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The atheistic worldview has a variety of effects on individuals and [[society]] at large which will be elaborated on shortly. In regards to individuals adopting an atheistic worldview, atheism has a number of causal factors that influence its origination in individuals which will be addressed. In addition, critiques of atheism will be offered and some of the historical events relating to atheism will also be covered.

Since atheism is denial of the existence of God or gods, it is important first to identify in which God and/or gods the atheist denies. In ancient times, for example, Christians were accused of being atheists because of their denial of the pagan gods, even though they believed in the ''Christian'' God.<ref>Athenagoras, ''A Plea for the Christians, 2d century A.D.[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/athenagoras-plea.html]</ref> [[Socrates]] was also accused of atheism, although references to God run throughout his recorded statements. <ref>Plato, Apol., 26,c.</ref> Also, [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Baruch Spinoza]] professed belief in "God," but they defined "God" as the cosmos as a whole, and without personality.

* Practical atheism: atheism of the life - that is, ''living'' as though God does not exist. <ref>Dr. [[Martin Luther King]] in his sermon ''A letter to American Christians'' spoke of "practical atheism".[http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2001/cln10117.html]</ref>

In the article, ''Is Atheism Presumptuous''?, atheist [[Jeffery Jay Lowder]], a founder of [[Internet Infidels]] which is one of the principle websites for atheists, [[agnosticism|agnostics]] and [[Philosophical skepticism|skeptics]] on the internet, states that "I agree (with Copan) that anyone who claims, "God does not exist," must shoulder a burden of proof just as much as anyone who claims, "God exists." <ref name="DivCon" />In short, the attempt to redefine atheism is merely an attempt to make no assertions so no facts need be offered. <ref name="DivCon" /> The attempt to redefine atheism, however, is not in accordance with the standard definitions of atheism that encyclopedias of philosophy employ which is that atheism is a denial of the existence of God or gods. <ref name="SEP" /><ref name="cw"/><ref name="DivCon" />

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). <ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/existence1.asp</ref>

The atheism of notable people who claimed to be atheists has had the characteristic of tenuousness in respect to maintaining thoughts in accordance with atheism. For example, [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] was one of the leading proponents of atheism of the 20th Century. Yet Jean-Paul Sartre made this candid confession:

[[Charles Darwin]] wrote in his private notebooks that he was a [[materialism|materialist]] which is a type of atheist.<ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1877</ref><ref>American Scientist May 1977:323</ref> The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states the following:

In the course of that conversation I said to Mr. Darwin, with reference to some of his own remarkable works on the Fertilization of [[Orchid]]s, and upon The [[Earthworm]]s, and various other observations he made of the wonderful contrivances for certain purposes in nature — I said it was impossible to look at these without seeing that they were the effect and the expression of Mind. I shall never forget Mr. Darwin's answer. He looked at me very hard and said, “Well, that often comes over me with overwhelming force; but at other times,” and he shook his head vaguely, adding, “it seems to go away. ”(Argyll 1885, 244) <ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html</ref>}}

Henry More wrote the following: "In agony or danger, no nature is atheist. The mind that knows not what to fly to, flies to God."<ref>http://www.websters-dictionary-online.org/definition/english/at/atheist.html</ref> Reverend William T. Cummings is famous for stating that "[[There Are No Atheists in Foxholes|There are no atheists in foxholes]]."<ref name="ls"/> Chaplain F.W. Lawson of the 302d Machine Gun Battalion, who was wounded twice in wartime, stated "I doubt if there is such a thing as an atheist. At least there isn't in a front line trench."<ref name="ls"/> On he other hand, the news organization MSNBC featured a story in which atheist veterans claimed that there are atheists in foxholes.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14322117/</ref>

[[Karl Marx]] said "[Religion] is the opium of the people" <ref>http://www3.baylor.edu/~Scott_Moore/texts/Marx_Opium.html</ref> and "[[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." <ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm</ref>

