Sam Singleton
Atheist Evangelist
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
References
Alessandroni, J. (2010) American atheists. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from http://atheists.org www.atheist.org
Edgell, P., Gerteis, J., & Hartmann, D. (2006) Atheists as other: Moral boundaries and cultural membership in American society. American Sociological Review, 71(2), 211-234.
Martin, M. (1990). Atheism: A Philosophical Justification. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. http://asr.sagepub.com/content/71/2/211.full.pdf+html
McCarthy, S. (2009). What it’s like to be an atheist in the Bible belt. Retrieved from December 13, 2010, from www.alternet.org/belief/141810/what_it’s_like_to_be_an_atheist_in_the_bible_belt/ http://www.alternet.org/belief/141801/what_it's_like_to_be_an_atheist_in_the_bible_belt/
McGrath, A. (2004). The twilight of atheisms. Journal fo Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, 3, 181-183. http://www.asanas.org.uk/files/jasanas003.pdf#page=189
Robinson, B.A. (2000). U.S. divorce rates: for various faith groups, age groups, and geographical areas. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm
Stein, G. (1990). The history of freethought and atheism. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://positiveatheism.org/india/s199c25.htm http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/s1990c25.htm
Zuckerman, P. (2010). Atheism and Secularity: Volume 1: Issues, concepts, and Definitions. Author.http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MNZqCoor4eoC&oi=fnd&pg=PP15&dq=Atheism&ots=TThL_p4UnE&sig=mk9vssWfbTsq46AWVw06yP4UjgA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Edgell, P., Gerteis, J., & Hartmann, D. (2006) Atheists as other: Moral boundaries and cultural membership in American society. American Sociological Review, 71(2), 211-234.
Martin, M. (1990). Atheism: A Philosophical Justification. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. http://asr.sagepub.com/content/71/2/211.full.pdf+html
McCarthy, S. (2009). What it’s like to be an atheist in the Bible belt. Retrieved from December 13, 2010, from www.alternet.org/belief/141810/what_it’s_like_to_be_an_atheist_in_the_bible_belt/ http://www.alternet.org/belief/141801/what_it's_like_to_be_an_atheist_in_the_bible_belt/
McGrath, A. (2004). The twilight of atheisms. Journal fo Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, 3, 181-183. http://www.asanas.org.uk/files/jasanas003.pdf#page=189
Robinson, B.A. (2000). U.S. divorce rates: for various faith groups, age groups, and geographical areas. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm
Stein, G. (1990). The history of freethought and atheism. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://positiveatheism.org/india/s199c25.htm http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/s1990c25.htm
Zuckerman, P. (2010). Atheism and Secularity: Volume 1: Issues, concepts, and Definitions. Author.http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MNZqCoor4eoC&oi=fnd&pg=PP15&dq=Atheism&ots=TThL_p4UnE&sig=mk9vssWfbTsq46AWVw06yP4UjgA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Atheists are skeptics, agonistics, and free thinkers. Science, such as the Big Bang Theory and Evolution, has also converted many religious people into “non-believers.” As I explored the definition and history of atheism, their beliefs, relationships, and location, I learned more about this impressive belief than I could ever pray for.
Atheism is not a belief system or a religion (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Too put it simply, atheism is the lack of belief in gods. Atheists do not believe in a deity or a god, which includes that only the physical nature of humankind and the universe exist (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Nothing “supernatural”, including miracles, other forces, and phenomena, can happen (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Humankind is all by itself.
A large aspect of atheism is modern materialism, or naturalism (Martin, 1990). Naturalism teaches us to not think of Heaven as the main goal in life but instead, embrace life and to reach toward improving it (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Materialists live lives that satisfy his/her own self. They develop their own minds and their own emotions to put purpose in live. Living life to its fullest and not concentrating on death as the main purpose in life is a view that materialists share (Martin, 1990).
A weak atheist would state that they do not believe in any gods. A strong atheist would assert that gods cease to exist (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010).
