Atheism

{{gold}}{{atheism}}
{{cquote|Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake.|||[[Christopher Hitchens]], ''[[God Is Not Great|God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything]]''}}
	
{{cquote|Atheism is a non-prophet organization.|||Anonymous{{efn|This quote has been frequently falsely attributed to [[George Carlin]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20041018121521/http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/not_carlin.txt This is not George Carlin.] ''George Carlin'' (archived from October 18, 2004).</ref>}}}}

'''Atheism''' (from the Greek ''atheotnēs'' - meaning "ungodliness") is the denial of the validity of belief in the existence of [[god]]s.<ref name=Britannica>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/atheism Atheism] by Kai E. Nielsen, ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref>
''Theos'' includes the Abrahamic [[YHWH]](s), [[Zeus]], the [[Flying Spaghetti Monster]], and [[List of gods that theists don't believe in|every other deity from A to Z]]<ref>See [http://www.godchecker.com God Checker] for a humorous list of many of these gods.</ref> (and 0-9, !, ", #, $ or any other character, obviously). For the definition of atheism, the terms "[[God]]" and "a god" are used interchangeably, as there is no difference between a [[monotheism|monotheistic]] deity and a [[polytheism|polytheistic]] pantheon of deities when it comes to complete disbelief in them.<ref name=Britannica/> (This also intends to ignore the privileged position which [[Yahweh]] has held in English grammar, like the assumption that the word "god" is effectively a name for him and should be capitalized like a proper noun.) Most [[atheist]]s also do not believe in anything [[supernatural]] or [[paranormal]] (someone like this would be considered a [[Philosophical naturalism|naturalist]] or [[Materialism|materialist]]).<ref name=Britannica/>

==What is atheism?==
{{cquote|We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.|||[[Richard Dawkins]]<ref>[http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/richard_dawkins_on_militant_atheism.html Richard Dawkins on militant atheism], February 2002</ref>}}
Tied up with some of the more awkward aspects of defining the term "atheist" is the question of what god, or type of god, is being denied.<ref name=Britannica/> This is particularly important for those who claim that atheism is supported by evidence (more specifically, [[Absence of evidence|the ''lack of'' evidence]] for a theistic case).<ref name=Britannica/>

If the god being denied is the interventionist God, whom most [[theist]]s hold to exist, then the argument against the existence of this being is easy; the lack of any demonstrable interventions demonstrates the god's lack of existence. In this case, absence of evidence is evidence of absence, since one would certainly think that a god who intervenes in the world would have a noticeable and demonstrable effect on it (Although one might argue that if a being that can do anything really existed, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VofkquwmT40 She could probably think of a way of doing things so subtly nobody ever notices]. like the flood for example.) 

However, if the god being denied is of a less interventionist, or [[deist]], type god, the above argument regarding evidence doesn't work. Indeed, the only possible "evidence" for a deist god is the universe's very existence, and most sane people don't tend to deny the universe exists. On the other hand, as said "evidence" is simply asserted and isn't testable in any way, it is a lot less than wholly convincing, and we return to "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

Whether atheism also requires a person to disbelieve in all other forms of [[magic]], [[ghost]]s, or [[psychic]] powers is a question. These are not "gods" in the conventional sense, but still supernatural entities or powers. More "hardline" atheists would insist that disbelief in all things supernatural is mandatory for the label of "atheist". They would argue that this follows from the fact that atheism is a [[rational]] position and that atheists should take rational positions on other matters, as well. In the case of atheism, what does and does not constitute a "god" can often be very subjective; the definition could be restricted to monotheistic "creator" gods, expanded to include all supernatural entities, or used to describe only things that are worshipped or idolized. The variables that arise when trying to perfectly codify "atheism" are numerous, which fits with its position as a ''lack'' of belief.

However, atheism only makes sense in the context of the ubiquity of religion and theistic belief worldwide. If religions didn't exist, atheism wouldn't be a "thing", so to speak, and any discussion of the subject would be inherently meaningless — the world doesn't feature books, internet debates, and billboard campaigns saying that it's fine to disbelieve in Bertrand Russell's celestial teapot precisely because few, if any, people believe in the teapot. Therefore a working, albeit still slightly subjective, definition of what constitutes a "god" can be developed based on the beliefs of self-declared religions of the world. As a [[thought experiment]], we can conceive of a religion that achieves literal overnight success by promoting some god, Athkel,{{efn|With thanks to the Fantasy Name Generator.<ref>[http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/ Fantasy Name Generator]</ref>}} who will become a worldwide phenomenon tomorrow. An atheist would simply not believe in Athkel tomorrow, despite the fact that they had no belief in them yesterday, because it is a self-defined religious deity.

==Types of atheism==
[[File:AtheismVenn.svg|thumb|Only a ''little'' more complicated than "don't believe in God."]]
There are many ways to describe different types of atheism, some of which are explained below. These shouldn't be read as factions or sects within atheism in the same way as [[denomination]]s and [[sect]]s within religion (Protestant/Catholicism in Christianity, Sunni/Shia in Islam, and their multiple sub-groups, for example). One does not "join" a group of implicit atheists. Instead of sects that dictate people's beliefs, these should be taken as models to roughly describe people's beliefs and attitudes towards belief. There are many similarities, all of which are included in the blanket term "atheist." However — as is typical in atheist thought — not all atheists consider these divisions particularly relevant, worthwhile, or meaningful. 

The commonality among these various modes of atheism is the statement that no god or gods created natural phenomena such as the existence of [[life]] or the [[universe]]. Instead, these are usually explained through [[science]], (usually) without resorting to [[supernatural]] explanations. [[Morality]] in atheism is also not based on religious precepts such as divine commandments or revelation through a holy text — many alternative philosophies exist to derive or explain morality, such as [[humanism]]. 

===Weak vs. strong atheism===
====Weak atheism====
{{cquote|I only believe 12.5% of the Bible. I am an eighth-theist.|||Anonymous}}
'''Weak atheism''' (sometimes equated with "'''pragmatic atheism'''" or "negative atheism") describes the state of living as if no gods exist. It does not require an absolute statement of God's non-existence. The argument is based on the fact that there is no solid evidence that gods, [[Russell's Teapot|spatial teapots]], or fairies exist, so we have no ''reason'' to believe in them. This argument could also be classified as extreme [[agnosticism]] or "agnostic atheism" — as it acknowledges the lack of evidence, but acts as if there were no gods.

Pragmatic atheists, however, are frequently reluctant to make outright statements like "Gods do not exist" (or fairies or what have you) because of the great difficulties involved in proving the absolute non-existence of anything (see [[null hypothesis]]) The idea that nothing can be proved is held in the philosophy of [[Pyrrhonism]]. Consequently, many pragmatic atheists would argue that the [[burden of proof]] does not lie with them to provide evidence against the [[Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence|extraordinary concept]] that gods exist. They would argue that it is up to the supporters of various religions to provide evidence for the existence of their own deities and that no argument is necessary on the atheist's part, so long as they do not explicitly make the declaration that God does not exist. On that point, at least, they're certainly right, because of how the burden of proof works.

====Strong atheism====
'''Strong atheism''' (sometimes equated with "'''theoretical atheism'''") makes an ''explicit statement'' against the existence of gods. Strong atheists would disagree with weak atheists about the inability to disprove the existence of gods. Strong atheism specifically combats religious beliefs and other arguments for belief in some god (or gods), such as [[Pascal's Wager]] and [[Irreducible complexity|argument from design]]. These arguments tend to demonstrate that the concept of god is logically inconsistent or incoherent to actively disprove the existence of a god.<ref>[http://www.strongatheism.net/ strongatheism.net]</ref> [[Theological noncognitivism]], which asserts the meaninglessness of religious language, is an argument commonly invoked by strong atheists.<ref group=note>Although some noncognitivists would claim the argument disproves atheism as well because it also makes a truth-claim about nonsensical statements, [[Not even wrong|which cannot be true or false by definition]].</ref> In contrast, weak atheist arguments tend to concentrate on the evidence (or lack thereof) for god, while strong atheist arguments tend to concentrate on making a positive case for the non-existence of god.

===Apatheism===
{{main|Apatheism}}
An '''apatheist''' has no interest in accepting or denying claims that a god or gods exist or do not exist. An apatheist considers the very question of the existence or non-existence of gods or other supernatural beings to be irrelevant and not worth consideration under any circumstances.

In short: they simply don't care. (Well, okay, they care enough to give themselves a name — so that people explicitly know what it is they don't care anything about. But that's about it.)

===Antitheism===
{{main|Antitheism}}
{{cquote|I am of the opinion that you would recognize a creator by his creation, and the world appears to me to be put together in such a painful way that I prefer to believe that it was not created by anyone than to think that somebody created this intentionally. In the first place, for moral reasons.|||Stanislaw Lem<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927051312/http://missourireview.com/printable.php?genre=Interviews&title=An%2BInterview%2Bwith%2BStanislaw%2BLem An Interview with Stanislaw Lem] by Peter Engel (1984) ''The Missouri Review'' 7(2) (archived from September 27, 2007).</ref>}}
'''Antitheism''' is, perhaps surprisingly, technically separate from any and all positions on the existence or non-existence of any given deity. Antitheism simply argues that a given (or all possible) human implementation of religious beliefs, metaphysically "true" or not, leads to harmful and undesirable results, either to the adherent, society, or both. As justification, the antitheists often point to the incompatibility of religion-based morality with modern humanistic values or the atrocities and bloodshed wrought by religion and religious wars. Religious moderation, compared to religious extremism, is an example of theistic anti-theism, also known as [[Dystheism|dystheism]]. Dystheism also encompasses questioning the morals even of a deity you believe in, e.g., choosing to obey commandments on nonviolence over calls to violence from God, despite them both being clearly put forward by this alleged giver of all morals.

