Criticism of atheism is made chiefly by theistic sources, though some forms of atheism also receive criticism from nontheistic sources. There are several specific kinds of arguments which are commonly used against atheism, including assessments of its validity, the consequences of not believing, and the actions of those who are atheists. Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. ... “Atheist” redirects here. ...

Denial of the existence of God and gods

The primary criticism of atheism is that it denies the existence of any supreme being, commonly known as God or gods, for which, in the view of theist and deist critics,^[1] there are arguments, though atheists regard these as unconvincing.^[2] Criticism of atheism in its strong form also comes from agnostics, who contend that there is insufficient reason to assert authoritatively that any supreme being does not exist.^[3] Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more divinities or deities. ... For other uses, see Ceremonial Deism. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Existence of God. ... Strong atheism is a term generally used to describe atheists who accept as true the proposition, gods do not exist. Weak atheism refers to any type of non-theism which falls short of this standard. ... Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning without, and gnosticism or gnosis, meaning knowledge) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claims—particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of God, gods, deities, or even ultimate reality—is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism...

Effects of atheism on the individual

Author Alister McGrath has criticized atheism, citing studies he interprets as suggesting religion and belief in God are correlated with improved individual health, happiness and life expectancy.^[4] However, health^[5] and life expectancy^[6] and other factors of wealth are generally higher in countries with many atheists than in more religious countries. Alister E. McGrath (b. ...

Philosopher Blaise Pascal claimed that without God, people would only be able to create obstacles and overcome them in an attempt to escape boredom. These token victories would ultimately become meaningless, since people would eventually die, and this was good enough reason not to become an atheist.^[7] Blaise Pascal (pronounced ), (June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. ...

Blaise Pascal first explained his wager in Pensées (1669): "Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is."

A number of religions also suggest that atheism has highly negative effects on the individuals after death: a point taken up by Pascal in Pascal's Wager (see picture and caption). Download high resolution version (494x671, 258 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (494x671, 258 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Blaise Pascal (pronounced ), (June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. ... Pascals Wager (or Pascals Gambit) is the application by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal of decision theory to the belief in God. ... The Pensées (literally, thoughts) represented an apology for the Christian religion by Blaise Pascal, the renowned 17th century philosopher and mathematician. ... Pascals Wager (or Pascals Gambit) is the application by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal of decision theory to the belief in God. ...

Atheism and morality

Some critics of atheism say the lack of belief in a deity who administers justice may lead to poor morals or ethics. For example, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly announced that "the big powers' atheism is the root cause of man's problems today".^[8] Many world religions teach that morality is derived from or expressed by the dictates or commandments of a particular deity, and that acknowledgment of God or the gods is a major factor in motivating people towards moral behavior. Consequently, atheists have frequently been accused of holding no rational basis for acting morally. For example, for many years in the United States, atheists were not allowed to testify in court because it was believed that an atheist would have no reason to tell the truth.^[9] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad[1] (born October 28, 1956)[2] is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ...

Atheists almost uniformly reject this view and many have argued that no religious basis is necessary for one to live an ethical life.^[10] They assert that atheists are as or more motivated towards moral behavior as anyone, citing a range of non-theistic sources of moral behavior, including: their upbringing; natural empathy, compassion and a human concern for others; respect for order, society, and law; and a desire for a good reputation and self-esteem. According to this view, truly ethical behavior would come from altruistic motivation, not from fear of punishment or hope of reward after death. In addition, while atheism does not entail any particular moral philosophy, many atheists are drawn towards views like secular humanism, empiricism, objectivism, or utilitarianism, which provide a moral framework that is not founded on faith in deities. Not to be confused with Pity, Sympathy, or Compassion. ... It has been suggested that Idiot compassion be merged into this article or section. ... See also the specific life stance known as Humanism For the Renaissance liberal arts movement, see Renaissance humanism Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities... Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects the supernatural and the spiritual as warrants of moral reflection and decision-making. ... In philosophy generally, empiricism is a theory of knowledge emphasizing the role of experience in the formation of ideas, while discounting the notion of innate ideas. ... Objectivism is the philosophical system developed by Russian-American philosopher and writer Ayn Rand. ... This article discusses utilitarian ethical theory. ...

Many among theists and atheists do not believe that theism, or lack of it, has any pronounced effect on whether a person behaves morally or not. For instance, the Dalai Lama has said that compassion and affection are human values independent of religion: We need these human values. I call these secular ethics, secular beliefs. There’s no relationship with any particular religion. Even without religion, even as nonbelievers, we have the capacity to promote these things.^[11] Others state that religion may heighten a person's moral sense without denying that atheists can have a reasonable ethic. Roy Hattersley, though himself an atheist, concedes that religious believers, such as those in the Salvation Army and the Little Sisters of the Poor, possess "moral imperatives" that may make them "morally superior to atheists" like himself.^[12] This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ... Though some think morality impossible (or at least unmotivated) in a Godless universe, most atheists and agnostics adhere to some form of ethical code. ... Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, PC (born December 28, 1932) is a British Labour Party politician, published author and journalist from Sheffield, England. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organisation. ... The Little Sisters of the Poor is a Roman Catholic religious order for women. ...