Explaining the history of atheism may boil down to the separation from orthodoxy not the actual history of the belief (Alessandroni, 2010, The Enlightenment, Freemasonary, and The Illuminati). Some may say that the atheism may have come from the Reformation or even earlier to the Enlightenment (McGrath, 2004). However, some sources say that there is no hard evidence of atheism before the eighteenth century and that anything earlier was just mere accusations (McGrath, 2004).
The first real atheists, or free thinkers, appeared in Greece (Stein, 1990, para. 3). Most of their work hasn’t survived to this day, but we can tell that people who dealt with religion in a negative aspect were convicted of impiety and were sentenced to expulsion from Greece (Stein, 1990, para. 3).
No real signs of atheism were in the Dark Ages (Stein, 1990, para. 7). It was when the universities in the Middle Ages began to separate themselves from the church that more ideas and discussions of atheism started to surface (Stein, 1990, para. 7). Many authors published pieces on science in the Middle Ages (Stein, 1990, para. 7). Although these men were not atheists, they tried to loosen the grip that religion had on Europe (Stein, 1990, para. 7).
As the Renaissance came about, so did human thought. Works on atheism and skepticism were much more popular as men, such as Leonardo da Vinci, began investigations to obtain more knowledge about Science (Stein, 1990, para. 9).
From the fourteenth century to the twenty-first century, beliefs and morals of atheists evolved over time. I spoke to one atheist, Jack McKinney, at a meeting I attended, and he asked me where I got my morals from. He then asked the question rather or not morals should be based on the bribe everlasting bliss of Heaven, or should I base my morals on the common good of man? (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). Should I help an elderly woman cross the street because I want to go to Heaven? Or should I do this good deed to ensure the safety of her? This really made me think about what I really did base my morals on. Many atheists believe that humanity should not be based on bribes, or selfish acts, but on fellow men.
As many children are taught all through life, the Golden Rule should be followed by everyone: Do unto others what you would have them unto you. A more detailed and expanded version of the Golden Rule is known as the Categorical Imperative: Whatever you do, consider the consequences if your actions were universal law (Martin, 1990). Atheist do not base their morals on God, the bible, or any other source that tells them that if they do a few things according to the word of God or the Bible they will spend eternal life in bliss, but instead they do things that they feel are right despite the bribe of Heaven (Martin, 1990).
Another breeding pool of atheist’s morals lies in humanism. Humanism states that the only savior for humanity is human beings themselves (Zuckerman, 2010). Community and humanity relies on the compassion and self-interest of others. Many humanists would describe themselves as a modern humanist. Modern humanism strictly rely on reasoning and science, and democracy and human compassion as a way of life and reject any ideas of supernatural beings of phenomena (Zuckerman, 2010).
Along with morals, I studied the beliefs of atheists as well. Such as why they do not agree with religion and what they believe will happen once the time runs out in their hour glass.
The same man I mentioned earlier that I met at the atheist meeting answered my question very simply. When I asked him why he didn’t agree with religion, he answered, “religion is an excuse for mayhem” (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). He then furthered his argument by stating that most of the man-made disasters were in the name of some sort of God. He was absolutely correct. World War II, many French wars, and even the Civil war were all caused because someone believed one thing as someone else believed another (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para. 2). If all of leaders in these wars refrained to most morals that atheists carry, such as the Golden Rule and the Categorical Imperative, would these wars had happened?
According to most atheists, religion gives people an excuse for hatred and war (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para. 2). “God did it” seems to be a reasonable answer for anything and by giving someone that mindset can weaken their senses of the world happening around them (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para. 2). For this reason, many believe that religion is ridiculous and unworthy of respect. Instead of “God did it”, which is unacceptable in the eyes of an atheist, one should use “I don’t know” because that is the truth (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para 2).
Many Christians believe that once we die we spend eternal life in Heaven with all of our deceased friends and family. So, what do atheists believe? What happens when we die?