===Post-theism===
{{cquote|God is dead....And we have killed him.|||[[Friedrich Nietzsche]]}}
'''Post-theism''' is a form of atheism that doesn't so much reject [[theism]] outright as believe it to be obsolete, and that belief in [[God]] belongs to a stage of [[human]] development now past. The word stems from the [[Latin]] post "behind, after, afterward" + [[Greek]] theos "god" + -ist. 

Though the belief system is independent of organized religions, some post-theists posit a specific religion as formerly useful. A notable example is Frank Hugh Foster, who, in a 1918 lecture, announced that modern culture had arrived at a "post-theistic stage" in which humanity has taken possession of the powers of agency and creativity that had formerly been projected upon God. Another instance is [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s declaration that "God is dead."

==Why are people atheists?==
[[File:Descent of the Modernists, E. J. Pace, Christian Cartoons, 1922.png|thumb|right|325px|"Descent of the Modernists", which appeared in the book ''Seven Questions in Dispute'', by [[William Jennings Bryan]], 1924.  Though why he added a duplicate of #10 (atheism) on step #6 is anyone's guess.]]
{{cquote|We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for [[Fun:List of mistakes made by God|His own mistakes]].|||Eugene Wesley Roddenberry}}
It is obvious that not all atheists are "disaffected with religion" – many were just never raised with or indoctrinated with religious beliefs in the first place. Hence, a substantial number have nothing to become disaffected with. However, in those areas where religious belief is essentially taken as normal, there is a high chance that a person would have been religious before "coming out" as an atheist. As the term "atheist" only really means something in the context of universal religious belief, being disaffected or unconvinced by religion could certainly be one factor for many people who declare themselves atheists. Nevertheless, as has been said previously, there is debate in the atheist community, and not ''all'' atheists would agree with ''all'' of these reasons or even consider them relevant to atheism.

One of the major intellectual issues regarding disenchantment with religion is that most world religions insist that all other faiths are wrong. While some moderate believers may like to take a stance that "all religions are right, they're just different interpretations", it's undeniable that [[heresy]] and [[apostasy]] are looked down upon very harshly in many faiths. This suggests the possibility that ''no religion is right'' and further suggests that, because the vast majority of believers in any [[faith]] are born into it, being a member of the "correct" group or "the elect" is merely an accident of birth in most cases. There is also historical evidence that organized religion, while professing a peaceful moral code, is often the basis for exclusion and war and a method to motivate people in political conflicts. The enmity among different religions and even among [[sect]]s within the same religion adds credibility to this idea. Now, some may argue that this points not to anything being wrong with religion ''per se'', but rather with immoral humans distorting religion to suit their own wicked agendas. But while religion may have been ''developed'' with good intentions, this argument implicitly admits that religion isn't the most effective tool for fulfilling its purpose as a source of morality. This further opens up the possibility of other philosophies, like [[secular humanism]], potentially doing a ''much better'' job at fulfilling this goal. While religion may indeed keep ''some'' people from harassing, maiming, and killing each other for petty gains or [[Sadism|sadistic]] pleasure, this brings up the question of how righteous these people really are if religion is the only thing preventing them from doing such.

Other reasons may be more directly to do with a religion or its specifics — namely (1) the evils that the concept of religion has produced over the ages, (2) the [[hypocrisy]] of professed believers and religious leaders who exhort their followers to help the poor, love their neighbors, and behave morally but become wealthy through donations to the church and carry love for certain neighbors to an immoral extreme ''as defined by their own professed religious beliefs'', and (3) [[Problem of evil|the contradiction]] between talk of a loving god and a world in which children starve to death and innocent people are [[torture]]d and killed. Issues with religion may arise due to the nature of fundamentalists — insisting that their holy texts are ''literally'' true and anyone who doesn't share their 
opinions
 beliefs ''to the letter'' is a worthless [[infidel]] who must be either [[Evangelism|converted]] or [[Capital punishment|destroyed]]. This leads to attempts by such fundamentalists to undermine education by [[Censorship|censoring]] [[War on Science|scientific knowledge]] that seems to contradict their beliefs. [[Intelligent design]] is a prominent case (see [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]). Often, this doesn't sit well with moderate believers, especially those who may be on the verge of losing their faith, especially when the evidence provided by daily experience suggests that there may be no events that cannot be explained by [[common sense]] and [[scientific method|scientific study]].

Other issues that atheists have with religion involve the characteristics of supposed gods. Atheists sometimes consider the idea that a supreme all-knowing deity would have the [[Personality disorder#Narcissistic Personality Disorder|narcissistic]] need to be worshiped and would [[punishment|punish]] anyone for worshiping a different god (or none at all) to be perverse.

Lastly, formerly religious atheists often report having had their belief system unsettled by a lack of evidence supporting the notion of the supernatural.

===Logical===
{{cquote|If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn’t value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?|||[[Sam Harris]]}}
[[Logic]]al [[argument]]s try to show that God cannot possibly exist (at least as described). Barring any [[escape hatch]] arguments like [[Goddidit]], some properties of God are [[Paradox|incompatible with each other or known facts about the world]], and thus a creator-god cannot be a logically consistent and existent entity. These arguments are heavily dependent on the use of common descriptions of the Abrahamic God as a target: things such as omnipotence, omnipresence, and omnibenevolence. As a result, they are not as useful in refuting the claims of, say, [[neopaganism]] and are also vulnerable to the tactic of [[moving the goalposts]] by changing the descriptions of God.

The [[omnipotence paradox]] postulates that true omnipotence is not logically possible and/or not compatible with omniscience. This is primarily a logical argument based on whether an omnipotent being could limit its own power — if yes, it would cease to be omnipotent; if no, it wouldn't be omnipotent in the first place. Hence the paradox shows, through contradiction, that God cannot exist as usually described.

Other logical arguments prove that god is incompatible with our scientific knowledge of reality. The [[problem of evil]] states that a good god wouldn't permit gratuitous evil, yet such evil occurs, so a good god does not exist.<ref>[http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/nontheism/atheism/logical.html Logical Arguments for Atheism] ''The Secular Web''.</ref> The [[argument from design]] is often given as proof of a creator, but it raises the following logical question: if the world is so complex that it must have had a creator, then the creator must be at least as complex and must therefore have a creator, and this would have to have had a more complex creator ''ad infinitum''. Also, the argument from design does not offer evidence for any ''specific'' religion; while it could be taken as support for the existence of ''a god'' or gods, it doesn't argue for the Christian God any more than, say, the Hindu pantheon.

While believers hasten to point out that their gods don't need to follow logic, let alone the known laws of physics, this is really a case of [[special pleading]] and doesn't so much prove anything itself. Atheists, therefore, tend to reject these counters to the logical arguments, as they mostly [[beg the question]] of a creator's existence and, very arbitrarily, plead that a creator can be exempt from the same logic used to "prove" its existence.

===Evidential===
{{cquote|I know of no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too desirous of evidence in support of their core beliefs.|||[[Sam Harris]], ''Letter to a Christian Nation''}}
At the root of the worldview of most atheists is [[evidence]], and atheists point out that sufficient evidence for the existence of gods is currently very lacking, and thus there is no reason to believe in them. Evidential arguments are less ambitious than logical arguments because, rather than proving god not only does not, but flat-out ''cannot'' exist, they aim to show that the available evidence makes the existence of god implausible. It is important to remember that what constitutes ''sufficient'' evidence can be quite subjective, although [[rationalism]] and [[science]] offer some standardization. Various "[[holy book]]s" exist that testify to the existence of gods and claim that alleged [[miracle]]s and [[Anecdotal evidence|personal experiences]] constitute evidence in favor of the existence of a god. However, atheists reject these as insufficient because the [[naturalism|naturalistic]] explanations (tracing authors of the holy texts, [[Psychology|psychological]] experiments, scientific experiments to explain experiences, and so on) are more plausible. Indeed, the existence of plausible naturalistic explanations renders ''super''natural explanations unwarranted. In addition, these books make claims for various faiths, putting the theist in the awkward position of having to defend the claims of their religion's holy texts while rejecting similar claims from the scriptures of other religions.

Atheists often cite evidence that processes attributed to a god might also occur naturally as evidential arguments. If [[evolution]] and the [[big bang]] are true, why would a creator god have needed them?<ref>[http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/nontheism/atheism/evidential.html Evidential Arguments for Atheism] ''The Secular Web''</ref> [[Occam's razor]] makes theistic explanations less compelling (but, of course, doesn't disprove them either).

===Experiential===
{{cquote|"God", "immortality of the soul", "redemption", "beyond" — Without exception, concepts to which I have never devoted any attention, or time; not even as a child. Perhaps I have never been childlike enough for them?<br/>
I do not by any means know atheism as a result; even less as an event: It is a matter of course with me, from instinct. I am too inquisitive, too questionable, too exuberant to stand for any gross answer. God is a gross answer, an indelicacy against us thinkers — at bottom merely a gross prohibition for us: you shall not think!|||[[Nietzsche]], in ''Ecce Homo''}}
Many atheists argue, in a similar vein to the [[Born again|born-again]] Christian who "[[Other ways of knowing|just knows]]" that God exists, that the day-to-day experience of the atheist demonstrates quite clearly that God does not. This is because they have [[Straw man|an image]] in their heads of what this "God" would have to look like, ''viz.'', an entity in the vein of the God of the Old Testament who runs around zapping entire cities, turning people into pillars of salt, and generally answering people's prayers in flashes of fire and brimstone — or, answering prayers for the victory of a given football team — but ''not'' answering those made on behalf of starving children in the third world.<ref group=note>Yes, atheists can commit logical fallacies, too.</ref>

===Atheist clergy===
{{cquote|Nobody knows for sure how many clergy members are secretly atheists (or are secretly on the fence, with serious doubts about their religion). But almost everyone I've spoken with in Clergy Project strongly suspects that the numbers are high.||| Greta Christina<ref name=christina>[http://www.alternet.org/story/155798/major_threat_to_religion_clergy_people_coming_out_as_atheists?page=0%2C2 Major Threat to Religion? Clergy People Coming Out as Atheists] by Greta Christina (June 11, 2012) ''AlterNet''.</ref>}}

Studying religion in depth during training for clerical work can lead a person to examine religious ideas [[Critical thinking|critically]]. The study of [[Christian]] [[theology]] will include the whole of the [[Bible]] and include historical background, which can lead to rational doubt.<ref name=christina/><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14417362 Dutch rethink Christianity for a doubtful world] by Robert Pigott (5 August 2011) ''BBC''.</ref> 

In 2011, the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]] and the [[Richard Dawkins]] Foundation for Science and Reason launched a confidential support group for clergy who no longer [[faith|believe]]: the [[Clergy Project]]. By December 2012, the group had almost 400 members. One of the founders of the Clergy Project is Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, who was an evangelical preacher for nineteen years before becoming an atheist.<ref>[http://archive.ph/b8rl5 Groups support pastors, priests leaving the pulpit] (October 14, 2011) ''Freedom from Religion Foundation'' (archived from 7 Jul 2013 12:55:04 UTC).</ref> {{wpl|Gretta Vosper}} is openly atheist as a minister, and her congregation supports her.

