Atheist attacks on the politically correct notion that religion should not be criticized provokes the ire of believers. The Pew Research Center found that half of all Americans dislike atheists, with the University of Minnesota adding that atheists are America's most distrusted minority.
We see this dislike reflected in common stereotypes. Atheists are negative. They're angry. They're immoral. They're communists. They want to take your children away from you. William F. Buckley wrote that Saddam Hussein was an atheist, and Bill O'Reilly says the same about Adolph Hitler. All these claims are false.
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Most atheists, though, are politically mainstream. Further, atheists are less prejudiced and less authoritarian than their religious counterparts. Most atheists want their children to decide religious matters independently. And although most fundamentalist Christians want public schools to teach Christianity, few atheists want atheism taught in school.
The atheist outlook is that people should make up their minds on religious matters without compulsion.
But why would someone choose to be an atheist? Is it because something bad happened to them? Because they're angry and too arrogant to submit to authority? Maybe atheists want to rock 'n roll all night and party every day?
Unfortunately, the reality is quite dull. Most atheists had a secular upbringing. Although a quarter were raised religious, the undramatic reason most disbelieve is that religious doctrines don't make sense to them.
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Three philosophical concepts are central to understanding the atheist thought process.
First, one cannot prove a negative. Atheism is not a scientific position, because most atheists do not claim they can disprove gods. But atheists think this does not justify belief in gods, anymore than the inability to disprove leprechauns justifies belief in Irish legends.
Second, one can prove a positive, such as gods exist, but the claim's advocate holds the burden of proof. A skeptic has no burden of disproof.
Third, an atheist only counts testable ideas as evidence. This rules out revelation or personal experience, which is the primary evidence religion offers. Thus, atheism is a philosophical position that values scientific standards.
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We see this dislike reflected in common stereotypes. Atheists are negative. They're angry. They're immoral. They're communists. They want to take your children away from you. William F. Buckley wrote that Saddam Hussein was an atheist, and Bill O'Reilly says the same about Adolph Hitler. All these claims are false.
...
Most atheists, though, are politically mainstream. Further, atheists are less prejudiced and less authoritarian than their religious counterparts. Most atheists want their children to decide religious matters independently. And although most fundamentalist Christians want public schools to teach Christianity, few atheists want atheism taught in school.
The atheist outlook is that people should make up their minds on religious matters without compulsion.
But why would someone choose to be an atheist? Is it because something bad happened to them? Because they're angry and too arrogant to submit to authority? Maybe atheists want to rock 'n roll all night and party every day?
Unfortunately, the reality is quite dull. Most atheists had a secular upbringing. Although a quarter were raised religious, the undramatic reason most disbelieve is that religious doctrines don't make sense to them.
...
Three philosophical concepts are central to understanding the atheist thought process.
First, one cannot prove a negative. Atheism is not a scientific position, because most atheists do not claim they can disprove gods. But atheists think this does not justify belief in gods, anymore than the inability to disprove leprechauns justifies belief in Irish legends.
Second, one can prove a positive, such as gods exist, but the claim's advocate holds the burden of proof. A skeptic has no burden of disproof.
Third, an atheist only counts testable ideas as evidence. This rules out revelation or personal experience, which is the primary evidence religion offers. Thus, atheism is a philosophical position that values scientific standards.
Read more.
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