“We just die” (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). That’s what the man at the meeting told me. Our minds just shut off like a switch, and we’re gone. Many atheists understand that this thought is very hard to imagine and for that reason they believe that religion was created to make death seem not as sad and inevitable (Zuckerman, 2010). I think it sounds awfully depressing, but instead of focusing on death, atheists focus on life and how we live it. The ultimate goal of an atheist is to live the little life we are given to the fullest and not dwell on death (Alessandroni, 2010, Atheism, para. 3). As atheists don’t believe in an afterlife, they instead focus on rather or not their lives were wasted.
When we choose our friends and our life partners, we usually tend to find people with whom we have things in common with. Religion is large part in most people lives and one would think that friendships and intimate relationship would also share are some religious beliefs.
The man I spoke to at the meeting shared with me that although he didn’t believe in God, but his wife did (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). Trying not to pry but still having curiosity that would end a lot of cat’s lives, I wondered, do they have ever get into disagreements? The man said that they never really did because he doesn’t judge others for their beliefs (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). He felt that if some did have some spirituality, he wasn’t one to shoot it down and push his views onto someone else (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). He never shares his views if someone doesn’t ask.
One startling statistic I found was that the divorce rate among atheists is actually lower than other religions. Baptists have a divorce rate of 29 percent, Mormons 24 percent, and Jews 30 percent (Robinson, 2000). Atheists have a divorce rate of 21 % (Robinson, 2000).
A lot of assumptions of atheists are very wrong, which I’ll explain more later on. Some believe that since an atheist does not love/believe in God, they are incapable of loving anything else or they assume that all atheists are naturalists and materialists and only believe in the existence of matter, and since matter is incapable of loving, so are atheists (Edgell, Gerteis, & Hartmann, 2006). These are all logical fallacies and are wrong. Most atheists are very genuine, loving people who crave social interaction just as much as a Christian (Edgell et al., 2006). In reality, atheism is the lack of believe in gods Nothing about love, morality, politics, etc. is stated there.
Even though atheists are just as capable as any other religion to be in a healthy relationship, Americans are least likely to allow their child to marry an atheist (Edgell et al., 2006). Americans also name atheists as the “least likely to share their vision of American society” out of a list of Muslims, immigrants, and homosexuals (Edgell et al., 2006). These attitudes are most likely driven by religious affiliation (Edgell et al., 2006). Between all other minorities, atheists are the least accepted. This may be because some may think that if the religious tolerance of people who do not believe in God goes up, religion in American may go lower (Edgell et al., 2006). And according to Edgell (2006), 74 percent of people believe that it is a bad idea to raise children without any religion. All of these statistics startled me and made me think about if I would ever marry an atheist, being that my dream wedding would be held in a church.
I’ve covered the definition and history of atheism and how their beliefs affect relationships, now to focus more on my actual project: atheists in Lexington. As one would know, Kentucky is on the “Bible belt” and a religious lifestyle is assumed among most Kentucky residents, but what happens if one chooses to not believe in God?
Most people around the Kentucky area or on the Bible belt in general have never met an admitted atheist (McCarthy, 2009, para. 2). “Literally people think that we do have horns, or that we’re mean, or that we don’t have kids” (McCarthy, 2009, para. 2) According to McCarthy (2009), her pro-atheist organization, Freedom From Religion Foundation, was unable to put up billboards introducing the idea of atheism for over 20 years and whenever a new one does go up, they get plenty of controversy, hate mail, and even new atheists joining the FFRF. McCarthy (2009) says that her foundation has helped many “closest atheists” come out. The FFRF isn’t for preaching to people about atheism, but instead giving people an option (McCarthy, 2009, para. 10). “We don’t have tent revivals. We don’t go from city to city. We don’t feel anybody’s soul needs to be saved” (McCarthy, 2009, para. 10).