[[Freethought Blogs|Freethought]] Blogger [[Greta Christina]] articulates a possible effect of clergy openly leaving Christianity on their parishioners' beliefs. The more traditional position of clergy is that they are somehow endowed with answers to all questions of faith. If these trained religious authorities say they have no answers to normal "Crises of Faith", even more, if some suggest the most reasonable answer is atheism, lay Christians will find continuing their belief more difficult.<ref>[http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2012/06/20/clergy-project/ The Clergy Project: Do Atheist Clergy Change The Religion Game?] by Greta Christina (June 20, 2012) ''The Orbit''.</ref> It is worth noting that modern clergy trained in most US or UK universities are discouraged from claiming to be exempt from such crises of faith and to encourage people to share a "journey of spiritual discovery". Perhaps atheism must simply be accepted as a potential outcome of that endeavor.

==Who are atheists?==
[[File:Map of atheism in the world.svg|thumb|right|500px|Atheists as a percentage of population around the world as of 2020.]]

Because atheism is effectively a ''lack'' of inherent religious or political ideology, there is very little that unifies all atheists.

That said, atheists do tend to fit a certain profile.

===Demographics===
Specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 suggests that the true proportion of atheists is 2%<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070109084036/http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 Religious Views and Beliefs Vary Greatly by Country, According to the Latest Financial Times/Harris Poll] (December 20, 2006) ''Harris Interactive'' (archived from January 9, 2007).</ref><ref>[http://archive.ph/OAqX7 Few 'No Religion' Americans Are Atheists"] by Dan Gilgoff (September 28, 2009) ''US News & World Report'' (archived from 7 Jul 2013 12:55:46 UTC).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110202041557/http://religions.pewforum.org/reports U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Report 1: Religious Affiliation] ''The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life''. "1.6% are atheists" (archived from February 2, 2011).</ref> to 4% in the United States, 17% in [[Great Britain]], and 32% in [[France]]. A 2020 ''YouGov'' report stated that 27% of Britons believed in a god, and 41% believed in neither a God nor a higher power.<ref>[https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2020/12/29/how-religious-are-british-people  How religious are British people?]</ref>

According to a 2012 WIN-Gallup International poll, 13% of the world identifies as "atheist", 23% identifies as "not religious", and 59% identifies as "religious"; these results were 3% more "atheist", 9% less "religious", and 6% more "non-religious" than 2005. Of note, in the United States, 13% fewer people identified as "religious".<ref name=WIN>[https://www.scribd.com/document/136318147/Win-gallup-International-Global-Index-of-Religiosity-and-Atheism-2012 Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism] by Ijaz Shafi Gilani, Rushna Shahid & Irene Zuettel (2012) ''WIN-Gallup International'' via ''Scribd''.</ref>

===Education and IQ===
Many studies have shown that in general groups with higher intelligence have more atheists.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/26/liberals.atheists.sex.intelligence/index.html Liberalism, atheism, male sexual exclusivity linked to IQ] by Elizabeth Landau (Feb. 26, 2010) ''CNN Health''. "…people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs…".</ref> A 2002 [[meta-analysis]] of 39 eligible studies from 1927 to 2002 was published in ''Mensa Magazine'' and concluded that atheists are more likely to be of higher intelligence than their religious counterparts.<ref>"Would you believe it?" by Paul Bell. "Would you believe it?" (Feb. 2002) ''Mensa Magazine'', UK Edition, pp. 12–13.</ref> The American Sociological Association found that higher intelligence was linked with atheism and [[liberal]] political ideology.<ref>[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100224132655.htm Liberals and atheists smarter? Intelligent people have values novel in human evolutionary history, study finds] (February 24, 2010) ''Science Daily''.</ref><ref>[https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0190272510361602 Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent] by Satoshi Kanazawa (2010) ''Social Psychology Quarterly'' 73(1): 33-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272510361602.</ref>

Likewise, there are many studies that suggest people with more education are generally atheists. According to an article in the prestigious [[Scientific journal|science journal]] ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' in 1998, the belief in a personal god or [[afterlife]] was very low among the members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Only 7% believed in a personal god compared to more than 85% of the general U.S. population.<ref>[https://www.scribd.com/document/2430168/Leading-scientists-still-reject-God Correspondence: Leading scientists still reject god.] by Edward J. Larson & Larry Witham (1998) ''Nature'' 394(6691): 313 (via ''Scribd'').</ref> A 2012 WIN-Gallup International poll found that people with a college education were 16% less likely to describe themselves as religious than those without a complete high school education.<ref name=WIN /> A survey conducted by the ''Times of India'' in 2015 revealed that 22% of IIT-Bombay graduates do not believe in the existence of God, while another 30% do not know.<ref name=toi2015>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Less-than-half-of-passing-IIT-batch-believes-in-Gods-existence/articleshow/46938504.cms Less than half of passing IIT batch believes in God's existence] by Yogita Rao (Apr 15, 2015, 12:52 IST) ''The Times of India''.</ref>  According to a Harvard survey, more atheists and agnostics are entering Harvard University, one of the top-ranked schools in America, than Catholics and Protestants. According to the same study, atheists and agnostics also make up a much higher percentage of the students than the general public.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/09/there-are-more-atheists-and-agnostics-entering-harvard-than-protestants-and-catholics/ There are more atheists and agnostics entering Harvard than Protestants and Catholics] by Sarah Pulliam Bailey (September 9, 2015 at 5:56 a.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[http://features.thecrimson.com/2015/freshman-survey/lifestyle/ Beliefs and Lifestyle] by David Freed & Idrees Kahloon, ''The Harvard Crimson''.</ref> However, the reverse idea, that atheists are generally more educated, is not necessarily true, in at least in some cases: a Pew Center global study ranked the religiously unaffiliated (including atheists and agnostics) as the third most educated group, higher than Buddhists (fourth), Muslims (fifth), and Hindus (sixth), but lower than Christians (second) and Jews (first).<ref>[https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/12/21094148/Religion-Education-ONLINE-FINAL.pdf Religion and Education Around the World] (December 13, 2016) ''Pew Research Center''</ref>

But of course, [[correlation does not imply causation]]. What might account for these links between education, intelligence, and atheism? Perhaps it has to do with [[skepticism]]. In 2015, researchers found that atheists score higher on cognitive reflection tests than theists, stating that "disbelieving seems to require deliberative cognitive ability".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Da Silva |first1=Sergio |last2=Matsushita |first2=Raul |last3=Seifert |first3=Guilherme |last4=De Carvalho |first4=Mateus |title=Atheists score higher on cognitive reflection tests |journal=MPRA Paper|issue=68451 |url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/68451/2/MPRA_paper_68451.pdf}}</ref> On the other hand, perhaps religious attitudes have nothing to do with it. Education professor Yong Zhao asserts that countries with such differing religious attitudes succeed, while countries with other differing religious attitudes fail, simply due to the excessive workload and testing present in the [[Confucian]] cultural circle, the students within which make for outstanding test takers.<ref>[http://zhaolearning.com/2010/12/10/a-true-wake-up-call-for-arne-duncan-the-real-reason-behind-chinese-students-top-pisa-performance/ A True Wake-up Call for Arne Duncan: The Real Reason Behind Chinese Students Top PISA Performance] by Yong Zhao (10 December 2010).</ref>

There's another caveat: while evidence suggests that there is at least some link between atheism, intelligence, and education, that does not mean that religion makes people dumber. Obviously, there are plenty of smart religious people, and contrary to the [[conflict thesis]], there have been times when religion and education went hand in hand. However, [[religious scientists|the fact that some famous scientists were religious]] is not sufficient proof that religion makes people smarter either. At best, it's [[anecdotal evidence]], and arguments that point towards famous religious people ignore many of the social factors behind faith, such as the fact that throughout history, atheism was fiercely persecuted or at least socially unacceptable.

