Chances are you know an atheist. According to a recent USA Today poll, 15 percent of the population of Illinois claims no religion. As a group, non-theists are second only to Roman Catholics at 29 percent. President Obama even mentioned “non-believers” in his historic inauguration speech.
You probably have a lot of ideas about what atheists are depending on your own cultural and religious background. Since there are so many misconceptions regarding atheists, not many of them declare their personal philosophies openly. Because an atheist is hard to spot, not many people get the opportunity to get information about them firsthand. Oftentimes, when an atheist does make him or herself known, this person is either on the giving or receiving end of verbal abuse and as a result, no one learns anything.
So, what is atheism, really? The answer depends on who you ask. Webster’s dictionary defines the word atheist as “one who denies the existence of God”. This definition demonstrates a few glaring biases. The same dictionary defines the word “denial” as refusal to admit the truth of a statement. Using this word suggests the writers of the dictionary consider religion to be truth and atheists to be refusing to accept that truth. Further, using the word god with a capital “G” shows an obvious Christian partiality. We’ve only consulted one source and already we’re knee deep in negative connotations about atheists. No wonder a great number of them are afraid to talk about it.
Atheism often stems simply from unanswered questions. Everyone is searching for answers to unanswerable questions. The only difference between all members of religions or non-theistic philosophies is simply which answer most satisfies the questioner. It’s not a matter of “who did atheism to you?” or “what happened to destroy your belief in God?” Atheists are simply people who are dissatisfied with the answers religion offers and who have found their answers elsewhere. They do not ‘worship’ science, but rather pay attention to what is concrete and what can be proven. They do not subscribe to the popular notion that there is beauty in blind faith. They are not concerned with going to hell or any form of afterlife, but still continue to be moral citizens regardless. In fact, it is often astutely argued that it is insulting to all of humanity to insinuate that we need promise of reward or punishment in order to have morality.
Further, it is incorrect to refer to atheism as a religion. Since atheists do not believe in any kind of god or gods and a religion is defined as the service or worship of God or the supernatural (again, Webster betrays its Christian bias), they do not fit the bill. Along this line of reasoning, it is also unfair and misleading to suggest that atheists worship Satan. They do not worship anything, not even the devil. Rationalist Don Hirschberg said it best “Calling atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color.”
Statistically speaking, it’s likely you know an atheist, so take this information to heart. Be careful when speaking on the subject. Make sure you have all the facts before you say something that might hurt someone you care about.