As I’ve mentioned throughout my whole paper, there are plenty of misconceptions of people who do not believe in God. I’ve learned so much about that this belief, that honestly, my faith in God was shaken. When I spoke to Jack McKinney at the atheist meeting, he told my partner, Evan who is much more religious than I am that if he had a strong belief in God that maybe he shouldn’t research Atheism too deeply. Science offers very compelling arguments using scientific reasoning. I’ve learned that many people who do stop believing in God usually become this way after studying Evolution and the Big Bang theory. The main argument of atheism, however, is “how do you know” (Alessandroni, 2010). In reality, how do we know?
I thought of an atheist has someone who was cold, heartless, and has a pessimistic view of the world. And from talking to plenty of people about his project, others have this same view.
Each of the point that I’ve covered in my paper shed new light on this belief. I didn’t know what the correct definition of Atheism was. “Since they did not worship God, they worshipped the devil” was one thought where I was completely wrong. As I mentioned earlier, atheists simply do not believe in any Gods. I thought Atheism was a somewhat new belief, mainly to rebel against overly religious parents. According to McGrath (2004) it’s been around since the eighteen century. I also wrongly thought of atheists as being only compatible with other atheists. The truth is, atheists are just as capable to a Christian as another atheist. One aspect where I did happen to assume correctly is that it is certainly harder for an atheist to live on the Bible belt than anywhere else such as New York or San Francisco.
From the definition of atheism and history, relationship, and Lexington atheists themselves, atheists are misunderstood. Instead of judging someone on their beliefs, or non-beliefs for that matter, you should get to know the real person
Atheism is not a belief system or a religion (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Too put it simply, atheism is the lack of belief in gods. Atheists do not believe in a deity or a god, which includes that only the physical nature of humankind and the universe exist (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Nothing “supernatural”, including miracles, other forces, and phenomena, can happen (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Humankind is all by itself.
A large aspect of atheism is modern materialism, or naturalism (Martin, 1990). Naturalism teaches us to not think of Heaven as the main goal in life but instead, embrace life and to reach toward improving it (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010). Materialists live lives that satisfy his/her own self. They develop their own minds and their own emotions to put purpose in live. Living life to its fullest and not concentrating on death as the main purpose in life is a view that materialists share (Martin, 1990).
A weak atheist would state that they do not believe in any gods. A strong atheist would assert that gods cease to exist (Alessandroni, Atheism, 2010).
Explaining the history of atheism may boil down to the separation from orthodoxy not the actual history of the belief (Alessandroni, 2010, The Enlightenment, Freemasonary, and The Illuminati). Some may say that the atheism may have come from the Reformation or even earlier to the Enlightenment (McGrath, 2004). However, some sources say that there is no hard evidence of atheism before the eighteenth century and that anything earlier was just mere accusations (McGrath, 2004).
The first real atheists, or free thinkers, appeared in Greece (Stein, 1990, para. 3). Most of their work hasn’t survived to this day, but we can tell that people who dealt with religion in a negative aspect were convicted of impiety and were sentenced to expulsion from Greece (Stein, 1990, para. 3).
No real signs of atheism were in the Dark Ages (Stein, 1990, para. 7). It was when the universities in the Middle Ages began to separate themselves from the church that more ideas and discussions of atheism started to surface (Stein, 1990, para. 7). Many authors published pieces on science in the Middle Ages (Stein, 1990, para. 7). Although these men were not atheists, they tried to loosen the grip that religion had on Europe (Stein, 1990, para. 7).
As the Renaissance came about, so did human thought. Works on atheism and skepticism were much more popular as men, such as Leonardo da Vinci, began investigations to obtain more knowledge about Science (Stein, 1990, para. 9).