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 to 259,432,000 human lives.<ref>[http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/finalconflict/fcrevb102.html The Black Book of Communism]</ref><ref>[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm The Black Book of Communism]</ref><ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM</ref><ref>[http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm Source List and Detailed Death Tolls for the Twentieth Century Hemoclysm]</ref><ref>[http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365 Memory and Ideology]</ref><ref>[http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression]</ref> 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.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM</ref>

The [[theory of evolution]] played a prominent role in regards to atheistic communism. <ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3054/</ref> <ref name="icr">http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=276</ref> Communists, in particular [[Stalinism|Stalinists]], favored a version of [[Lamarckism]] called [[Lysenkoism]] developed by [[Trofim Denisovich Lysenko]]. <ref name="Lysenkoism">http://www.bookrags.com/research/lysenkoism-wog/</ref>. Lysenko was made member of the Supreme [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and head of the Institute of Genetics of the [[Soviet Academy of Sciences]]. <ref name="bb">http://www.bartelby.com/65/ly/Lysenko.html</ref> Later Lysenko became President of the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences. <ref name="bb"/> Many [[genetics|geneticists]] were imprisoned and executed for their ''bourgeois science'', and agricultural policies based on Lysenkoism that were adopted under Stalin and Mao caused famines and the death of millions.<ref name="Lysenkoism"/>.

The atheism in [[communism|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. <ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2000/March_2000_4.html</ref><ref>http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/frroman1.aspx</ref><ref name="ny">http://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref name="jjl">http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref><ref name="mim">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref><ref name="daily">http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref><ref name="china">http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref>

In respect to atheism, [[North Korea]] is a repressive communist state and is officially atheistic. <ref>http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/IE12Dg01.html</ref> The North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean [[Christianity|Christians]]. <ref name="ny"/><ref name="jjl"/>

[[China]] is a communist country that is also officially atheistic. <ref>http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1253071</ref> 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." <ref name="mim"/> In 2003, owners of [[Bible]]s in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were closed.<ref name=daily/> China continues to practice religious oppression today. <ref name="china"/>

In relation to theism vs. atheism, theists often criticize atheism as being contrary to persuasive argument and have a number of arguments against atheism. [[Arguments for the existence of God]] include:

* [[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.

* Experiential arguments for the existence of God: Arguments based on personal experience and human intuition. According to philosopher [[Alvin Plantinga]] belief in the existence of God exists is a "properly basic" belief and not based on inference from other beliefs but is rationally justified due to one's circumstances of immediate experience of God.<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/truth/3truth01.html</ref>

In regards to [[Atheism and Christianity|atheism and Christianity]], while there have been numerous notable books by [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologists]] addressing the various issues in relation to atheism and [[Christianity]] ([[Creation Science]], Bible Archaeology, etc.) there also number of books that have addressed the general issue of atheism in relation to Christianity. A notable book of this type is Dr. [[Norm Geisler]]'s and Frank Turek's book entitled ''[[I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist]]''.<ref>http://www.rzim.org/slice/slicetran.php?sliceid=1029</ref><ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38125</ref> In addition, two notable works were produced by [[Ravi Zacharias]] entitled ''A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism'' and ''Can Man Live Without God?''<ref>http://satisfiedinjesus.org/resources/reviews/pdf/Zacharias%20-%20The%20Real%20Face%20of%20Atheism.pdf</ref> Also, [[Josh McDowell]] and Don Stewart coauthored a work entitled ''Understanding Secular Religions ''.<ref>http://www.greatcom.org/resources/secular_religions/ch01/default.htm</ref> Lastly, Alister McGrath wrote a book entitled ''The Twilight of Atheism''.<ref>http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/religion/mcgratha.htm</ref>

Since then I have spend well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened." <ref name="icr"/>}}

{{cquote|The differences in charity between secular and religious people are dramatic. Religious people are 25 percentage points more likely than secularists to donate money (91 percent to 66 percent) and 23 points more likely to volunteer time (67 percent to 44 percent). And, consistent with the findings of other writers, these data show that practicing a religion is more important than the actual religion itself in predicting charitable behavior. For example, among those who attend worship services regularly, 92 percent of Protestants give charitably, compared with 91 percent of Catholics, 91 percent of Jews, and 89 percent from other religions.<ref>Brooks, Arthur C., [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200310/ai_n9340592/Religious faith and charitable giving] ''Policy Review'', Oct-Dec 2003, p.2.</ref>}}

In regards to [[Atheism and Morality|atheism and morality]], the Barna Group also found that those who hold to the worldviews of atheism or agnosticism 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]]. <ref>http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=152</ref>

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 [[existentialism|existentialist]], believed that there is no objective meaning to life. Therefore, according to Sartre, man must create his own values.

