Atheism

Atheism is the idea that there are no gods or deities. It is the opposite of theism, which is the belief that at least one god exists. People who believe in atheism think there is no evidence to support the idea of gods.

Atheistic ideas can be found very far back in history, in ancient times and in early Indian philosophy. In Europe, atheism became more common again during the Age of Enlightenment in the 16th century. By the 20th century, atheism had become an important way of thinking for many people around the world.

People who are atheists often argue that belief in gods is not needed because there is no proof. They also think that it is simpler to believe there are no gods. Atheist groups work to protect ideas like science, freedom of thought, and secularism, which means that governments and rules should not be based on any one religion.

Definition

People can think about atheism in different ways. Some say it means not believing in any kind of god. Others say it means being sure that gods do not exist.

There are two main ways people talk about atheism. One is when someone simply hasn’t thought much about gods or doesn’t believe in them. The other is when someone thinks about it and decides that gods probably don’t exist. Some thinkers say that not believing in gods counts as atheism, while others say you have to really think about it to be an atheist.

Atheism can also be split into two more ideas. One is when someone says for sure that gods do not exist. The other is when someone isn’t sure but also doesn’t believe in gods. Some people who aren’t sure if gods exist still call themselves atheists. Others think these are different ideas altogether.

Etymology

Long ago, in ancient Greek, there was a word that meant "godless." People used it to describe someone they thought didn’t respect the gods. Over time, the word came to mean not believing in any gods at all.

Later, this idea moved into other languages. In French, the word became athée. Today, when we talk about atheism, we usually mean not believing in any gods.

Arguments

Some people who do not believe in gods say this is because they think we can never really know for sure if a god exists. They feel that ideas about things we can't see shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Others say that beliefs about gods don't make sense. For example, they might say words like "God" have no real meaning.

Many atheists also believe there is only one kind of basic stuff in the universe, like matter. They think there are no invisible divine beings. They believe science can explain everything using natural laws.

Philosophers like Ludwig Feuerbach and Sigmund Freud have suggested that ideas about God are made up by humans to meet our emotional needs. Others, like Karl Marx, thought religion was used by leaders to control ordinary people.

Atheism and ethics

See also: Secular ethics and Secular morality

Sociologist Phil Zuckerman studied how society works with and without belief in gods. He found that places with fewer people who believe in gods often have better living conditions. In the United States, he found that people who don’t believe in gods tend to be less prejudiced and there are fewer murders in areas with more non-believers.

Some people think that without belief in a god, life might seem meaningless or there would be no reason to be good. However, many atheists believe that people can decide what is right and wrong without needing a god to tell them. They think that being good should come from wanting to do the right thing, not just because a god says so.

See also: Criticism of religion

Some well-known atheists have spoken out about what they see as problems with religions. They point to things like wars that have sometimes been linked to religious beliefs. They argue that relying only on a god’s rules can lead to strict ideas that don’t allow for different opinions.

However, some believers point out that not all atheist-led governments have been good either. They say that terrible actions by leaders were not because of atheism but because of their strict ideas and control.

Some people who call themselves atheists still follow religious traditions. For example, there are atheistic forms of Judaism and Buddhism. These people don’t believe in a creator god but still value their religious practices and beliefs.

History

Main article: History of atheism

Ideas that we today would call atheistic go back a very long time. Some early Indian philosophies did not believe in gods. One of these, called Chārvāka, said there were no gods at all.

In ancient Greece, most people still believed in gods. But some thinkers, like Democritus, tried to explain the world without gods. Anaxagoras was even called “the atheist” for saying the sun was a hot stone, not a god.

During the Middle Ages, very few people openly said they did not believe in God. But in the Renaissance, thinkers began to question old ideas. In modern times, more people started speaking out against belief in gods.

Today, there are writers who talk about living without religion. The first big meeting for people who don’t believe in gods was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of atheism

It can be hard to know exactly how many atheists there are in the world. People think about atheism in different ways. A study from 2010 found that about 9.6% of people around the world did not follow a religion, and about 2.0% said they were atheists. This did not include people who follow religions that do not believe in a god. From 2000 to 2010, the number of atheists changed very little.

Global studies found that between 9% and 13% of people called themselves "convinced atheists." Countries with the most atheists in 2012 included China, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea.

In Europe, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Estonia had high numbers of people who did not believe in any god or spirit. Countries like Poland and Greece had lower numbers.

In Asia, North Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and China have many people who do not follow a religion.

In Australasia, many people in Australia and New Zealand say they have no religion, which includes atheists.

In the United States, about 3.1% of adults say they are atheists. More people say they do not believe in a god when asked directly.

In recent years, more people in the Arab world have started talking about atheism, even though it can be difficult to do so openly.

Atheists are sometimes viewed negatively. Some people believe that someone must believe in a god to be moral. Studies have shown that atheists often have higher education and income, and they may think in more analytical ways. However, these differences are not fully understood and may depend on many factors.