From the fourteenth century to the twenty-first century, beliefs and morals of atheists evolved over time. I spoke to one atheist, Jack McKinney, at a meeting I attended, and he asked me where I got my morals from. He then asked the question rather or not morals should be based on the bribe everlasting bliss of Heaven, or should I base my morals on the common good of man? (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). Should I help an elderly woman cross the street because I want to go to Heaven? Or should I do this good deed to ensure the safety of her? This really made me think about what I really did base my morals on. Many atheists believe that humanity should not be based on bribes, or selfish acts, but on fellow men.
As many children are taught all through life, the Golden Rule should be followed by everyone: Do unto others what you would have them unto you. A more detailed and expanded version of the Golden Rule is known as the Categorical Imperative: Whatever you do, consider the consequences if your actions were universal law (Martin, 1990). Atheist do not base their morals on God, the bible, or any other source that tells them that if they do a few things according to the word of God or the Bible they will spend eternal life in bliss, but instead they do things that they feel are right despite the bribe of Heaven (Martin, 1990).
Another breeding pool of atheist’s morals lies in humanism. Humanism states that the only savior for humanity is human beings themselves (Zuckerman, 2010). Community and humanity relies on the compassion and self-interest of others. Many humanists would describe themselves as a modern humanist. Modern humanism strictly rely on reasoning and science, and democracy and human compassion as a way of life and reject any ideas of supernatural beings of phenomena (Zuckerman, 2010).
Along with morals, I studied the beliefs of atheists as well. Such as why they do not agree with religion and what they believe will happen once the time runs out in their hour glass.
The same man I mentioned earlier that I met at the atheist meeting answered my question very simply. When I asked him why he didn’t agree with religion, he answered, “religion is an excuse for mayhem” (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). He then furthered his argument by stating that most of the man-made disasters were in the name of some sort of God. He was absolutely correct. World War II, many French wars, and even the Civil war were all caused because someone believed one thing as someone else believed another (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para. 2). If all of leaders in these wars refrained to most morals that atheists carry, such as the Golden Rule and the Categorical Imperative, would these wars had happened?
According to most atheists, religion gives people an excuse for hatred and war (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para. 2). “God did it” seems to be a reasonable answer for anything and by giving someone that mindset can weaken their senses of the world happening around them (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para. 2). For this reason, many believe that religion is ridiculous and unworthy of respect. Instead of “God did it”, which is unacceptable in the eyes of an atheist, one should use “I don’t know” because that is the truth (Alessandroni, 2010, Religion, para 2).
Many Christians believe that once we die we spend eternal life in Heaven with all of our deceased friends and family. So, what do atheists believe? What happens when we die?
“We just die” (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). That’s what the man at the meeting told me. Our minds just shut off like a switch, and we’re gone. Many atheists understand that this thought is very hard to imagine and for that reason they believe that religion was created to make death seem not as sad and inevitable (Zuckerman, 2010). I think it sounds awfully depressing, but instead of focusing on death, atheists focus on life and how we live it. The ultimate goal of an atheist is to live the little life we are given to the fullest and not dwell on death (Alessandroni, 2010, Atheism, para. 3). As atheists don’t believe in an afterlife, they instead focus on rather or not their lives were wasted.
When we choose our friends and our life partners, we usually tend to find people with whom we have things in common with. Religion is large part in most people lives and one would think that friendships and intimate relationship would also share are some religious beliefs.
The man I spoke to at the meeting shared with me that although he didn’t believe in God, but his wife did (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). Trying not to pry but still having curiosity that would end a lot of cat’s lives, I wondered, do they have ever get into disagreements? The man said that they never really did because he doesn’t judge others for their beliefs (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). He felt that if some did have some spirituality, he wasn’t one to shoot it down and push his views onto someone else (J. McKinney, personal communication, November 17, 2010). He never shares his views if someone doesn’t ask.
One startling statistic I found was that the divorce rate among atheists is actually lower than other religions. Baptists have a divorce rate of 29 percent, Mormons 24 percent, and Jews 30 percent (Robinson, 2000). Atheists have a divorce rate of 21 % (Robinson, 2000).
