An Essay on Atheism

An atheist may be defined as one who does not believe in the existence of a deity. While this may be technically accurate it is truer to say that an atheist is one who, based on evidence and reason, accepts a naturalist explanation for the universe and all that it contains including the earth and all life upon it, including humanity.

From pre-historic times men have created gods to explain the phenomena they observe in the world. Around these gods they have built complex mythologies and sought to lavish upon them praise and tribute so that they may prove beneficent. Ancient man worshipped gods who they believed would make their harvest flourish. Ills were explained as the displeasure of the gods. The Ancient Greeks believed that gods were present in every aspect of their lives and world and walked amongst them. Every culture on Earth, from the Australian Aborigines to the Vikings, has developed an intricate explanation of the creation of the universe involving supernatural beings.

Yet, since the very inception of religion, thinkers have questioned these notions. Frequently they have been decried, occasionally they  have been persecuted and murdered, but always they have existed. Science has slowly lifted the veil of mysticism that has clouded the vision of believers. In doing so it has rendered beliefs such as the Earth being the centre of the universe and the Sun as a god in his chariot pure fantasy, yet still the belief in deities persists.

It is believed by some that such a belief in supernatural beings is hardwired into the brains of humans. Certainly it is true that humans are capable of holding irrational thoughts in the face of overwhelming evidence against those ideas, and the belief in a deity may be thus explained. It may be argued that belief in a supernatural explanation is the natural state of mind and it is only through the application of critical thought that people are able to rid themselves of these beliefs. As an atheist it is perfectly easy to consider theists of any description to be at the worst stupid and at the best foolish. After all we have been able to see the man behind the curtain, so why are these people not able to see their beliefs for what they are?

By definition an atheist is one who actively acknowledges their position. A person who has not considered the question of a deity may be considered closer to agnosticism. An atheist has considered the evidence and made their decision and it can be a very tough decision, particularly if they have a background in which religion has been highly valued.

It must be terrifying for a person who has been raised in a faith, who is surrounded by believers to doubt the validity of their beliefs and the beliefs of their family and their community. Even where religion is not a central part of a culture accepting atheism as personal belief is challenging.

Accepting that god does not exist and that the observable universe may be explained naturalistically requires a true acceptance of personal responsibility. It requires the realisation that we are in control of our own lives, that luck, fate, destiny and divine intervention have no effect on life’s events.

While potentially frightening, this is incredibly empowering too. Since life is guided only by individuals the effect of each of their decisions is their own. If it is understood that prayer, lucky charms and rituals have no effect then the impact of choices cannot be mitigated either for the better or the worse. If a naturalistic explanation for the world is accepted then it is no longer possible to fear the supernatural – superstitions are eroded and irrational fears are lessened.

For many people, however, the rejection of the supernatural is not possible. Either they are unable to accept that the weight of evidence is for a naturalistic explanation of the universe, or they are unwilling to do so. In the extreme such rejection has led some to reject science entirely since it  contradicts their religious beliefs. Others try to corrupt science in a way that supports the theistic point of view. Such fundamentalists level accusations at atheists that indicate little understanding of atheism or their own religion.

While some mainstream religions are comfortable with science, up to a point, others reject it out of hand. The Catholic Church, for example, accepts (now) what science indicates about the age of the earth and the universe. I doubt that it would be comfortable were scientists to ask questions about the science behind miracles, the transubstantiation at the Eucharist or the virgin birth. Some Christian groups deny the accumulated evidence of various branches of science including geology, biology and astronomy and seek to prove that the Biblical account of creation is accurate.

Whatever the stance of a religion toward science they, by definition, consider atheists  to be at fault and level accusations at the godless. Most commonly they ask how it is possible for people to have a moral compass without a holy book to guide them. To again use the example of Christianity the claim is that without the Bible as a guide and the belief in an all seeing god there is no need for people to do good. They equate godlessness with lawlessness and hedonism. Clearly this is false. Most atheists are good people who do good deeds without the threat of eternal damnation to frighten them into it. There are many humanist groups who work tirelessly to ease the hardship of others. A moral compass exists in all humans and this is all that is required to guide our actions.

Further, in order for a society to function, people have to accept certain rules and these social rules are nothing to do with a deity. Theists offer atheists who have committed crimes and atrocities as proof of the evils of godlessness while remaining silent on the believers who have similarly transgressed. It is extremely enticing for the atheist to list all of the terrible things that have been done and are done in the name of religion.

Those who claim to believe in the literal truth of the Bible and claim to follow its word without question would quickly find themselves in all manner of trouble. Within its pages are examples of terrible acts committed by god or in the name of god. In fact the god the Old Testament is not at all pleasant. Even Jesus exposes a level of vehemence that is quite frightening. Believers, however, pick and choose those bits that they want to and leave aside the unpalatable aspects of their theology. Their choices are informed by the same moral compass instilled into every human at birth. The Bible is not a good moral compass.

Theists also level at atheists the accusation that atheism is simply another religion with its own dogma and gods. The argument is completely fallacious since at its heart the scientific approach demands evidence whereas religion is based on faith. Similarly it is often argued that atheists who actively promote their world view are fundamentalists in the same way  that the religious can be fundamentalist. This makes no sense since there is no atheist doctrine to adhere to fundamentally. Claims like this from theists seek merely to distract from the fact that they have no real rebuttal for science.

An examination of most mainstream religions reveals teachings that seem to contradict the ideas that these religions hold of themselves. While propagating the idea of a loving god they simultaneously teach that only believers of their particular form of delusion can be saved and that those who transgress any of their ill-informed and misconceived rules are sinners and will be punished. In a manner that appears disconcertingly obsessive many of the most condemnatory rules are to with sex. Homosexuality is sinful. The use of contraception is sinful. Sex outside of marriage (always between a man and a woman) is sinful. Even thinking about sex is sinful. To an atheist this seems extremely repressive. To most atheists sex and sexuality are totally the decision of the individual as long as no harm is done.

In recent years, thanks to the excellent work of people such as Karl Sagan, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens atheism has gained a great deal of ground in the popular mind and increasing numbers of people are rejecting religion and theism. While people acknowledging their disbelief are still a minority a larger number of people are questioning their faith. For them to accept the conclusion that there is no higher power will require courage and the replacement of a belief in a deity with a belief in themselves.