A simple explanation for the positive correlation of atheism with intelligence is that atheists in general "benefit from social conditions" that tend to promote atheism. The world's most religious countries tend to be poor, less urbanized, have less access to education, suffer from worse child nutrition rates, tend to do a poor job of controlling environmental factors like [[lead]] which are all known to affect intelligence.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201005/the-real-reason-atheists-have-higher-iqs he Real Reason Atheists Have Higher IQs: Is Atheism a Sign of Intelligence?] by Nigel Barber (May 4, 2010) ''Psychology Today''.</ref> Professor Gordon Lynch of Birkbeck College, London, says that such simplistic analyses tend to ignore the "range of complex social, economic, and historical factors" that each play a role in the complicated phenomenon of religiosity and intelligence.<ref>Graeme, Paton (11 June 2008). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2111174/Intelligent-people-less-likely-to-believe-in-God.html "Intelligent people 'less likely to believe in God'".] ''[[The Telegraph]]''.</ref>

===Income===
Studies have shown that groups with more income have significantly more atheists. A 2012 WIN-Gallup International poll found that people in the highest quintile of income were 17% less likely to describe themselves as religious than the bottom quintile.<ref name=WIN/> This is likely because those with more education tend to have higher incomes.<ref group=note>And also that those with more education tend to be better-equipped to recognize bullshit for what it is.</ref>
 
A recent study published in the ''Annals of Family Medicine'' suggests that, despite what some may think, religiousness does not appear to significantly affect how much physicians care for the underserved.<ref>[http://www.annfammed.org/cgi/content/full/5/4/353 Do Religious Physicians Disproportionately Care for the Underserved?] by Farr A. Curlin et al. (2007) ''Annals of Family Medicine'' 5:353-360. doi:10.1370/afm.677.</ref>

===Race, gender, sexuality===
The Pew Research Center (2014) reports that in the US:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082110/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/05/RLS-05-08-full-report.pdf America's Changing Religious Landscape: Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and other Faiths Continue to Grow] (May 12, 2015)</ref>{{rp|14,87}}

{{quotebox|Whites continue to be more likely than both blacks and Hispanics to identify as religiously unaffiliated; 24% of whites say they have no religion, compared with 20% of Hispanics and 18% of blacks. But the religiously unaffiliated have grown (and Christians have declined) as a share of the population within all three of these racial and ethnic groups. …

Among respondents who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, fully 41% are religiously unaffiliated, and fewer than half (48%) describe themselves as Christians. Non-Christian faiths also are represented in the gay community at higher rates than among the general public, with 11% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual respondents identifying with faiths other than Christianity.}}

The Pew report also reported that 57% of "unaffiliated" were male, and 43% were female.

Atheists are becoming more numerous but also more diverse. White middle-class men such as [[Richard Dawkins|Dawkins]], [[Sam Harris|Harris]], and [[Christopher Hitchens|Hitchens]] no longer define the movement. One blogger argues that 
{{cquote|[T]he movement has become much more diverse — not just in the obvious ways of gender, race, and so on, but simply in terms of how many viewpoints are coming to the table. The sheer number of people who are seen in some way as leaders... has gone up significantly.... And the increasing diversity in gender, race, class, and so on are important. We have a long way to go in this regard, but we're doing much, much better than we were."<ref name=ChrisHall>[http://www.alternet.org/belief/hitchens-dawkins-and-harris-are-old-news-totally-different-atheism-rise Hitchens, Dawkins and Harris Are Old News: A Totally Different Atheism Is on the Rise] by Chris Hall (June 4, 2014) ''AlterNet''.</ref>}}

Other atheists{{who}} strongly disagree and want to see the atheist movement focus on [[philosophy|philosophical]] arguments against religion and [[pseudoscience]].<ref name=ChrisHall/>

[[African American]] atheists are a small minority (2% of the American population) facing severe prejudice.
{{cquote|In most African-American communities, it is more acceptable to be a criminal who goes to church on Sunday, while selling drugs to kids all week, than to be an atheist who … contributes to society and supports his family.|||Author James White<ref Name=EmilyBrennan/>}}

Despite this, black atheists are joining online groups and giving each other confidence. Also, online groups progress to arranging offline meetings.<ref Name=EmilyBrennan>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/fashion/african-american-atheists.html The Unbelievers] by Emily Brennan (November 25, 2011) ''The New York Times''.</ref> Atheists of color frequently feel they have different priorities from white atheist groups; they may be allied to faith groups that help [[poverty|poor]] blacks and fight [[racism|racial discrimination]]. Atheists of color also form their own groups focusing more on economic and social problems their communities face and hoping general atheist groups will focus more on these issues in the future. [[Sikivu Hutchinson]] is one of many atheists of color campaigning against injustice faced by poor people, black people, [[LGBT]] people, [[misogyny|women]], and other oppressed groups.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/06/16/blacks-are-even-discriminated-against-by-atheists/ Atheism has a big race problem that no one's talking about] by Sikivu Hutchinson (June 16, 2014 at 2:29 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/4723/the-growth-of-african-american-atheism The growth of African-American atheism: Christianity remains central to life in the Southern United States. But with non-belief growing, secular organisations are finding new ways of supporting those who are breaking with their faith.] by Dale DeBakcsy (5<sup>th</sup> August 2014) ''New Humanist''.</ref>

==Atheism in history==
[[Image:Atheist-symbol.png|thumb|Some people think this is the symbol for atheism.{{efn|It is actually the symbol used by [[American Atheists]]. The symbol was allegedly created at the founding of American Atheists in 1963… Looks more like the logo for the "Annapolis Nukes" triple-A baseball team.}} Wikipedia's "atheism project" used it as a logo once, before switching to a picture of the word ''atheoi'' from {{wpl|Papyrus 46||.}}<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Atheism2&direction=next&oldid=310478107 Wikipedia diff, 31<sup>st</sup> August 2009]</ref> Nowadays the template has no logo at all.]]
{{cquote|Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it, too?|||[[Douglas Adams]]{{efn|This quotation serves as the dedication in Dawkins' [[The God Delusion]].}}}}
There has been a long history of rational people who have not accepted superstitious or magical explanations of natural phenomena and have felt that "gods" are unnecessary for the world. The Eastern philosophy of Buddhism is broadly atheistic, explicitly eschewing the notion of a creation myth. In the Western world, there have been atheists for almost as long as there has been philosophy and writing. Some of the most famous thinkers of the ancient world have been critical of belief in deities or eschewed religion entirely — many favoring [[logic]] and [[rationality]] to inform their lives and their actions rather than religious texts. Democritus, who originally conceived of the [[atom]], [[Hypothesis|hypothesized]] a world without [[magic]] holding it together. {{wpl|Critias||,}} one of the Thirty Tyrants of Athens, preceded [[Karl Marx|Marx]] when he called religion a tool to control the masses.

Perhaps the best example of an explicitly atheistic ancient philosophy is the {{wpl|Charvaka}} (or Cārvāka) school of thought, which originated in India in the first millennium [[BCE]]. The Charvakas posited a materialistic universe, rejected the idea of an afterlife, and emphasized the need to enjoy this life.<ref>[http://www.humanistictexts.org/carvaka.htm Carvaka] ''Humanistic Texts''.</ref>

Modern atheism in the Western world can be traced to the [[Age of Enlightenment]]. Important thinkers of that era who were atheists include [[Baron d'Holbach]] and [[Denis Diderot]]. The Scottish philosopher [[David Hume]], though not explicitly avowing atheism, wrote critical essays on religions and religious beliefs (his most famous being a critique of the belief in miracles) and posited naturalistic explanations for the origins of religion in {{wpl|The Natural History of Religion||,}} as well as criticizing traditional arguments for the existence of God in {{wpl|Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion||.}}

Not until recently, however, did the term known as "atheism" begin to carry its current connotation. It is a neutral or unimportant label in many countries worldwide. The nation of [[New Zealand]], for example, has thrice elected an [[agnosticism|agnostic]] woman (Helen Clark) as Prime Minister, followed by another agnostic leader (John Key), then another (Jacinda Ardern), and then the her replacement (Chris Hipkins). Several UK prime ministers have been atheists, including the current prime minister Keir Starmer, former prime minister Clement Attlee and the former deputy PM, Nick Clegg. Also, the former Prime Minister of Australia, [[Julia Gillard]], is openly atheist, and at least one other former Australian PM was atheist. However, the term carries a heavy stigma in more religious areas such as the [[United States]] or [[Saudi Arabia]]. Indeed, [[Atheophobia|prejudice against atheists]] is so high in the United States that one study found that they are America's most distrusted minority.<ref>[http://thesocietypages.org/files/2013/03/American-Sociological-Review-2006-Edgell-211-341.pdf Atheists As "Other": Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society] by Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis & Douglas Hartmann (2006) ''American Sociological Review'' 71:211. doi:1177/000312240607100203.</ref>

The reason for such attitudes towards atheists in these nations is unclear. Firstly, there is no stated creed with which to disagree (except perhaps for "strong" atheists, whose only belief is that there are no gods). Nor are atheists generally organized into lobbies or interest groups or political action committees (at least none that wield massive power), unlike the many groups that lobby on behalf of various religions. And yet an atheist would be the least likely to be elected [[President of the United States]]. According to the American Values Survey, about 67% of all voters would be uncomfortable with an atheist president, and no other group — including [[Mormon]]s, [[African American]]s, and [[homosexual]]s — would lose so much of the potential vote based on one single trait alone.<ref name="TGD">''The God Delusion'' by Richard Dawkins (2006) Bantam Press. ISBN 0593055489.</ref><ref>[http://publicreligion.org/newsroom/2011/11/2011-american-values-survey/ The 2011 American Values Survey] ''Public Religion Research Institute''.</ref><ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/11/09/would-you-be-comfortable-with-an-atheist-president-2011-survey-says/ Would You Be Comfortable with an Atheist President? 2011 Survey Says…] by Hemant Mehta (November 9, 2011) ''Friendly Atheist''.</ref> One potential reason for this is that in the United States, [[Christianity|Christian]] groups have managed to push and implant the concept that without religion, there can be no morality — often playing to people's needs for absolutes and written rules — [[absolute morality]] is presented as something inherently true and achievable only by believers.

==Misconceptions about atheists==
[[File:Christian protesters in Des Moines 2011.jpg|thumb|right|325px|Christian protesters outside the American Atheists national convention in Des Moines, [[Iowa]] (2011), managing to miss the point badly.]]
The mistrust of atheism is often accompanied by [[snarl word]]s, [[straw man]] arguments, and other myths and legends to denigrate the idea of disbelief in established gods.

