What is Atheism?

Atheism is perhaps the most misunderstood category in the range of beliefs on the market. It can be a difficult to define, incorporating, under its umbrella, a host of attitudes about the non-existence of god. Atheism is the absence of a belief in deities but this definition includes those that make no claim either way. Agnosticism is the belief that we cannot know whether god(s) exist or not, while Non-theism, is the absence of any claim towards the existence or non-existence of god(s).

The plot is further complicated by the split of atheism into two subcategories; Strong and Weak. Weak atheism is simply a non-belief in a deity of any type, while Strong atheism takes this disbelief a step further and proclaims that god does not exist. In my opinion, atheism is passive. A person simply does not believe in the existence of god or gods. Not only that, I believe that Strong Atheism is misunderstood in the sense that people in this group are not railing against an actual entity (which would be ridiculous seeing as atheists hold no belief that one exists) but the concept of such an entity. They are not saying, “There is no god” but rather, “The ideology of god is bogus”.

Furthermore, because of the demonization of atheists in the United States and other countries, non-believers have felt the need to launch an active defense of their non-beliefs which also account for the aggressive nature of Strong Atheism.

What Atheism is Not

In my research, I’ve come across some interesting ideas people have about atheists and atheism. It is not anti-religion. Anti-theism is the active opposition towards religion. While some atheists do hold anti-religious views, it is not a club exclusively patronized by atheists. Agnostics, Ignostics, and even some theists participate in this party. Anti-theists fall into two camps, those that believe god-worship to be harmful to society and those that merely have little tolerance for theistic beliefs.

Atheism is not anti-god, atheists are not god haters nor do we hate theists. We are not rabid protestors against those who choose to practice religion. Though these types of people exist and some of them are atheists, we generally do not care what a person believes so long as they do not use it to infringe on our personal rights and freedoms. Going from door to door to preach the goodness of your god will incite only minor irritation whereas seeking to get a law passed mandating that everyone go to church will cause an uproar and not just from atheists.


Atheists are not an immoral bunch of degenerates nor do they become atheists in order to feel free to participate in illegal and unethical behavior. Opponents of atheism claim that it is not possible to live a moral life without “god” as the motivator for doing so. The fact of the matter is that atheists abide by the same social and government laws as those who believe in god. Many atheists belonged to a religion at one point in their lives and the loss of a belief in god did not result in a change in moral beliefs.

Atheists believe in the golden rule just like theists. However, we believe that such behavior should be self-motivated and not out of fear of punishment after death. We believe that human beings are responsible for themselves and their behavior and that people are fully capable of thinking critically and determining a constructive personal code of conduct without the help of religious texts and teachings.

Who are Atheists

Atheists make up about 6% of the population in the United States and that number has begun to rise in recent years. As with all affiliations we have both constructive and destructive members. There are atheists who murder, rape and steal. There are even fundamental and militant atheists who demand that people stop believing in god. But they are a small portion of our numbers and are not representative of the whole group. We are normal everyday people: parents, teachers, government officials, business professionals, doctors, civil engineers, writers and artists. We go to work every day, pay our taxes and give to charities [Visit Foundation Beyond Belief]. We protest war as well as fight in them. We believe in equal rights and equal treatment. Most importantly, we are human.

Atheists you know: Douglas Adams, Woody Allen, Isaac Asimov, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Ayn Rand, Friedrich Nietzsche, Gene Roddenberry, Helen Keller, James Madison (U.S. President), John Adams (Founding Father of the US), Napoleon Bonaparte and many others...

Why People Choose Atheism

The reasons for choosing atheism are varied and numerous. For the most part, however, many started out as followers of a religion but through life experience, observation, and study, abandoned the religion in favor of non-belief. Some reasons given for being an atheist included but are not limited to: having no need for religion or belief, could find no reason for being involved with religion and/or god worship, put off by the many contradictions within and between the world religions, lack of proof, the hypocrisy of a religion’s members, and life experiences that caused one to change their mind as to the true nature of the god of their religion.

There is usually a transitional stage through agnosticism then into atheism as time progresses. Another good portion of atheists grow up in a household of non-belief and others just never felt a need to take part in a religion. Very few just woke up one day and decided to be an atheist for the fun of it.

My personal journey started as a Christian. I dabbled in a few other religions along the way, including Wicca and Judaism, before my studies into human behavior led me to the belief that everything in existence today has a human cause including the concept of god.

Spirituality and the Atheist

Atheism is not a religion, though some religions, such as Buddhism and Taoism, are atheistic because they do not have gods. We are not united under a single doctrine nor do we have temples, churches, tenets, a holy book, holidays, rituals or any other trappings normally associated with theism. At the most, atheism would be classified as a philosophy.

Despite a non-belief in an omnipotent, omniscient being, atheism does not preclude a belief in spiritual matters. Some atheists do follow various philosophies, such as the eightfold path, that theists consider to be part of the realm of religion. As long as the practice does not include any type of god worship or require a belief in a god(s), the atheist can participate and still be considered so by his or her peers.

I hope through this short overview that you have gained a better understanding of atheism and those of us who decide that god worship is not for us. Education is the key that unlocks the door to peace. Let’s turn the handle together.

Daria Black is a freelance and fiction writer. Although she writes all types of stories, her specialty is science fiction/fantasy erotica. Stop by her website to read erotic fiction stories, or talk about sex, art, life and other random topics.