In respect to [[Atheism and Miracles|atheism and miracles]], modern scholars are divided on the issue of whether or not [[David Hume]] was an atheist.<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume-religion/#10</ref> 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.<ref name="cp">http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/creation-providence.html</ref> 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. <ref name="cp"/><ref>http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/miracles.html</ref><ref>http://www.ses.edu/journal/articles/2.1Hoffman.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth19.html</ref><ref>http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/pages/resources/publications/knowingDoing/2004/Miracles.pdf</ref> <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/gk/hume01.html</ref> <ref>http://www.comereason.org/phil_qstn/phi060.asp</ref>

The is considerable amount of [[science|scientific]] evidence that suggest that theism is more conducive to mental and physical health than atheism.<ref>http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2001-rst/921.html</ref><ref>http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/A/20037338.html</ref> The prestigious [[Mayo Clinic]] reported the following on December 11, 2001:

The authors report a majority of the nearly 350 studies of physical health and 850 studies of mental health that have used religious and spiritual variables have found that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes.<ref>http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2001-rst/921.html</ref>}}

[[Duke University]] has established the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health.<ref>http://www.dukespiritualityandhealth.org/</ref> The Duke University Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health is based in the Center for Aging at Duke and gives opportunities for scholarly trans-disciplinary conversation and the development of collaborative research projects.<ref>http://www.dukespiritualityandhealth.org/about/</ref> In respect to the atheism and mental and physical health, the center offers many studies which suggest that theism is more beneficial than atheism.<ref>http://www.dukespiritualityandhealth.org/publications/latest.html</ref>

{{cquote|Trying to explain what caused his insanity can only be a matter of speculation. Some people believe it was the result of a physical illness. Others interpret his suffering as that of a true prophet, almost as if he were accepting the punishment on behalf of those who could not see mankind's tendency towards self-destruction so clearly. Still others regard his final fate as a natural outcome of his philosophical outlook.<ref>http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/top/top19</ref>}}

Although [[Atheism and suicide|there are recent studies relating to atheism being a causal factor for suicide]], an early proponent of atheism being a causal factor for [[suicide]] was the Reverend Dr. Robert S. MacArthur.<ref>http://www.adherents.com/misc/religion_suicide.html</ref><ref>http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/161/12/2303</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9507E2DC1131E033A25754C1A96F9C94659ED7CF NY Times, September 17, 1894, ATHEISM A CAUSE OF SUICIDE.; Dr. MacArthur Preaches on the Sin and Cowardice of Self-Destruction]</ref> In 1894, the [[NY Times]] stated the following in relation to atheism and suicide:{{cquote|Dr. Martin urged that a great cause of suicide was atheism. It was, he said, a remarkable fact that where atheism prevailed most, there suicides were most numerous. In [[Paris]], a recent census showed one suicide to every 2,700 of the population. After the publication of Paine's "Age of Reason" suicides increased.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9507E2DC1131E033A25754C1A96F9C94659ED7CF NY Times, September 17, 1894, ATHEISM A CAUSE OF SUICIDE.; Dr. MacArthur Preaches on the Sin and Cowardice of Self-Destruction]</ref>}}

{{cquote|It is mean and not manly; it is dastardly and not daring. A man who involves his innocent wife and children in financial disaster and disgrace and takes his life and leaves them to bear the burden he was unwilling to bear, is a coward.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9507E2DC1131E033A25754C1A96F9C94659ED7CF NY Times, September 17, 1894, ATHEISM A CAUSE OF SUICIDE.; Dr. MacArthur Preaches on the Sin and Cowardice of Self-Destruction]</ref>}}