Fundamentalist Christians have a penchant for revising history to suggest that the bad acts of atheists are due to a lack of belief in a god (usually the Christian [[God]]). Attempts by fundamentalist Christians to associate [[Hitler]],{{efn|Who was a lifelong Roman Catholic and invoked religion and God quite often in his rhetoric.}} [[Stalin]],{{efn|Who was thrown out of the orthodox seminary for stealing and giving the proceeds to the Communist party and later used the Orthodox church for political gain during the war, though he likely ''was'' an atheist, if anybody who believes himself to be godlike can called any such thing.}} and any number of terrible characters with atheism indulge the [[association fallacy]] and would be laughably trivial were the smear not so effective at influencing [[Critical thinking|uncritical thinkers]].

===Atheism as an organized religion===
{{main|Atheism as a religion}}
{{cquote|Atheism is a religion in the same way as 'off' is a television station.|||Ben Emerson}}
One of the widest misconceptions, often used as a strong criticism, is that atheism is a [[religion]]. However, while there are [[secular religions]], atheism is commonly defined as "no religion". To expand the definition of "religion" to include atheism would thus destroy any use the word "religion" would have in describing anything. It is quite often pointed out that calling atheism a religion is akin to stating that being unemployed is an occupation. Following this, atheists ''do not'' worship [[Charles Darwin]] or any other individual. Although some think atheism ''requires'' [[evolution]] to be a complete worldview,{{efn|[[Richard Dawkins]] discusses this idea in an early chapter in ''The Blind Watchmaker''.<ref>''The Blind Watchmaker'' by Richard Dawkins (1985). Longman Scientific and Technical. ISBN 0582446945.</ref>}} there is no worship of ''anything'' or ''anyone'' in atheism, and [[acceptance of evolution]] [[theistic evolution|isn't exclusive to atheists]]. For that matter, an atheist does not have to accept the evidence for evolution.<ref group=note>Stalin is a good example: he rejected Darwinian evolution, promoting [[Lysenkoism]] instead, and consistently purged evolutionary biologists in favor of Lysenkoists.</ref> If atheists worshiped Darwin as a ''god'', they wouldn't be atheists. Basically, "atheism" is a word for a negative. However, this leads to a few semantic issues.

This confuses the [[religious]] because they are used to religious identity as a declaration of allegiance ''to'' a view rather than separation ''from'' one. This confusion leads them to assert that a denial of their religion must be an avowal of another. They then declare the so-called [[New Atheists]] as [[hypocrisy|hypocrites]] for denigrating religion while sticking to an unstated one of their own or declare that [[science]] has an [[epistemology]] and religion has an epistemology. Therefore, science is just another faith (when religion's problem is that science's epistemology provably works much better than religion's), and in such regard, some Christian apologists claim that, as everyone believes in ''something'', to believe in evolution is equal to replace God with Nature thus divinising the latter.

{{cquote|Atheism is actually a religion — indeed, much like "not collecting stamps" might be called a hobby, or "not smoking" might be called a habit.|||TheThinkingAtheist<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSxgnu3Hww8&feature=player_detailpage#t=148 Top Ten Creationist Arguments] by TheThinkingAtheist (Dec 30, 2009) ''YouTube'' ([https://web.archive.org/web/20180629004850/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSxgnu3Hww8 archived copy]).</ref>}}

A standard response is that if atheism is a religion, "bald" is a hair color, "not kicking a kitten" is a form of animal abuse, and so on. Another is to note that if the definition of religion was expanded enough to legitimately include atheism — say, by defining religion as "any [[philosophy]] on life" — practically ''everything in the world'' would be a religion, such as socio-economic policies or views on [[equality]].<ref group=note>[[British]] law has come close to finding this in employment discrimination cases.</ref>

A new movement of atheist churches appears to be developing (such as [[Sunday Assembly]] and [http://www.peoplearemoreimportant.org/ Oasis]), but they do not worship; rather, they are places where like-minded people get together on Sunday mornings to have fun, celebrate life, and whatever. This is a relatively new phenomenon, and its prospects for the future are unclear.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21319945 What happens at an atheist church?] by Brian Wheeler (4 February 2013) ''BBC''.</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/03/atheist-church-sunday-assembly-islington 'Not believing in God makes life more precious': Meet the atheist 'churchgoers'. Queen and Stevie Wonder instead of hymns; a science lecture instead of a sermon. Can church work without belief in God? Esther Addley joins 300 people who say it can] by Esther Addley (3 Feb 2013 13.44 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

Atheists, as a whole, are ''not'' a unified group, so accusations that "atheists" are doing x, y, and z hold little water. In fact, a disaffection with organized religion and the potential for [[groupthink]] causes many believers to abandon the faith and come out as atheists. It doesn't follow that such individuals would happily join another organized group. Debate within the atheistic community is robust — debates about whether there is even an "atheistic community" at all, for instance — and the fact that this debate exists presupposes no dogmatic mandate (or at least not a widely followed one) from an organized group. It does follow from this lack of organization that there is no atheist equivalent to the [[Bible]], [[Koran]], or other holy texts. There are, of course, atheist writings, but one does not need to adhere to opinions held by, say, [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Richard Dawkins]], or [[Christopher Hitchens]] to be considered an atheist. Some atheists will actively oppose what these kinds of authors do and say. In fact, some atheists wish they could believe.<ref>[http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/07/17/leaving-las-vegas-rich/ Leaving Las Vegas … Rich] by Michael Shermer (Jul 17 2012) '"Skeptic Blog''.</ref>

===Atheists just hate God===
{{main|Atheists hate god}}
Believers sometimes denigrate atheists because they "hate God". This, however, makes no sense. It is impossible for atheists to "hate God", as they don't believe in any god, and one cannot hate something they don't believe in. People who make such assertive claims toward atheists are confusing atheism with [[misotheism]]. It is, however, possible for atheists to object to the character of a god as its followers, holy texts, and supplemental materials describe it — for example, many atheists see YHWH as being incredibly cruel by their standards.

===Atheists have no morals===
[[File:Teach children religion for a better community -- religion means reverence - obedience - order, irreligion means chaos - crime - social collapse, parents, wake up American Legion (80830).jpg|thumb|right|350px|A poster distributed by the 
American Lesion
 {{wpl|American Legion|}} in the 1940s.]]
{{main|Argument from morality}}
{{cquote|What I'm asking you to entertain is that there is nothing we need to believe on insufficient evidence in order to have deeply ethical and spiritual lives.|||[[Sam Harris]]}}
Morality is one of the larger issues facing the world, and many religions and believers openly express the notion that they have a monopoly on deciding, explaining, and enforcing moral judgments. Many religious people will assume that since morals rise from (their) god, one cannot have morals without (their) god. Contrary to the claims of such people, "no gods" ''does not'' equal "no morality". There are strong [[humanism|humanistic]], cultural, and genetic rationales for the existence of morality and ethical behavior, and many people, not just atheists, recognize this fact. 

Some atheist groups are doing charitable work traditionally done by religious organizations like funding scholarships as an alternative to faith-based scholarships,{{efn|Antelope Valley Freethinkers funded scholarships for young freethinkers. The Antelope Valley Union High School District refused to publish details about those scholarships while religious scholarships were published. After a successful lawsuit brought by the [[Freedom from Religion Foundation]], the freethinkers' scholarship will be published with the others.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/06/17/ca-school-district-owes-atheist-groups-10000-after-censoring-their-scholarship-offers/ CA School District Owes Atheist Groups $10,000 After Censoring Their Scholarship Offers] by Hemant Mehta (June 17, 2016
) ''Friendly Atheist''.</ref>}} and at least one atheist group volunteers to do environmental protection work.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/09/21/atheist-group-continues-to-help-community-clean-up-its-riverbed-2/ Atheist Group Continues to Help Community Clean Up Its Riverbed] by Richard Wade (September 21, 2015) ''Friendly Atheist''.</ref>

Indeed, it could be argued that accusing atheists of having no morals is sometimes a [[psychological projection]] from people who have themselves not developed healthy intrinsic moral sensibilities and responses, and for whom, theoretically (and sometimes by their own admission), an external written code such as that in the Bible is the only thing stopping them from being a psychopathic criminal<ref group="note">Included here are those who claim atheists are so because they don't want to accept there's an [[afterlife]] and that they will be [[Judgement Day|judged as everyone else]] for their deeds in life.</ref>. As an adage quoted by ex-evangelical author and blogger Valerie Tarico goes: "If you can’t tell right from wrong without appealing to an authority or a sacred text, what you lack is not religion but compassion."<ref>[https://valerietarico.com/2014/07/17/hey-christians-feeling-persecuted-dont-be-evil/ Hey Christians. Don't be evil!] by Valerie Tarico (July 17, 2014).</ref>  Of course, just because someone assumes they would become amoral lawbreakers without their religion's moral code doesn't mean they would actually do so if they were to lose their faith; most would likely continue to follow much the same moral code without the religion, just as most atheists do.

Typical examples of this trope invoke either [[Hitler]] (whose supposed atheism is rather provably false) or some of the genocidal [[Communism|communist]] [[dictator]]s (mainly [[Stalin]], [[Mao]], or [[Pol Pot]]). Setting aside the dubious [[Godwin's Law]] example(s), using Stalin, Mao, or Pol Pot as examples of the bad consequences of atheism has the common weakness that it is far from clear that it was their atheism (rather than, say, their political ideologies and/or ruthless ambitions) that caused their murderous actions. This is in stark contrast to the [[Massacres in the name of a peaceful faith|numerous and varied examples]] of the very explicit use of religion to justify killing, maiming, raping, enslaving, or otherwise mistreating your fellow man, including notorious instances of deities outright ordering such behavior in sacred, religious texts, with the [[Old Testament]] [[YHWH]]’s command to exterminate the [[Amalekites]] being just one particularly horrendous case in point.

