Atheism Symbol designed by the Athiest International Alliance in 2007

Atheism at a glance Atheism is the absence of belief in any Gods or spiritual beings. The word Atheism comes from a, meaning without, and theism meaning belief in god or gods.

Atheists don't use God to explain the existence of the universe.explain Atheists say that human beings can devise suitable moral codes to live by without the aid of Gods or scriptures.

Reasons for non-belief People are atheist for many reasons, among them:reasons They find insufficient evidence to support any religion.insufficient evidence They think that religion is nonsensical.nonsensical. They once had a religion and have lost faith in it. They live in a non-religious culture. Religion doesn't interest them. Religion doesn't seem relevant to their lives. Religions seem to have done a lot of harm in the world.harm The world is such a bad place that there can't be a God.

Atheists and Religion Many atheists are also secularist, and are hostile to any special treatment given to organized religion.secularist It is possible to be both atheist and religious. Virtually allBuddhists manage it, as do some adherents of other religions,such as Judaism and Christianity.BuddhistsJudaismChristianity

Atheists and morality Atheists are as moral (or immoral) as religious people. In practical terms atheists often follow the same moral code as religious people, but they arrive at the decision of what is good or bad without any help from the idea of God.

Atheist criticisms of religion The Bad Religion gets people to believe something untrue. Religion makes people base the way they run their lives on a falsehood. Religion stops people thinking in a rational and objective way. Religion forces people to rely on outside authority, rather than becoming self-reliant. Religion imposes irrational rules of good and bad behaviour. Religion divides people, and is a cause of conflict and war.war The hierarchical structure of most religions is anti-democratic, and thus offends basic human rights. Religion doesn't give equal treatment to women and gay people, and thus offends basic human rights. Religion obstructs scientific research. Religion wastes time and money.

Atheist criticisms of religion The Good Most atheists willingly concede there are some good things about religion, such as: Religious art and music Religious charities and good works Much religious wisdom and scripture Human fellowship and togetherness

Different reasons for being an atheist Many people are atheists because of the way they were brought up or educated, or because they have simply adopted the beliefs of the culture in which they grew up. Other people are atheists because they just feel that atheism is right.

Reasons focusing on lack of evidence Many people are atheists because they think there is no evidence for God's existence - or at least no reliable evidence. They argue that a person should only believe in things for which they have good evidence.

The presumption of Atheism This is an argument about where to begin the discussion of whether or not God exists. It says that we should assume that God does not exist, and put the onus on people who believe in God to prove that God does exist.

Reasons that treat God as unnecessary Science explains everything Atheists argue that because everything in the universe can be explained in a satisfactory way without using God as part of the explanation, then there is no point in saying that God exists. …..and various other reasons.

Ancient atheists First atheist writers Most histories of atheism choose the Greek and Roman philosophers Epicurus, Democritus, and Lucretius as the first atheist writers. While these writers certainly changed the idea of God, they didn't entirely deny that gods could exist.

People Professor Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, ethologist and writer. He is often referred to as "the most famous atheist in the world". Christopher Hitchens A noted critic of religion and an antitheist, Hitchens once said that a person "could be an atheist and wish that belief in God were correct," but that "an antitheist, a term I'm trying to get into circulation, is someone who is relieved that there's no evidenceantitheist for such an assertion.

Types of Atheists Humanism A positive approach to life While atheism is merely the absence of belief, humanism is a positive attitude to the world, centered on human experience, thought, and hopes.

Postmodernism Postmodernism does away with many of the things that religious people regard as essential. For postmodernists every society is in a state of constant change; there are no absolute values, only relative ones; nor are there any absolute truths.

Rationalism Rationalism is an approach to life based on reason and evidence.

Secularists oppose religion or the religious being afforded privileges, which - put another way - means others are disadvantaged.

Unitarian Universalists Unitarian Universalism is not an atheist movement, but a religious movement into which some atheists may comfortably fit. The movement proclaims the importance of individual freedom of belief, and it includes members from a wide spectrum of beliefs.