[[Australia]]n online opinion writer and lecturer in ethics and philosophy at several [[Melbourne]] [[theology|theological]] colleges, Bill Muehlenberg, in his essay ''The Unbearable Heaviness of Being (In a World Without God)'' states the following:

There are a number of reasonable explanations for atheism:

*'''Moral depravity:''' Moral depravity has been demonstrated in the atheist community through history and through studies.<ref>http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5527</ref><ref>http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=272</ref><ref>http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=2</ref><ref>http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=152</ref> The [[Bible]] asserts that "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." [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20gen%201:30%20;&version=49; (Psalms 14:1 (KJV)).] The biblical fool is said to be lacking in sound judgment and the biblical fool is also associated with moral depravity. For example, the biblical book of [[Proverbs]] states: "A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated. The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge."[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20proverbs%2014:16-18%20;&version=49; (Proverbs 14:16-18 (NASB)).] The book of Proverbs also has strong words regarding the depravity of biblical fools: "The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but [it is] abomination to fools to depart from evil." [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2013:19;&version=9; (Proverbs 13:9 (KJV))]. Regarding the deceitfulness of fools Proverbs states: "The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is [[deceit]]." [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2014:8;&version=9; (Proverbs 14:8 (KJV)).] Noted Bible commentator and clergyman [[Matthew Henry]] wrote regarding atheism: "A man that is endued with the powers of reason, by which he is capable of knowing, serving, glorifying, and enjoying his Maker, and yet lives without God in the [[earth|world]], is certainly the most despicable and the most miserable animal under the [[sun]]."<ref>http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc1.ii.html</ref> [[Image:DrVitz.jpg|thumbnail|125px|left|Noted [[Ex-atheists|ex-atheist]] and psychologist Dr. [[Paul Vitz]]]]

* '''Rebellion:''' Atheism stems from a deliberate choice to ignore the reality of God's existence <ref>"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse..." &mdash;{{Bible ref|Romans|1|19-20|version=NKJV}}</ref>

*'''Superficiality:''' Noted ex-atheist and psychologist Dr. [[Paul Vitz]] has stated that he had superficial reasons for becoming an atheist such as the desire to be accepted by his [[Stanford]] professors who were united in disbelief regarding God.<ref name="vitz">Vitz, Paul, [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/vitz.txt The Psychology of Atheism], September 24, 1997 (lecture notes taken by an audience member).</ref>

* '''Error:''' Some argue that atheism partly stems from a failure to fairly and judiciously consider the facts <ref>"A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere--'Bibles laid open, millions of surprises,' as Herbert says, 'fine nets and stratagems.' God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous." -- C.S. Lewis, ''Surprised by Joy''.</ref>

* '''State churches:''' Rates of atheism are much higher in countries with a state sanctioned religion (such as many European countries), and lower in states without a sanctioned religion (such as the United States). Some argue this is because state churches become bloated, corrupt, and/or out of touch with the religious intuitions of the population, while churches independent of the state are leaner and more adaptable. It is important to distinguish "state-sanctioned churches," where participation is voluntary, from "state-mandated churches" (such as Saudi Arabia) with much lower atheism rates because publicly admitted atheism is punishable by death. <ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118434936941966055.html?mod=googlenews_wsj</ref>

* '''Poor relationship with father:''' Some argue that a troubled/non-existent relationship with a father may influence one towards holding the position of atheism.<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth12.html</ref> Dr. Paul Vitz wrote a book entitled ''Faith of the Fatherless'' in which he points out that after studying the lives of more than a dozen leading atheists he found that a large majority of them had a father who was present but weak, present but abusive, or absent.<ref name="vitz"/><ref>Anders, Kerby, [http://www.probe.org/content/view/36/91/ Atheists and Their Fathers] (Probe Ministries)</ref> Dr. Vitz also examined the lives of prominent theists who were contemporaneous to their atheist counterparts and from the same culture and in every instance these prominent theists had a good relationship with his father.<ref name="vitz"/> Dr. Vitz has also stated other common factors he observed in the leading atheists he profiled: they were all intelligent and arrogant.<ref name="vitz"/>