There have been attempts by psychologists and social scientists to investigate whether atheists are more or less moral than religious believers. Many of these experiments have been inconclusive, finding no difference.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-religion-is-natural-and-science-is-not/201203/are-religious-people-more-moral-atheists Are Religious People More Moral than Atheists?] by Robert N. McCauley (Mar 22, 2012) ''Psychology Today''</ref>

This attitude has even been used to justify [[Atheophobia|hate and discrimination]] and is the reason why atheists are so distrusted in the US.<ref>[http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/lee-myers/ten-common-myths-about-atheists Ten Common Myths About Atheists] by Lee Myers, ''Atheist Republic''.</ref>

===Atheism = communism===
[[File:Stalin-140508_27880t.jpg|thumb|175px|Mr. Stalin says not to confuse him with those non-communist atheists.]]
In the US, where criticism of atheism is common, as well as among their equivalents of other countries it often works well for politicians and evangelists to compare atheism to the "evils" of [[communism]] or even to communism itself. These "evils" are not inextricably fused with the values of atheism in reality. Although most orthodox Marxists are atheists (Marxism treats religion as a "[[false consciousness]]" that needs to be eliminated (though not necessarily by force or proselytization)), the atrocities wrought by [[Stalin]] and others were not on account of their being atheists, but on account of their being totalitarians and authoritarians: just as Hitler's crimes against humanity weren't on account of his believing in God. Additionally, there have been many ''anti''-communists who were atheists or agnostics, such as [[Ayn Rand]] and the computer pioneer John von Neumann.<ref group="note">Although later in his life, he took the Pascal's wager. Well, he was a game theorist after all.</ref> In [[North Korea]], one of the only 5 countries where communism still exists (the others being China, [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]], and [[Cuba]]), it is mandatory [[Juche|to believe (or pretend to believe) that the Kim dynasty consists of people with superhuman powers]]. In addition, it's worth noting that their head of state ''de jure'' is not actually [[Kim Jong Un]], but the [[spirit]] of his late grandfather, [[Kim Il Sung]] — who is practically revered as a God himself.

===Misconceptions of definition===
{{cquote|Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious. In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to [[Alien abduction|molest ranchers]] [[Cattle mutilation|and their cattle]]. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.|4=[[Sam Harris]]<ref> name="LCN"''Letter to a Christian Nation'' by Sam Harris (2006) Knopf. ISBN 0307278778.</ref>}}
Atheists are not "actually agnostic because no one can ever know whether God exists": this conflates belief and knowledge. Atheism is a position of ''disbelief'' and not of lack of ''knowledge'' — which is often accepted on all sides of the theistic debate. Atheism assumes that it is [[rationality|rational]] to ''believe'' that gods don't exist. Agnostics, by contrast, hold that the existence of god is unknown or unknowable.

==Opposition to the term "atheism"==
[[File:Scarlet A.png|thumb|The "Scarlet A" of the Out Campaign<ref>[http://outcampaign.org/ Out Campaign]</ref>]]
{{cquote|I decided to give up on being an atheist because I discovered that I had nothing to say during a [[Oral sex|blowjob]].|||Robert Anton Wilson}}
One difficulty with the term "atheism" is that it defines what its adherents ''do not'' believe in rather than in what they ''do'' believe in. The lack of positive statements of belief has led to the fact that there is really no overarching organization that speaks for atheists (some would regard this as a good thing, keeping atheism from becoming an organized religion) and has led to the comparison that organizing atheists is like "herding cats", i.e., impossible. The ''only'' thing that unites atheists may be a lack of belief in gods; thus, an overarching organization representing them would be impossible.

Primarily because of the prevalence of extreme discrimination against atheists, people have tried to come up with more positive terms or campaigns to get the godless philosophy noticed and respected. This allows atheists to feel more united and happy with their beliefs (or ''lack'' of), but has also led to organizations that will help them in situations, such as legal cases, where individuals couldn't do it on their own. The most prominent examples:

*The "[[Brights Movement]]" describes itself as composed of people with a naturalistic worldview, though its name might be self-defeating on the "helping make the godless more respected" side.
*[[Philosophical naturalism|Naturalist]] is the preferred term used by A. C. Grayling and others. Grayling argues that a statement such as "I believe in naturalistic explanations" has the advantage of being a positive statement about what is believed and does not narrowly define the speaker in terms of one particular lack of belief.
*[[Freethinker]] is another term meaning something similar; the philosophy behind it is known as "freethought".

To date, none of these alternative descriptions seems to have taken hold a great deal, and the term of choice for most people remains "atheist". "Freethinker" is probably the term with the most support, dating back to the 19th century. "Naturalism" may be the second most popular, although the name may lead people to confuse it with [[naturism]] or with some kind of eco-hippy ideal. "Bright" is the most recent term invented and is currently the most controversial and divisive. Supporters of the Brights movement see it as a positive and constructive redefinition (on par with the re-branding of homosexuality with the word "gay", which until then primarily meant "happy" or "joyous"). In contrast, its detractors see it as nothing more than a shameless attempt to turn atheism into organized religion and the use of "bright" as a cynical attempt to appear more intelligent and, by implication, to make their opponents seem less so. Less commonly, some may identify as "nontheist" in an "I'm an atheist but don't want to make a big deal of it" way.

In some contexts, words such as "[[rationalist]]" and "[[skeptic]]" may also be [[code word]]s for "atheist". Although not all atheists need to be rationalists, and not all rationalists need to be atheists, the connection is more in the ''method'' a person uses to derive their beliefs rather than what their beliefs actually are.

As in the quote above, some who have expressed criticism of religion, among them [[Richard Dawkins]], have pointed out that the word ''atheism'' enforces theism as a social norm, as modern languages usually have no established terms for people who do not believe in other supernatural phenomena (''a-fairyist'' for people who do not believe in fairies, ''a-unicornist'', ''a-alchemist'', ''a-astrologer'', etc.).

==Religious views on atheism==
With the existence of deities being the central belief of almost all religious systems, it is not surprising that atheism is seen as more threatening than competing belief systems, regardless of how different they may be. This often manifests in the misconception that "[[Freedom of religion|freedom ''of'' religion]] doesn't include freedom ''from'' religion". It is also important for theists that the political hierarchy, the priesthood, should do their utmost to discourage dissent — as true believers make better [[tithe]] givers. Most religious codes are more than a bit irritated with those who do not believe. The Bible, for example, includes clear [[ad hominem]] attacks on non-believers, such as ''The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."'' ({{bible|Psalm|14|1}} and {{bible|Psalm|53|1}}), while the penalty for [[apostasy]] in Islamic law is death — and this is still endorsed today.

One author has proposed a correction to Psalm 53, as follows:<ref>''Beyond the Crusades: Christianity's Lies, Laws and Legacy'' by Michael Paulkovich (2016)American Atheist Press. 3<sup>rd</sup> ed. ISBN 1578840376. p. 9.</ref>
<blockquote>
The fool hath said in his heart, "I know there is a God, and just one God. I know his name, I know his mind and his plans for me. I have a personal relationship with God's son. I know where we came from and what happens after we die. I know if I merely believe in God I shall live forever in paradise. And all I have to do is pray to God, and all my wishes will come true." 
</blockquote>

In the USA, the increased public visibility of atheism — what some commentators call the "[[New Atheism]]", seen in the popularity of books like ''[[The God Delusion]]'' — has brought renewed energy to the debate between believers and non-believers.<ref>[http://www.investigatingatheism.info/controversies.html Current Controversies: 'New Atheism'] (2008) ''Investigating Atheism'' (archived from July 3, 2008).</ref> As part of that debate, some believers have tried to stop what they think of as the “[[irony|irresponsible]]” promotion of atheism. Their efforts range from material that has academic pretensions to arguments that are plainly abusive, focusing on "smacking" atheists with [[PRATT]] arguments regarding how great the Bible 
isn't
 is — and, of course, a heavy bias towards their ''own'' religion being true.<ref>[http://townhall.com/columnists/douggiles/2007/10/20/how_to_shut_up_an_atheist_if_you_must/page/full/ How to Shut Up an Atheist if You Must] by Doug Giles (Oct 20, 2007 5:23 PM) ''Townhall''.</ref> What these arguments tend to have in common is that they are less about providing arguments ''for'' religious belief and more about keeping atheists quiet, with questions such as "[[Atheism faq#If atheism is a lack of belief.2C why all the fuss.3F|don't you have anything better to do than talk about the God you don't believe in]]?" or arguing that "[[fideism|faith is better than reason so shut up]]".<ref>[http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2009/02/shut-up-thats-why.html Atheism and the "shut up, that's why" argument] by Greta Christina (February 2009).</ref> It's not entirely unexpected that this would be the thrust of several anti-atheist arguments — after all, according to several Christians in influential positions, even the mere knowledge that atheism exists can be dangerous.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/04/04/its-dangerous-for-children-to-know-atheism-exists-says-illinois-state-legislator/ It's Dangerous for Children To Know Atheism Exists, Says Illinois State Legislator] (April 4, 2008) ''Friendly Atheist''.</ref>

==Atheistic view of the Bible==
Atheists may view the [[Bible]] and other religious works as literature, fiction, [[mythology]], epic, philosophy, ''agitprop'', irrelevant, [[history]], or various combinations thereof. Many atheists may find the book repulsively ignorant and primitive, while others may find inspiration from certain passages even though they don't believe in the supernatural events and miracles mentioned in the Bible. Many atheists see religious works as interesting historical records of the myths and beliefs of humanity. By definition, ''atheists do not believe any religious text to be divinely inspired truth'': in other words, "Dude, it's just a book" (or, in some cases, a somewhat random collection of different books).

Several types of evidence support the idea that "it's just a book". Textual analysis of the various books of the Bible reveals vastly differing writing styles among the authors of the individual books of the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s, suggesting that these works represent many different (human) voices and not a sole, divinely inspired voice. The existence of [[Apocrypha]], writings dating from the time of the Bible that were not included in official [[canon]] by [[Jews]] or Christians (and peppered with mystical events such as encounters with [[angels]], [[demons]], and [[dragon]]s), further suggests that "divine authorship" is not a reliable claim. Within Christianity, there are differences among sects regarding which books are Apocrypha and which are included in the Bible, or which are included under the heading "Apocrypha", indicating that they constitute holy writings but are not meant to be taken as seriously as the other books. The Book of Tobit, for example, is included in the Catholic Bible but considered Apocrypha by [[Protestants]] and is wholly absent from the Jewish Bible.  There are even texts in the Apocrypha which never made it into any sect's Bible, and in fact were actively suppressed and only rediscovered in modern times—such as the {{wpl|Gospel of Judas}}, of all things.