A lot of assumptions of atheists are very wrong, which I’ll explain more later on. Some believe that since an atheist does not love/believe in God, they are incapable of loving anything else or they assume that all atheists are naturalists and materialists and only believe in the existence of matter, and since matter is incapable of loving, so are atheists (Edgell, Gerteis, & Hartmann, 2006). These are all logical fallacies and are wrong. Most atheists are very genuine, loving people who crave social interaction just as much as a Christian (Edgell et al., 2006). In reality, atheism is the lack of believe in gods Nothing about love, morality, politics, etc. is stated there.
Even though atheists are just as capable as any other religion to be in a healthy relationship, Americans are least likely to allow their child to marry an atheist (Edgell et al., 2006). Americans also name atheists as the “least likely to share their vision of American society” out of a list of Muslims, immigrants, and homosexuals (Edgell et al., 2006). These attitudes are most likely driven by religious affiliation (Edgell et al., 2006). Between all other minorities, atheists are the least accepted. This may be because some may think that if the religious tolerance of people who do not believe in God goes up, religion in American may go lower (Edgell et al., 2006). And according to Edgell (2006), 74 percent of people believe that it is a bad idea to raise children without any religion. All of these statistics startled me and made me think about if I would ever marry an atheist, being that my dream wedding would be held in a church.
I’ve covered the definition and history of atheism and how their beliefs affect relationships, now to focus more on my actual project: atheists in Lexington. As one would know, Kentucky is on the “Bible belt” and a religious lifestyle is assumed among most Kentucky residents, but what happens if one chooses to not believe in God?
Most people around the Kentucky area or on the Bible belt in general have never met an admitted atheist (McCarthy, 2009, para. 2). “Literally people think that we do have horns, or that we’re mean, or that we don’t have kids” (McCarthy, 2009, para. 2) According to McCarthy (2009), her pro-atheist organization, Freedom From Religion Foundation, was unable to put up billboards introducing the idea of atheism for over 20 years and whenever a new one does go up, they get plenty of controversy, hate mail, and even new atheists joining the FFRF. McCarthy (2009) says that her foundation has helped many “closest atheists” come out. The FFRF isn’t for preaching to people about atheism, but instead giving people an option (McCarthy, 2009, para. 10). “We don’t have tent revivals. We don’t go from city to city. We don’t feel anybody’s soul needs to be saved” (McCarthy, 2009, para. 10).
As I’ve mentioned throughout my whole paper, there are plenty of misconceptions of people who do not believe in God. I’ve learned so much about that this belief, that honestly, my faith in God was shaken. When I spoke to Jack McKinney at the atheist meeting, he told my partner, Evan who is much more religious than I am that if he had a strong belief in God that maybe he shouldn’t research Atheism too deeply. Science offers very compelling arguments using scientific reasoning. I’ve learned that many people who do stop believing in God usually become this way after studying Evolution and the Big Bang theory. The main argument of atheism, however, is “how do you know” (Alessandroni, 2010). In reality, how do we know?
I thought of an atheist has someone who was cold, heartless, and has a pessimistic view of the world. And from talking to plenty of people about his project, others have this same view.
Each of the point that I’ve covered in my paper shed new light on this belief. I didn’t know what the correct definition of Atheism was. “Since they did not worship God, they worshipped the devil” was one thought where I was completely wrong. As I mentioned earlier, atheists simply do not believe in any Gods. I thought Atheism was a somewhat new belief, mainly to rebel against overly religious parents. According to McGrath (2004) it’s been around since the eighteen century. I also wrongly thought of atheists as being only compatible with other atheists. The truth is, atheists are just as capable to a Christian as another atheist. One aspect where I did happen to assume correctly is that it is certainly harder for an atheist to live on the Bible belt than anywhere else such as New York or San Francisco.
From the definition of atheism and history, relationship, and Lexington atheists themselves, atheists are misunderstood. Instead of judging someone on their beliefs, or non-beliefs for that matter, you should get to know the real person
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