The notion that atheists are able to live ethical lives may be supported by the traditional Christian concept of natural law. The Catholic Church teaches that human reason inclines people to seek the good and avoid sin, and that people would therefore still be prone to moral behavior even without knowledge of a revealed divine law. This natural law would provide the foundation on which humans can build moral rules to guide its choices and regulate society.^[13] Other Christian groups adopt similar reasoning.^[14] Natural law or the law of nature (Latin: lex naturalis) is an ethical theory that posits the existence of a law whose content is set by nature and that therefore has validity everywhere. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... Revelation of the Last Judgment by Jacob de Backer Revelation is an uncovering or disclosure via communication from the divine of something that has been partially or wholly hidden or unknown, which could not be known apart from the unveiling (Goswiller 1987 p. ... Divine law is any law (or rule) that comes directly from the will of God (or a god), such as from the Bible in Christianity or in Islam the Quran from Allah himself, etcetera. ...

Atheism as faith

The claim that atheism requires faith or unproven assumptions is a common argument leveled against atheists of all stripes. In this form of argument, critics of atheism typically employ the term "faith" in the sense often employed by atheists themselves, meaning a "blind" or unwarranted belief. Faith, often taken to mean, "religious faith", does not inherently involve religion; i.e having faith in the colour of the sky, or the word of a weather-reporter is not religious.

At times, this argument consists of laying the burden of proof on atheism, or in the case of agnostics and weak atheists, laying it on both strong atheism and theism. However, laying the burden of proof on atheism may be difficult because it is impossible to prove a negative existential claim unless what is claimed to exist cannot logically be. While it might be theoretically possible to one day find reasonably persuasive evidence of the existence of a deity, it is impossible to find evidence of any thing's nonexistence. As such, arguments for strong atheism consist primarily of arguments against theism, which is in keeping with claims that atheism in general is only the lack of a belief rather than a belief itself. Some strong atheists argue that, since they see the burden of proof as being upon theism, they are under no obligation to offer arguments that seek to actively disprove theism. Instead, strong atheism is a default position, like disbelief in Santa Claus, that they feel ought to be held unless and until that burden of proof is shouldered. However, weak atheists and agnostics feel that neither theism nor strong atheism are a proper default position to be taken and hence labelling both theism's and strong atheism's calls for proof to be argumentum ad ignoratiam. In the common law, burden of proof is the obligation to prove allegations which are presented in a legal action. ... Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning without, and gnosticism or gnosis, meaning knowledge) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claims—particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of God, gods, deities, or even ultimate reality—is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism... Weak atheism (also called negative atheism) is the lack of belief in the existence of deities, without a commitment to the necessary non-existence of deities. ... Strong atheism, sometimes called positive atheism, hard atheism or gnostic atheism, is the philosophical position that no deity exists. ... Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more divinities or deities. ... The argument from ignorance, also known as argumentum ad ignorantiam (appeal to ignorance [1]) or argument by lack of imagination, is a logical fallacy in which it is claimed that a premise is true only because it has not been proven false, or that a premise is false only because...

One atheistic response is to emphasize that (weak) atheism is a rejection or lack of belief, not a belief in itself. This argument is often summarized by reference to Don Hirschberg's famous saying, "calling atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color."^[15]

Another atheistic response to this argument is to state that the word "faith" in this context, as asserted with respect to theist "belief" verses atheist "belief," means something very different in the two contexts. Faith can mean 'complete confidence in a person or plan, etc.' Faith can also mean 'Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence'. When a theist speaks of his faith, it is argued, he refers to the latter definitions. When he wishes to assert that "atheists have faith, too", the only definition that fits is the first, but his argument implies the latter definitions, nonetheless (see equivocation). Equivocation, also known as amphibology, is classified as both a formal and informal fallacy. ...

Some people have, in response to this argument, drawn the analogy of Russell's teapot. Russells teapot, sometimes called the Celestial Teapot, was an analogy first coined by the philosopher Bertrand Russell, intended to refute the idea that the burden of proof lies upon the sceptic to disprove unfalsifiable claims of religions. ...

Atheists and religious groups

Atheists are sometimes criticized for a perceived unnecessarily harsh, or even prejudicial, way some of them deal with people holding theistic world views. When discussing atheism and morality at infidels.org^[10], the atheist Mark I. Vuletic questions why many theists still see atheists as stereotypically "morally corrupt". He argues that part of the problem lies in the demonization of disbelief by religious groups, but he also mentions another issue that would sustain the stereotype in the minds of many: Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. ...