* '''Division in religion''': According to Francis Bacon, atheism is caused by "divisions in religion, if they be many; for any one main division addeth zeal to both sides, but many divisions introduce atheism." <ref name="pr">http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/ofatheism.html</ref>

* '''Learned times, peace, and prosperity''': Francis Bacon argued that atheism was partly caused by "Learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men’s minds to religion."<ref name="pr"/> [[Judaism|Jewish]] columnist [[Dennis Prager]] has stated that a causal factor of atheism is the "secular indoctrination of a generation." <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=43734</ref> Prager stated that "From elementary school through graduate school, only one way of looking at the world – the secular – is presented. The typical individual in the [[Western World|Western world]] receives as secular an indoctrination as the typical European received a religious one in the [[Middle Ages]].<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=4373</ref>

* '''[[Scientism]]:''' ''Science has in many ways become a new God''. <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/skepticsweb/psychology.htm Why Atheism?]</ref>

Those who advocate atheism commonly state that the existence of evil is a problem for [[theism]] which holds to a good and powerful God.<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/evil.html</ref> [[Theodicy]] is the branch of study in theology and philosophy that defends the goodness of God despite the existence of evil.<ref>http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861719540/theodicy.html</ref> In traditional Christianity and Judaism the book of [[Job]] is used to explain the existence of evil.<ref>http://apologetics.com/default.jsp?bodycontent=/articles/doctrinal_apologetics/bowman-job.html</ref> In recent times [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologists]] often cite [[Alvin Plantinga]]'s free will defense when it comes to the subject of the existence of evil. <ref>http://www.xenos.org/essays/evilpo.htm</ref><ref>http://www3.baylor.edu/~Scott_Moore/handouts/free_will_defense.html</ref>The work of [[St. Augustine]] is also cited in respect to theodicy. <ref>http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5124</ref> Dr. [[Ron Rhodes]] of [[Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministry]] states regarding this issue regarding the existence of evil in relation to atheism:

Although atheists claim there are reasonable arguments for atheism, the quality of [[Atheism and Debate|atheist debate has been quite poor from the proponents of atheism]]. Below are some examples which demonstrate the unreasonableness of atheist debaters.

In October of 1997, atheist [[Jeffery Jay Lowder]], a founder of [[Internet Infidels]], stated that he believed that in regards to atheism "the most impressive debater to date" was [[Doug Jesseph]].<ref>http://www.infidels.org/infidels/newsletter/1997/october.html</ref> Yet Doug Jesseph claimed in a debate with [[William Lane Craig]] in 1996 that the [[origin of life]] had a detailed atheistic explanation(s).<ref>http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/doug_jesseph/jesseph-craig/jesseph1.html</ref> In 1996, John Horgan wrote the following regarding what the highly respected origin of life researcher [[Stanley Miller]] believed to the case regarding naturalistic explanations of the origin of life: "Miller seemed unimpressed with any of the current proposals on the origin of life, referring to them as “nonsense” or “paper chemistry.”"<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/abio.asp</ref> In addition, in 1996, John Horgan wrote the following in ''[[Scientific American]]'': "The origin of life is a science writer's dream. It abounds with exotic scientists and exotic theories, which are never entirely abandoned or accepted, but merely go in and out of fashion."<ref>http://members.iinet.net.au/~sejones/orignl01.html#orgnflfmjrprblmschcknndgg</ref>

As noted earlier, a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the [[evolution|naturalistic evolutionary position]] since [[World War II]] have been holders of the world view of atheism.<ref>Don Batten, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/737/ A ''Who’s Who'' of evolutionists] ''Creation'' 20(1):32, December 1997.</ref><ref>[[Jonathan Sarfati]], [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3830 ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 1, Facts and Bias]</ref> [[Atheism and Debate|Creation scientists tend to win the Creation-Evolution debates]] and many debates have been held since the 1970's (particularly in the [[United States]]). Generally speaking, [[Atheism and Debate|leading evolutionists generally no longer debate creation scientists.]]<ref>http://www.icr.org/article/811/</ref> In an article entitled ''Are Kansas Evolutionists Afraid of a Fair Debate?'' the [[Discovery Institute]] states the following:

In respect to the issue of [[ex-atheists]] there have been some notable incidences of atheists converting to [[theism]]. [[Lee Strobel]] converted from atheism to Christianity and then became a [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]]. <ref name="disc">http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3884</ref> Before investigating the claims of Christianity Strobel had obtained a undergraduate degree in journalism and also obtained a law degree from Master of Studies in Law degree from [[Yale University|Yale]] Law School. Strobel was an award-winning legal editor of the [[Chicago Tribune]] also won [[Illinois]]’ top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from [[United Press International]].<ref name="disc"/> After a nearly a two year investigation of the evidence for Christianity Strobel became a Christian.<ref>http://www.leestrobel.com/LS_bio.htm</ref>

[[C.S. Lewis]] abandoned his atheism and became a Christian and he was very much influenced by the writings of [[George MacDonald]] and [[G. K. Chesterton]].<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n23_v47/ai_17863106</ref> In ''Surprised by Joy'' Lewis says: "''In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.''"<ref>'''Lewis''', ''Surprised by Joy'' op cit.</ref>

[[Britain|British]] philosopher [[Anthony Flew]] abandoned atheism and became an [[Deism|deist]] after as a result of the [[intelligent design]] issue. According to the news organization [[MSNBC]], Flew became a deist because he believed a super-intelligence was the only good explanation for the [[origin of life]] and the complexity of nature.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6688917/</ref> In 2006, Flew and 12 prominent academics urged that intelligent design be taught in [[Britain|British]] government schools.<ref>http://post-darwinist.blogspot.com/2007/08/former-famous-atheist-antony-flew-asked.html</ref>

The work of ex-atheist and psychologist Dr. [[Paul Vitz]] is often cited in respect to atheism. As alluded to earlier, Dr. Vitz wrote the work ''Faith of the Fatherless''.

According to Munich theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg "Atheism as a theoretical position is in decline worldwide."<ref name="wt"> http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/breaking2453432.91875.html</ref> [[Oxford]] scholar [[Alister McGrath]] agrees and has stated that atheism's "future seems increasingly to lie in the private beliefs of individuals rather than in the great public domain it once regarded as its habitat."<ref name="wt"/>

The [[Brights Movement]] was started in 2003 by Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell in 2003 in order to assist in the advocacy of a [[Naturalism|naturalistic worldview]].<ref name="fa">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_2_28/ai_114090211/pg_1</ref><ref>http://www.the-brights.net/vision/faq.html#1</ref> The Brights movement had a media campaign and was announced in ''Wired'' magazine (by evolutionary biologist [[Richard Dawkins]]), ''Free Inquiry'' (by Richard Dawkins), and on the ''[[New York Times]]'' op-ed page (by the philosopher and atheist Daniel Dennett).<ref name="fa"/> However, according to a 2004 ''Skeptical Enquirer'' article the "Brights label reinforced a longstanding stereotype."<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_2_28/ai_114090211/pg_1</ref> The article stated the following: "Atheists already have a terrible rap for being coldhearted [[Rationalism|rationalists]] who attend [[Mensa]] gatherings and dismiss religious believers as simple-minded fools."<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_2_28/ai_114090211/pg_1</ref> In October of 2003 in a article in the ''[[Guardian]]'' Dawkins associated being a "bright" with being an intellectual.<ref>http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,981412,00.html</ref>

The "New Atheism" has not had much of an impact in terms of gaining new adherents to atheism. In a March 10, 2008 [[USA Today]] article Stephen Prothero stated the following regarding the impact of the "New Atheism":{{cquote|Numbers lie, but they also tell tales untrustworthy and otherwise. So the key question stirring around the much discussed U.S Religious Landscape Survey released in late February by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is what tale does it state about the state of the union.

