Atheism Information

There is nothing wrong with being an atheist. So, if you're thinking of being one, you're a great person as is. Religions have invested a lot of time, energy, and money into making people think that atheists are strange, untrustworthy, amoral, immoral, miscreants who live on the fringes of society. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our group of atheists is a group of kind, compassionate, intelligent, diverse, open-minded, welcoming individuals who believe in being good people, treating others with kindness, helping the less fortunate, loving their families and other people, and taking care of the planet. Not exactly a group of terrifying monsters. We have jobs, kids, hobbies, interests, and dreams. Religions have done a lot to try to label us as somehow inferior, but we're just people. If you're thinking that you might be an atheist, always remember that there's nothing wrong with you. You're just a person who doesn't believe in a god. No matter w...

We're often asked what causes someone to become an atheist. While the answers are varied, we've come up with the ones we've heard most often: You Care about Finding the Truth Faith is not a reliable path to the truth because you can basically believe in anything based on faith. You could literally make up a god right now and believe in it on faith. People who care about finding the actual truth use critical thinking and science to find answers about the world around them instead of relying on what a supernatural being or religious leader tells them is true. Atheists find truth through asking questions, reviewing the evidence, and making decisions based on reality. Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort caused by thinking one thing but doing another. Religions often demand that people believe things with no evidence. They ask their followers to agree with contradictory ideas or concepts that are irrational. People will sometimes be asked to go ag...

Religious people are afraid of atheists because atheists don't follow their program. Imagine having lived your whole life being indoctrinated with ideas related to following a religion and then having someone challenge the very core of who you think you are. It's probably really scary. When we ask religious people questions, even simple ones, we often get a visceral, angry reaction that comes from fear. Many religious people have been taught to be wary of outsiders or non-chosen people, to the point that they don't know how to relate to anyone outside their own group. This is a sad state of affairs because we're all people sharing the same planet, regardless of our beliefs or lack thereof. Why would any religion tell its followers to be suspicious of outsiders? As atheists, we're all too familiar with being viewed as strange, untrustworthy, immoral, amoral, heathen people. Religions do this because they have a lot to lose if their followers don't believe their...

As atheists who are continuous learners, we are constantly trying to expand our understanding of religion and its followers. We value critical thinking and discovering the truth, so here are some questions we have for religious people: What measurable, verifiable, scientific evidence do you have for the proof of god? Other than a god, what other things do you believe in on faith? In what ways would you still be a moral person if a god was not watching you? What are the reasons you rely on science for most of your choices in life but not when dealing with god? What are the reasons you can believe in something as extraordinary as a god with no measurable, verifiable evidence? What other decisions do you make in life without evidence? What is it about you as a person that needs a god? What do you say about believing in a religion where you would have to hate your own child if he/she did not want to be religious like you? In what ways do your personal views differ from your relig...

Special pleading for the existence of a god is a common argument religious people employ when atheists ask for proof of the existence of god. It goes something like this: Question from Atheist Without using a holy book, references to the supernatural, or personal experience, how do you prove the existence of god? Common Answer from Religious Person You can't use the scientific method to prove the existence of god, he's beyond human understanding, beyond science, beyond everything, you just have to have faith. Please note the religious person does not provide any proof of god, just an argument about how the rules don't apply to their god. What atheists find nonsensical is that religious people rely on scientific evidence to make most of the decisions in their lives, from the weather to medical care to the houses and cars they buy, but in the case of god, verifiable evidence doesn't apply. Why is it that we need to make an exception for god but not for everything ...

As atheists, we are aware of a number of problems religion causes in the world. Here is a list of some of the main issues from our perspective: Us vs. them mentality. It's our religion against all others; our religion is right, theirs is wrong; anyone who doesn't follow our beliefs is evil. These types of points of view lead to conflict, dehumanization, and even war. When you delegitimize another group, it's much easier to commit atrocities against them. Exclusionary behavior. Shunning or putting down people your religion doesn't agree with or deem acceptable, even in your own family. Acting superior. Religions often have a "we're the chosen ones" or "we're more special than others" attitude that doesn't really lead to wanting to get along with others. Prejudice. Anti-gay sentiment, anti-feminism, anti-so-many-things. Religions preach inclusion but often practice exclusion. A reward, even if, or especially if, you're bad. Many r...

Here are some reasons why people believe in god: Fear of death. People are so scared of not living one day that they turn to the comfort and solace religion promises them. A need to control things. People feel insignificant and out of control, so they turn to religion to establish some kind of order in their lives. Moral guidance. Making moral decisions is difficult, so people turn to a god to tell them what to do or be there to punish them when they're wrong. Bad things happen. When bad things happen to people, they need an explanation as to why it happened to them (or someone else). It's easier to say a god is making it all happen than to face the idea that life is arbitrary and has no explanation. Finding meaning in life. People feel their lives are meaningless so, instead of looking at themselves, they look to an outside source (religion) to provide some kind of meaning. Explaining the unknown. People believe in god because it's much easier than using critical t...

Where do atheists get their morals? This is a question religious people ask implying that it's impossible to be moral with believing in a god. Atheists get their morals from examining the world around them and using their critical thinking to arrive at their own definition of morality. Human beings have an amazing capacity to act with kindness and love without any god. People in our particular group of atheists are mostly secular humanists who believe that we're all in this together and we need to help one another. We believe in treating people with kindness and compassion and doing things to help the less fortunate. We try to live lives where we don't hurt others. We strive to treat the planet well so future generations can enjoy its beauty. Not all atheists are like us. Some believe in living selfishly and not helping the less fortunate. Some aren't very tolerant of other people. Some hurt other people. But it's not because they're atheists, it's becau...

When anyone makes a claim, he or she has to have evidence to prove it. Some claims are minor, some major, and all are subject to being proven by our senses, life experience, and scientific knowledge. Claiming there is a god is an extraordinary claim which, just like anything else, requires evidence to prove. If we claim that there is a giant space lizard that created everything, most people would say that there isn't or ask us to prove it. If we don't have proof, they wouldn't believe it. But religions make claims like this all the time, without proof. All atheists are asking is that, if you make a claim, especially one as huge as the existence of a god, back it up with independently verifiable proof. The burden of proof simply means that whoever makes the claim, especially huge ones about supernatural beings, needs to furnish proof. Most people can easily dismiss the space lizard, but why don't they do the same for gods? Religions have invested a lot of energy over...

What would convince an atheist that there is a god? Verifiable proof, which means tangible, measurable evidence, something like: Being able to see and see, touch, and talk to the god in front of a group of atheists and people who have no interest in proving its existence. Having science conclusively confirm there is a god, which means multiple studies, verifiable data, and the vast majority of scientists agreeing on the finding. We use our senses and scientific knowledge to prove everything we know about the universe yet, for some reason, religious people say we can't do that for a god? Why the exception? Why do we trust our senses and scientific knowledge for everything else but a god? If you have to make an exception to everything you know about the universe, on faith, without verifiable evidence, then perhaps that means that thing simply doesn't exist. As atheists, we are willing to believe in a god, when we're presented with sound proof, just like with eve...

A lot of people wonder what beliefs atheists have. Well, they have a wide range of beliefs about all kinds of things. Atheists are just people like you who believe in all sorts of things, just not a god or gods. An atheist is a person who doesn't believe in a god or gods. That's it. There's nothing else about atheism that has anything to do with personality traits, political beliefs, values, or morals. Atheism is just the proposition that there is no god. There are all kinds of people who call themselves atheists who believe in all kinds of things, except for the existence of god.