Atheism Misunderstood

Atheism. The very word sends chills down the spines of the religious right. Theists, particularly those from mono-theistic religions, have often hurled accusations against atheists, branding atheists as fools (” Only a fool says there is no God”), heathens and infidels. Throughout history, there are numerous instances of atheists being persecuted along with so-called heretics, witches and non-mainstream religious sects for not towing the line with mainstream religions.

More often than not, in the course of my debates with theists, I have had to explain my philosophical stance, because their preconceived notions of atheists are, at the very least, misinformed.

In most instances, theists, particularly mono-theists, are very much prejudiced against atheists. In this entry I shall try to expose the misconceptions and warped opinions of atheists, and hopefully shed a little light on the lies of the religious right.

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There is no such thing as an atheist.

The simplest argument, yet the most damaging. Why? By that very statement, atheists are supposed to be non-existent. By the same token, shall I concur then, that there is no such thing as a theist? Such arguments are silly, if not insulting.

A person’s creed is a reflection of one’s personal philosophy, values he/she holds dear in his or her life. In the case of an atheism, the atheist feels that there is definitely no proof pertaining to the existence of supernatural deities.

Atheism is merely a natural state of non-belief. As one atheist once said, everyone is born an atheist, since no person has ever been quite well-indoctrinated before he or she was born. If there really was a deity, it/he/she obviously couldn’t give two hoots about religions.

Atheism requires more faith than theism.

The definition of faith, as stated in the Oxford’s Dictionary:

• noun
1 complete trust or confidence.
2 strong belief in a religion. 3 a system of religious belief.

So, we have three similar definitions of faith.

Complete trust and confidence. Atheism is based on the lack of evidence of supernatural beings, hence the non-belief. Doesn’t seem to illicit trust and confidence. So this definition cannot suffice. Strong belief in a religion? For all intentions and purposes, atheism does not constitute a religion. More on that later.

A system of religious belief? This one is even more absurd. Atheism is based on a very simple argument: That there is no proof to sustantiate the belief of deities. Unlike organized religion, with their fanciful organizations, hierarchies and doctrines, atheism has always been more about personal creed than a religion.

In short, atheism does not require faith. Rather, logic and common sense invariably leads atheists to view a world without a Creator.

Since atheism advocates disbelief, Atheists believe in nothing.

This argument is quite a slap in the face. Such a statement is no different from saying that since a Negro’s skin is black, the negro can never be sunburned. Such discriminating remarks are quite rare, fortunately. But still, such concoctions based on ignorance and deceit must be refuted.

Unlike our theist brethrens who tend to be united in worshipful prayer and unity, atheists do not have religious institutions to fall back on, and hence are not exposed to the “sheep mentality” that theists are routinely subjected to. Hence atheists do not have a fixed mould of beliefs, unlikely their theist counterparts. Atheists are more at ease when it comes to exercising their individual thoughts. While theists from the same religion/religious sect will tend to harp about a similar set of beliefs, you will not be able to find the same solidarity in atheists.

The fact that atheists do not hold any fixed set of beliefs and doctrines does not mean that atheists do not believe in anything.

I, for one, am a secular humanist and a libertine.

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Atheism is evil. Pol Pot and Stalin killed millions in the course of executing Atheism.

This is yet another blatant attempt at lumping communism and atheism in the same mould. The Americans were the first ones who perpetrated such nonsense. During the Cold War, the rise of Communist countries, such as Russia and China, clearly ruffled Uncle Sam’s feathers. In order to instill the “Us vs them” mentality, the American government began to implement a series of “pro-right” activities, such as inserting “God” into the American pledge, and changing the words “E Pluribus Unum”, which means “one from many”, on the American currency to “In God We Trust”.

As such, atheism has now become synomynous with Communism. The evils of Pol Pot and Stalin have often been associated with the purported evils of atheism. A logical conclusion?

The supposed argument goes like this:”Pol Pot exterminated two million of his own countryfolk, and he is an atheist, so all atheists are evil”. Should the same logic be also applied to Catholism? After all, Hitler was a Catholic, and furthermore, the Catholic Church has a long and uninterrupted history of anti-Semitism. Shall I then conclude that all Catholics are Nazis (Let’s not forget Pope Benedict) and Jew haters?

Communism, as explained in the Oxford’s Dictionary:

• noun
1 a political and social system whereby all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs.
2 a system of this kind derived from Marxism, practised in China and formerly in the Soviet Union.

Not a hint of atheism. Which means that one does not necessarily have to be a communist in order to be an atheist! Could the religious right be making a huge mistake here? Well, if Osama can get chummy with Saddam, I guess, anything goes.

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Atheism is a religion. It replaces “God” with “I”.

The atheist worships himself/herself. Sounds to me like a really bad case of narcissistic tendencies here. Pardon me for diving straight down into the annals of the Oxford dictionary for the upteenth time:

Religion

• noun
1 the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
2 a particular system of faith and worship. 3 a pursuit or interest followed with devotion.

The first two definitions definitely do not come into the picture, and the third is more applicable to Buddhism, which in the strictest sense does not advocate any specific Gods/Goddesses.

If Atheism is a religion, then George Bush must be a liberal.

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There are no atheists in foxholes.

Yet another assault on atheists. So atheists have no guts for war, eh? Hmm. I hate to bring this old tale up again, but Bush didn’t exactly fight in a foxhole either.

Just as there are theists who fought and died for their countries, there are atheists who fought and die for their countries too.

The sheer arrogance of this statement is enough to churn my stomach and turn me blue in the face.

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All atheists and non-believers will repent and pray for salvation on their deathbeds.

Besides the problem of figuring out which God to pray to on your deathbed, the fact is that there are enough unscrupulous religious fools who will claim that Mr so-and-so (most likely someone famous), long reputed to be a infidel, has converted on his deathbed, goes to tell you that tales from the dead are indeed invaluable propaganda tools for converting the unconverted.

Amongst the famous infidels who were supposed to have “recanted” on their deathbeds: Charles Darwin, the founder of “Evi-lution” (Punt intended), Voltaire, and Spinoza.

Truly, the imaginations of a depraved mind knows no bounds.

My appeal to theists is this: back up your arguments and rants with proof, or at the very least, common sense. Such uneducated potshots are, at best hilarious. It reflects badly on the religions which you purport to represent.

Atheists are human beings, not some kind of freaks out there waiting to butcher you at a moment’s notice. Treat us as your equals, and most of us will treat you in kind. Discrimination against anyone, regardless of race, creed or religion, is one which I would like to see banished from the face of the Earth.

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