Not too long ago, I wrote that American atheism was going the way of the freak show. As books by Christopher Hitchens and other "new atheists" climbed the best seller lists, I caught a lot of flak for that prophecy. But atheist make up only 1.6% of respondents to this survey....<ref>American Faith: A Work In Progress by Stephen Prothero, USA Today, March 10, 2008, page 11A</ref>}}

A prime reason for the ineffectiveness of the "New Atheism" is the shallowness of its material. For example, even atheist philosopher Michael Ruse stated that that Richard Dawkins' book ''The God Delusion'' made him "embarrassed to be an atheist".<ref name="TDD3">http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/47052/?page=3</ref>

The "New Atheism" largely has a unfavorable view outside the United States as well. The [[liberal]] leaning British publication the [[Guardian]] stated the following regarding the "New Atheism":

In respect to [[Atheism and the Bible|atheism and the Bible]], atheists and skeptics have been disputing the reliability of the [[Bible]] for centuries. Christian apologist [[JP Holding]] rightly states that [[Bible Exegesis|Bible exegesis]] and Bible exposition is a multi-disciplinary pursuit and often critics of the Bible have not done a fraction of the due diligence required when making a allegation regarding the Bible. JP Holding states the following:

In addition, many Christian scientists and apologists such as the Christian scientists and apologists at [[Creation Ministries International]] and [[CreationWiki]] assert that the [[Bible scientific foreknowledge|Bible contains knowledge that shows an understanding of scientific knowledge beyond that believed to exist at the time the Bible was composed]].<ref>[http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Bible_scientific_foreknowledge Bible Scientific Foreknowledge]</ref><ref>http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/1718/</ref>

As mentioned previously [[Internet Infidels]] (also known as the Secular Web) is one of the principal websites for those who advocate atheism, [[agnosticism]] and [[Philosophical skepticism|skepticism]] on the internet. [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[JP Holding]] has stated regarding the website Internet Infidels the following: "The Secular Web has a few intelligent people, but overall has long been a haven for every skeptical know-it-all to pronounce judgments upon matters outside of their expertise."<ref>http://www.tektonics.org/gk/gerkin02.html</ref> Although JP Holding has written rebuttals of the more well known members of the skeptical community such as [[David Hume]]<ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-H.html</ref>, [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]<ref>http://www.tektonics.org/lp/nietzsche01.html</ref> and [[G.A. Wells]]<ref>http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html</ref><ref>http://www.tektonics.org/uz/wellsga01.html</ref>, Holding has also written rebuttals of lesser well known members of the secular community who publish and/or are featured on Internet Infidels such as:

*Earl Doherty <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-D.html</ref>*Richard Carrier <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-C.html</ref> *Dan Barker <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-B.html</ref>*Stephen Carr <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-C.html</ref>*[[Jeffery Jay Lowder]] <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-L.html</ref>*Acharya S <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-A.html</ref>*Kyle Gerkin <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-G.html</ref>*Farrell Till <ref>http://www.tektonics.org/TK-T.html</ref>

It has been asserted by various theist that atheists do not exist. In relation to a biblical statement on atheism Sir [[Francis Bacon]] stated in his essay ''Of Atheism'' the following regarding atheism:

In respect to the [[Atheist Population|atheist population]] as a percentage of various countries' populations, specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 suggests] that the true proportion of atheists is 4% in the United States, 17% in Great Britain and 32% in France. A survey published in the 2005 ''[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]'' stated that 2.3% of the world's population consists of individuals who profess "atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including the militantly antireligious."<ref>http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9432620</ref> In regards to the 2.3% figure just mentioned, the 2005 survey cited by ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' survey did not include [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] in regards to the 2.3% figure and Buddhism can be [[Theism|theistic]] or atheistic.<ref>http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/beliefs/atheism.htm</ref><ref>http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9432620</ref>

*"The Seventh Judicial Circuit of the Court of Appeals of the [[United States]] held that atheism is a [[religion]] and therefore it cannot be promoted by a public school. Currently public schools are promoting atheism through a dogmatic and uncritical teaching of [[Theory of evolution|materialistic theories of origins]]." - John Calvert, [[Intelligent design|Intelligent Design]] leader<ref>http://www.ohiointelligentdesign.com/Newsviews.html</ref>