Another problem with the "divine authorship" of the Bible is the existence of texts that predate it but contain significant similarities to certain Biblical stories. The best-known among these is the [[global flood|flood story]], found in numerous versions in texts from across the ancient Middle East, including the Sumerian [[Epic of Gilgamesh]], which bears textual similarities with the Biblical account. Another such story with apparent [[Babylon]]ian origin is that of the Tower of Babel. It has been suggested that some of these stories were appropriated by the Jews during the Babylonian exile. 

Studies of the history of the Bible, although not undertaken with the intent of disproving it (in fact, many Biblical historians set out to prove the Bible's veracity), shed light on the Bible's nature as a set of historical documents which were written by humans and were affected by the cultural circumstances surrounding their creation. This type of rational discourse neither proves nor requires an atheistic worldview: one can believe that the Bible is not the infallible word of God either because one adheres to a non-Judeo-Christian religion or because one is a Christian or Jew but not a [[Biblical literalist]].<ref group=note>Indeed, some Christian denominations, like Roman Catholicism, ''actively discourage'' Biblical literalism.</ref> These criticisms of Biblical "truth" counter the arguments of fundamentalists, who are among atheism's most vociferous critics.

==Persecution of atheists==
Sadly, [[Atheophobia|some people feel personally insulted and/or threatened by the very ''existence'' of atheists]]. If you happen to be an atheist in a country where atheists face discrimination, it might be wise not to draw attention to your non-belief.

Atheists and the nonreligious face persecution and discrimination in many nations worldwide. In [[Bangladesh]], [[Egypt]], [[Indonesia]], [[Kuwait]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Jordan]], atheists (and others) are denied free speech through [[blasphemy]] laws. In [[Afghanistan]], [[Iran]], [[Maldives]], {{wpl|Mauritania||,}} [[Pakistan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and [[Sudan]], being an atheist can carry the [[capital punishment|death penalty]]. In many nations, citizens are forced to register as adherents of a limited range of religions, which denies atheists and adherents of alternative religions the right to free expression. Atheists can lose their right to citizenship and face restrictions on their right to marry.<ref>[http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2013/12/non-religious-suffer-discrimination-or-persecution-in-most-countries-of-the-world-new-report-finds Non-religious suffer discrimination or persecution in most countries of the world, new report finds] (10 Dec 2013) ''National Secular Society''.</ref><ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE8B900520121210 Atheists around world suffer persecution, discrimination: report] by Robert Evans (December 9, 2012 / 4:12 PM) ''Reuters''.</ref> In many parts of the world, atheists face increasing prejudice and [[hate speech]] similar to that which ethnic and religious minorities suffer. [[Saudi Arabia]] introduced new laws banning atheist thought in any form; a Muslim expressing religious views the government disliked was falsely called an atheist and sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes. In [[Egypt]], young people talking about their right to state atheist ideas on television or on [[YouTube]] were detained.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/how-the-right-to-deny-the-existence-of-god-is-under-threat-globally-9913662.html How the right to deny the existence of God is under threat globally: New report also criticises Scotland's religious representatives on education boards] by Adam Sherwin (10 December 2014 00:57) ''Independent''.</ref>

===In Islamic [[Theocracy|theocracies]]===
In most (if not all) Islamic theocracies, being an atheist can mean prison or even [[capital punishment|execution]]. In [[Bangladesh]], notably, atheists risk murder. The [[Center for Inquiry]] is raising money to get atheists and sometimes their families out of countries where their lives are in danger.<ref>[https://centerforinquiry.org/donate/to/secular-rescue/ Support a Cause that makes a Difference] Secular Rescue, a program of the Center for Inquiry.</ref>

===In the United States===
{{cquote|No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.|||[[George H. W. Bush]]<ref>[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/George_H.W._Bush_and_the_Atheists George H.W. Bush and the Atheists] (11 July 2007, at 11:20) ''Source Watch, the Center for Media and Democracy''.</ref>}}
Research in the ''American Sociological Review'' finds that atheists are the group Americans least relate to for shared vision or want to marry into their family.<ref>[http://thesocietypages.org/files/2013/03/Atheists-as-Other-Moral-Boundaries-and-Cultural-Membership-in-American-Society.pdf Atheists As "Other": Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society] by Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis & Douglas Hartmann (2006) ''American Sociological Review'' 71:211-234.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Group in Question
! This Group Does Not at All Agree with<BR>My Vision of American Society:
! I Would Disapprove if My Child Wanted<BR>to Marry a Member of This Group:
|-
| Atheist
| 39.6%
| 47.6%
|-
| Muslim
| 26.3%
| 33.5%
|-
| Homosexual
| 22.6%
| N/A
|-
|Conservative Christian&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
| 13.5%
| 6.9%
|-
| Recent Immigrant
| 12.5%
| N/A
|-
| Hispanic
| 7.6%
| 18.5%
|-
| Jew
| 7.4%
| 11.8%
|-
| Asian American
| 7.0%
| 18.5%
|-
|African American
| 4.6%
| 27.2%
|-
| White American
| 2.2%
| 2.3%
|}
From the report's conclusions {{Cquote|To be an atheist in such an environment is not to be one more religious minority among many in a strongly pluralist society. Rather, Americans construct the atheist as the symbolic representation of one who rejects the basis for moral solidarity and cultural membership in American society altogether.}}

A 2012 Gallup poll showed that presidential candidates who are open atheists are the least likely demographic to be voted into office.<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/155285/atheists-muslims-bias-presidential-candidates.aspx Atheists, Muslims See Most Bias as Presidential Candidates: Two-thirds would vote for gay or lesbian] by Jeffrey M. Jones (June 21, 2012) ''Gallup''.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Group in Question
!I would vote for a presidential candidate who is___:
! I would not vote for a presidential candidate who is___:
|-
| Black
| 96%
| 4%
|-
| A woman
| 95%
| 5%
|-
| Catholic
| 94%
| 5%
|-
|Hispanic
| 92%
| 7%
|-
| Jewish
| 91%
| 7%
|-
| Mormon
| 80%
| 18%
|-
| Gay or lesbian
| 68%
| 30%
|-
| Muslim
| 58%
| 40%
|-
| An atheist
| 54%
| 43%
|-
|}

However, in 2015, a new Gallup poll was released that indicated that atheism was no longer at the bottom of the list, indicating a bit of progress. Unfortunately, some groups' approval ratings decreased.<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/183713/socialist-presidential-candidates-least-appealing.aspx In U.S., Socialist Presidential Candidates Least Appealing] by Justin McCarthy (June 22, 2015) ''Gallup''.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Group in Question
!I would vote for a presidential candidate who is___:
! I would not vote for a presidential candidate who is___:
|-
| Catholic
| 93%
| 6%
|-
| Black
| 92%
| 7%
|-
| A woman
| 92%
| 8%
|-
|Hispanic
| 91%
| 8%
|-
| Jewish
| 91%
| 7%
|-
| Mormon
| 81%
| 18%
|-
| Gay or lesbian
| 74%
| 24%
|-
| Evangelical Christian
| 73%
| 25%
|-
| Muslim
| 60%
| 38%
|-
| An atheist
| 58%
| 40%
|-
| A socialist
| 47%
| 50%
|-
|}
In some parts of the United States, open atheists may be attacked, spat on, turned out of the family home, sent to Bible camp, and forced to pretend religiosity.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28616115 The stigma of being an atheist in the US] by Aleem Maqbool (4 August 2014) ''BBC''.</ref>

In the [[US]], atheists are the [[Atheophobia|least trusted and liked people out of all social groups]]. They top the charts when people are asked, "who would you least trust to be elected [[POTUS|President]]" or "who would you least want to marry your beautiful, sweet, innocent Christian daughter."<ref>[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=in-atheists-we-distrust In Atheists We Distrust: Subjects believe that people behave better when they think that God is watching over them] by Daisy Grewal (January 17, 2012) ''Scientific American''.</ref><ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-10/religion-atheism/51777612/1 Atheists distrusted as much as rapists] by Kimberly Winston (12/10/2011 4:42 AM) ''USA Today''.</ref> It probably doesn't help that the U.S. is one of the most religious developed countries in the world.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100711151602/http://pewglobal.org/files/pdf/262.pdf/ Unfavorable Views of Jews and Muslims on the Increase In Europe] (September 17, 2008) ''Pew Research Center''.</ref>

Many have lost jobs and been harassed out of their homes for ''lack'' of any belief that could act as motivation to cause harm. [[Chuck Norris]] infamously claimed that he would like to tattoo "[[In God We Trust]]" onto atheist foreheads before booting them out of [[Jesusland]],<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2007/06/42010/ If I am Elected President] by Chuck Norris (06/11/2007 at 1:00 AM) ''WND'' (archived from June 14, 2012).</ref> possibly to work as [[slaves]] in the Mines of Morîa (he claims this is a joke, but few actually laughed). More extreme [[fundamentalist]]s seem to want them outright banned from existence; blogger [[Andrew Schlafly]] will almost instantly ban anyone from [[Conservapedia|his website]] just for not believing in God or even using the dreaded '''a-word''' in one’s username, and [[George H. W. Bush]] declared, "''I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God''," questioning whether anyone who disbelieves in [[God]] should [[Establishment Clause|even be allowed to vote]] (or at least be allowed to vote themselves out of persecution).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031203203700/http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/ghwbush.htm Can George Bush, with impunity, state that atheists should not be considered either citizens or patriots?] by Madalyn O'Hair, ''Postiiveatheism'', reprinted from ''American Atheists'' (archived from December 3, 2003).</ref> A [[creationist]] group has refined this way of thinking, stating that atheists and other "[[evolutionist]]s" should be disenfranchised, as anyone who believes the [[theory of evolution]] is clearly [[Dunning-Kruger effect|mentally incompetent]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090117151822/http://www.csama.org/csanews/nws200807.pdf Should Evolutionists Be Allowed to Vote?] by Tom Willis (2008) ''CSA News'' 25(4):1 (archived from January 17, 2009).</ref><ref group=note>Aaaaand there goes another [[irony meter]].</ref>

