious fear death more than the very religious.

Atheists and belief in life after death

See also: Atheism and life after death and Atheists and supernatural beliefs

A significant percentage of atheists believe in life after death (see: Atheism and life after death).

For additional information, please see:

• Atheism and cryonics
• Atheism and transhumanism

Atheism and Hell

See also: Atheism and Hell

The journalist and ex-atheist Peter Hitchens, who is the brother of the late atheist Christopher Hitchens, said upon seeing an art exhibit of Michelangelo's painting The Last Judgment he came to the realization that he might be judged which startled him. This started a train of thought within Peter Hitchens that eventually led him to become a Christian.

Atheism and science

[[Image:Newton.jpg|alt=atheism quotes|right|thumbnail|200px|Isaac Newton wrote: "I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily. Opposition to godliness is atheism in profession and idolatry in practice. Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors." See also: Atheism quotes ]]

See also: Atheism and science

Atheism and the suppression of science

See: Atheism and the suppression of science

Atheism and the social sciences

See: Atheism and the social sciences

Atheism and the foundation of modern science

See also: Christianity and science

The birth of modern science occurred in Christianized Europe.

Sociologist Rodney Stark investigated the individuals who made the most significant scientific contributions between 1543 and 1680 A.D., the time of the Scientific Revolution. In Stark's list of 52 top scientific contributors, only one (Edmund Halley) was a skeptic and another (Paracelsus) was a pantheist. The other 50 were Christians, 30 of whom could be characterized as being devout Christians.

Sir Francis Bacon, sometimes referred to as "the Father of Modern Science", wrote in his essay entitled Of Atheism: "I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind."

Atheism and environmental science

See: Atheism and environmental science

Atheism and questions of origins

See articles: Atheism and Evolution and Evolution as a secular origins myth

Creationist scientists state that the first law of thermodynamics and the second law of thermodynamics argue against an eternal universe or a universe created by natural processes and argue for a universe created by God. See also: Atheism and the origin of the universe

A majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position which employs methodological naturalism since World War II have had the worldview of atheism/agnosticism. Creation scientists assert that the theory of evolution is an inadequate explanation for the variety of life forms on earth. The theory of evolution has had a number of negative social effects.

In addition, the current naturalistic explanations for the origin of life are inadequate.

Atheism and scientific community

• Atheism and science
• Scientists and belief in the existence of God
• Atheist scientists and the origin of the universe
• Atheists and the National Academy of Sciences

Atheism and scientific fraud and speculation

• Atheism and scientific fraud and speculation

Atheism and food science

• Atheism and food science

Atheism and culinary science

• Atheism and culinary science

RationalWiki's flouting of nutritional science

• Rational Media Board of Director and RationalWiki Moderater User: Spud and ultra-processed/unhealthy/junk food

Atheism and mental and physical health

See also: Atheism and health and Atheism and life expectancy and Atheism and alcoholism and Atheism and negative emotions/thoughts

The is considerable amount of scientific evidence that suggest that theism is more conducive to mental and physical health than atheism and some of the more significant findings are given below For more information please see: Atheism and health and Atheism and life expectancy