*"The atheists are for the most part imprudent and misguided scholars who reason badly who, not being able to understand the Creation, the origin of evil, and other difficulties, have recourse to the hypothesis the eternity of things and of inevitability." - [[Voltaire]]<ref>http://history.hanover.edu/texts/voltaire/volathe2.html</ref>

*"Atheists put on false courage and alacrity in the midst of their darkness and apprehensions, like children who, when they fear to go in the dark, will sing for fear." - [[Alexander Pope]] <ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=cs4eAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA383</ref>

*"An atheist’s most embarrassing moment is when he feels profoundly thankful for something,but can’t think of anyone to thank for it." - [[Mary Anne Vincent]] <ref>http://www.weeks-g.dircon.co.uk/quotes_by_author_uv.htm</ref>

*If there were no God there would be no atheists." - [[G. K. Chesterton]] (1874 - 1936) <ref>http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/atheism/</ref>

*"A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." - Sir [[Francis Bacon]] <ref name="jjj">http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/atheism_quotes.html</ref>

*"In his book ''Modern Times'', the historian Paul Johnson referred to [[Adolph Hitler|Hitler]], [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]], and [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] as the three devils of the twentieth century. Interestingly, [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzshean]] dogma influenced each of them." - [[Ravi Zacharias]]<ref> [[Ravi Zacharias]], ''The Real Face of Atheism'', Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2004, page 25</ref>

*"The atheist risk everything for the present and the future, on the basis of a belief that we are uncaused by any intelligent being. We just happen to be here. That one is willing to live and die in that belief is a very high price to pay for conjecture." - [[Ravi Zacharias]]<ref> [[Ravi Zacharias]], ''The Real Face of Atheism'', Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2004, page 154</ref>

*In his essay rebutting a work of atheist [[Jeffery Jay Lowder]] [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[JP Holding]] wrote the following: "...I find that there is no such thing as "reasonable non belief." The litany of excuses, wild speculations, and other absurdities ground out by skeptics and critics doesn't deserve the adjective "reasonable"."<ref>http://www.tektonics.org/lp/lowdstrob.html</ref>

*"To be an atheist requires an indefinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny." - [[Joseph Addison]], The Spectator, Mar. 8, 1711 <ref name="jjj"/>

*"It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Without the sustaining influence of faith in a divine power we could have little faith in ourselves. We need to feel that behind us is intelligence and love. Doubters do not achieve; skeptics do not contribute; cynics do not create. Faith is the great motive power, and no man realizes his full possibilities unless he has the deep conviction that life is eternally important, and that his work, well done, is a part of an unending plan." - [[Calvin Coolidge]], speech, Jul. 25, 1924 <ref name="jjj"/>

*"Among the repulsions of atheism for me has been its drastic un-interestingness as an intellectual position. Where was the ingenuity, the ambiguity, the humanity of saying that the universe just happened to happen and that when we're dead we're dead?" - [[John Updike]] <ref name="jjk">http://www.just-quotes.com/atheism_quotes.html</ref>

*"God never wrought miracles to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it." - Sir [[Francis Bacon]] <ref name="jjk"/>

*"How to trap an atheist: Serve him a fine meal, then ask him if he believes there is a cook." — Source Unknown <ref>http://forthardknox.com/2007/06/02/the-10-best-quotes-to-counter-an-atheist/</ref>

* [http://lionofjudah.tribulationforces.com/critics/critics.html Answering Atheists / Agnostics / Other Critics] Lion of Judah Christian Apologetics

* [http://www.chaim.org/atheist.htm The Absurdity of Atheism] by Fred Klett

*[http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/theo_hobson/2007/06/atheism_is_pretentious_and_cow.html Atheism is Pretentious and Cowardly] by Dr. [[Theo Hobson]], [[Guardian]] June 6, 2007

* [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/003/21.36.html The Twilight of Atheism] by Alister McGrath, Christianity Today, March 2005

*[http://www.reformed.org/apologetics/index.html?mainframe=martin_TAG.html Responses to Atheist Philosopher, Michael Martin] Reformed theologians