Six US states have laws on the books that prohibit atheists from holding public office.<ref>[http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2009/02/17/arkansas-5-other-states-ban-atheists-from-public-service-seriously.html Arkansas, 5 Other States, Ban Atheists from Public Service. Seriously: There's a special place in heaven for atheists who endure this nonsense.] by Bonnie Erbe (17 February 2009) ''U.S. News & World Report''.</ref> This is despite a U.S. [[Supreme Court]] ruling — ''Torcaso v. Watkins (1961)''<ref>[http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=367&invol=488 United States Supreme Court: Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), No. 373. Argued: April 24, 1961Decided: June 19, 1961] ''FindLaw''.</ref> — prohibiting [[discrimination]] against atheist officeholders.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090218160612/http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/02/an_advocate_for_atheists_in_ar.html Atheist Revival in Arkansas] by David Waters (February 13, 2009 1:53 PM) ''The Washington Post''/''Newsweek'' (archived from February 18, 2009).</ref> These states are:
*[[Arkansas]]
*[[Maryland]]
*[[North Carolina]]
*[[South Carolina]]
*[[Tennessee]]
*[[Texas]]

If atheism isn't a hanging offense in these places, they probably wish it were.{{nofact}}<ref group=note>Okay, maybe not Maryland, but you get the point.</ref>

===In Europe===
In some [[Europe|European]] countries, being an atheist is unremarkable.

[[France]] has an entirely [[secular]] culture, with a suitably large proportion of the population declaring "no religion".<ref group=note>It did take [[French Revolution|a lot of blood and tears]] for it to get there, though.</ref> In [[Scandinavia]], while most people are members of their respective national churches, irreligiosity is widespread, and being openly atheist is entirely unremarkable.<ref>See for instance Zuckerman, Phil (2008), ''Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment''. New York: New York University Press. A sneak peek can be found in the [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/us/28beliefs.html?pagewanted=all&pagew&_r=1& New York Times review of the book].</ref> In the [[UK]], [[Tony Blair]]'s spin-doctor Alistar Campbell was led to declare that "we don't do god",<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3301925.stm BBC News - Blending politics and religion]</ref> and Tony himself said that he kept quiet about religion because people would think he was "a nutter". The [[Nick Clegg|previous deputy Prime Minister]] was an atheist, while the [[David Cameron|Prime Minister himself]] has said that his [[Church of England]] faith "comes and goes". Overall, atheists in Europe aren't demonized as in America and other countries led by fundamentalists. However, British [[Islam|Muslims]] who become atheists face ostracism, threats, and physical abuse.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34357047 The Muslim Britons who are persecuted for being atheists]</ref>

Conversely, in [[Poland]], 91 percent of Poles identified themselves as [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] in 2011 according to the national census.<ref>[https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/inne-opracowania/wyznania-religijne/wyznania-religijne-w-polsce-2019-2021,5,3.html Wyznania religijne w Polsce 2019-2021] ''Główny Urząd Statystyczny'' 15 December 2022</ref> This number fell to 71.3% in 2021<ref>[https://stat.gov.pl/spisy-powszechne/nsp-2021/nsp-2021-wyniki-ostateczne/tablice-z-ostatecznymi-danymi-w-zakresie-przynaleznosci-narodowo-etnicznej-jezyka-uzywanego-w-domu-oraz-przynaleznosci-do-wyznania-religijnego,10,1.html Tablice z ostatecznymi danymi w zakresie przynależności narodowo-etnicznej, języka używanego w domu oraz przynależności do wyznania religijnego] ''Główny Urząd Statystyczny'' 28 September 2023</ref> and a poll from 2023 shows that overall 76% of people would say they identify with some religion.<ref>[https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-05/Ipsos%20Global%20Advisor%20-%20Religion%202023%20Report%20-%2026%20countries%20_0.pdf#page=5 Religion identification by country - Global Religion 2023] ''IPSOS''</ref>

===In Australia===
From 2010 to 2013, Australia had a prime minister, [[Julia Gillard]], who defined herself as an atheist. Many Australians despised her for a whole bunch of (potentially legitimate) reasons, but being an atheist wasn't one of them.

==Why even argue with theists?==
[[File:2012-02-14 UAAR Darwin Day Pievani 01.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A {{wpl|Darwin Day|}} presentation organized by atheists and agnostics in Rome, 2012.]]
One reason that a person might argue with a theist is the same reason one might argue with a friend who is convinced she was abducted by aliens or [[Vaccine hysteria|who thinks children are better off without vaccinations]]: because we care about them, and the choices they make can be harmful to themselves and their children; because living a life of fear out of an illusion seems an awful way to live. However, the people with this motivation are generally known as "do-gooders" or "busybodies", and such arguments can be counter-productive in that [[Backfire effect|they further cement the delusions]].

Another common motivation for arguing with theists is political. Theists make up a majority of the world's population and, in many countries, a majority of the governing elite; they have often appealed to religion as a means to stay in power, often to draw a distinction between their subjects and foreigners (as in the Nazis' pandering to [[Christianity]], or, more recently, in most European [[Islamophobia]]).

Hence, a strategy for subverting such elites is to dispute the religious beliefs to which they appeal. In the modern era, this started with the Enlightenment, as skeptics challenged royal absolutism, based upon the role of God as King of Heaven, by questioning the existence of God. There was a significant atheist contingent within the proponents of the [[French Revolution]].

Later, [[communist]]s took up this kind of challenge to theism, with [[Karl Marx]] arguing that religion was the "opiate of the masses", used by clergy to hold workers in the trammels of the bourgeoisie. This sentiment emerges in this excerpt from the famous communist anthem, ''L'Internationale'':

{{cquote|There are no supreme saviours<br/>Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune.<br/>Producers, let us save ourselves<br/>Decree the common salvation.}}

Today, theist politicians use religion as a rhetorical tool to push various agendas that might otherwise come under closer scrutiny. For example, as the American evangelical-left figure Jim Wallis noted in his book ''God's Politics'', the [[Republican Party]] has made very successful use of religion, specifically concerning the [[abortion]] issue, to attract voters who would otherwise vote for the [[Democratic Party]].

A consequence of the prevalence of such rhetorical devices is that a broad range of [[crank]] religious ideas, specifically [[creationism]], gain credence when politicians use them to assure the voting public of their religious ''bona fides''. This, in turn, causes legitimate science to fall into some disrepute among the people, making it much easier for ''other'' kinds of [[pseudoscience]], such as [[global warming denialism]] and [[Racialism|scientific racism]], to get a foot in the door.

In short, the presence of religion in politics can lead to a whole maelstrom of craziness,<ref group=note>Or, to put that even more bluntly, mixing church and state turns them both to shit.</ref> and some people might feel motivated to nip this in the bud by discrediting religion in general.

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*[[Agnosticism]]
*[[Antitheism]]
*[[Apatheism]]
*[[Atheism+]]
*[[Atheist Bus Campaign]]
*[[Atheophobia]]
*[[Brights Movement]]
*[[Deism]]
*[[Ignosticism]]
*[[Methodological naturalism]]
*[[New Atheism]]
*[[FAQ for the Newly Deconverted]]
*[[Theism]]
*[[Jean Meslier]], a priest who wrote about being/becoming an atheist
}}
{{fun}}

===Essays by RationalWikians===
*[[:Category:Atheism essays|Atheism essays category]]

{{otherlang
|ru=Атеизм}}

==External links==
{{div col|2}}
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/ Atheism] -- BBC: Religion
*[http://www.define-atheism.com/ Definition of "atheism" (and "atheist")]
*[http://www.religioustolerance.org/atheist1.htm Description of Atheism]
*[http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-there-a-god American Atheists and The American Humanist Society debate the existence of God]
*[http://www.atheistfrontier.com/ Atheist Frontier - includes a wide range of useful resources]
*[http://www.atheistscholar.org/Home.aspx Atheist Scholar]
*[http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Main_Page Celebrity Atheist List] -- A [[wiki]] of contemporary and historical non-believers, with entries categorized as "The Atheist and the [[Materialist]]," "The [[Agnostic]]" and "The Ambiguous"
*[http://www.atheistresearch.org/index.php Center for Atheist Research]
*[https://plus.google.com/communities/117225067421969617764 Everyone's "atheism" community on Google+]
*[http://www.investigatingatheism.info/index.html Investigating Atheism Project] -- University of Cambridge
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijVhulPNTko Mom, Dad, I'm an Atheist... OH SNAP!]
*Pharyngula blogger, [[PZ Myers]] writes a gorgeous argument for the [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/06/we_stand_awed_at_the_heights_o.php humanity of atheism]
*Some things about some other things - [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/12/the_courtiers_reply.php ScienceBlogs]
*[http://www.alt-atheism.org/ The alt.atheism usenet (newsgroups) FAQ]
*[http://brainz.org/50-most-brilliant-atheists-all-time/ The 50 Most Brilliant Atheists of All Time]
*[http://bigthink.com/daylight-atheism/9-great-freethinkers-and-religious-dissenters-in-history 9 Great Freethinkers and Religious Dissenters in History]
{{div col end}}

===National atheism organizations===
*[http://www.atheists.org/ American Atheists]
*[http://www.atheist.ie/ Atheist Ireland - Promoting atheism, reason, and an ethical, secular state]
*[http://www.canadianatheists.ca/ Canadian atheists - True, Northern, Strong, and Free]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Atheism|*]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Religious terms]]
[[Category:History of communism]]

[[ru:Атеизм]]

Categories: Atheism, Philosophy, Religious terms, History of communism