A somewhat similar view is given by Jeff Nall, also an atheist. In an article in the magazine The Humanist, he criticizes the prevalence of what he calls antagonistic atheism in secular/humanist movements in the USA.^[16] He writes:

In the article, Jeff Nall cites and criticizes some atheists advocating the use of ridicule toward religion and other extreme tactics as a way to advance the cause. He argues that, instead of proclaiming war against religion, atheists in the USA would benefit much more by working together with those in religion who are also committed to reason and science to counter the political power of the Christian right. Ridiculing the beliefs of others, he writes, is not only strategically unpalatable, but is also seen by some, including within the Humanist movement, as a form of prejudice. Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... The Christian right in United States politics has helped shape domestic and foreign policy. ... For with(out) prejudice in law, see Prejudice (law). ...

Nall gives examples of initiatives based on cooperation that he thinks should be used instead of the antagonistic ones. Maybe the best example is the work of the atheist biology professor Michael Zimmerman, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In response to the Creation-evolution controversy in public education, he organized the Evolution Sunday, a US national holiday to be celebrated in churches. More than four hundred congregations celebrated the holiday on February 12, 2006, commemorating the birthday of Charles Darwin and giving support for the teaching of evolution. The event succeeded in making headlines across the country. Michael Zimmerman is an American biologist and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Biology at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... In an educational setting, a dean is a person with significant authority . ... The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (also known as UW Oshkosh or UWO )is a public university located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. ... The legal status of creation and evolution in public education is the subject of a great deal of debate in legal, political, and religious circles. ... Evolution Sunday is a service conducted in a number of Christian churches to celebrate Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ...

Jeff Nall contrasts Zimmerman's work with the approach on the same issue by the atheist intellectual Richard Dawkins, who is, according to Zimmerman, doing more harm than good with his confrontational style. Some critics also claim that Dawkins and those like him tend in their public statements to address religion in only its most superstitious and orthodox incarnations. Religions of the metaphysical or Spinozist variety are typically not addressed, and religions with an atheist philosophy (Buddhism is often cited) do not receive the same dismissive treatment as that received by monotheistic or supernaturalist traditions. Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ... Metaphysical may refer to: Metaphysics, a branch of philosophy dealing with the ultimate nature of reality; or The Metaphysical poets, a poetic school from seventeenth century England who correspond with baroque period in European literature. ... Baruch de Spinoza (‎, Portuguese: , Latin: ) (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... Image:Buddhasunset crop. ... Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ...

Dawkins, however, like many other modern atheists such as Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, believes the days of deferring to religious claims are over. Dawkins' stance is that the truth is more important than gaining "converts" to atheism. Also Dawkins and Harris argue that religious beliefs are not worthy of respect solely because they are held sacred by some people, that the breaking of taboos will inherently be tumultuous and painful for some, and that it is necessary that the unique conversational privilege enjoyed by religious belief in contrast to other beliefs be eliminated. Dawkins has written texts with scientist/theologians like Ian Barbour and Langdon Gilkey, indicating his willingness to enter into dialogue with theism. For other persons named Sam Harris, see Sam Harris (disambiguation). ... Daniel Clement Dennett (born March 28, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a prominent American philosopher whose research centers on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. ... “Atheist” redirects here. ... For the Taboo party game, see Taboo (game). ... Ian Graeme Barbour He was born in Beijing, 1923. ... Langdon Brown Gilkey (February 9, 1919 – November 19, 2004) was an American Protestant Ecumenical theologian. ...

See also

• Atheistic Deism
• Atheists in foxholes
• Scientism
• Conflict thesis
• Natural philosophy
• Morality
• Moral Zeitgeist

The precise origin of the phrase There are no atheists in foxholes, coined some time during World War II, is uncertain. ... Scientism is a term mainly used as a pejorative[1][2][3] to accuse someone of holding that science has primacy over all other interpretations of life such as religious, mythical, spiritual, or humanistic explanations. ... Galileo before the Holy Office by Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury, a classic depiction of science clashing with religion The conflict thesis, also known as the warfare thesis, the warfare model or the Draper-White thesis, is an interpretive model of the relationship between religion and science. ... Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature, known in Latin as philosophia naturalis, is a term applied to the objective study of nature and the physical universe that was regnant before the development of modern science. ... Morality (from the Latin manner, character, proper behaviour) has three principal meanings. ... The Moral Zeitgeist is a term used by some atheists to describe the evolution of morality. ...

Criticisms of other beliefs

• Criticism of religion
• Criticism of Islam
• Criticism of Christianity
• Criticism of Judaism
• Criticism of Mormonism
• Criticism of Hinduism

The criticism of religion includes criticism of the concept of religion, the validity of religion itself, the practice of religion, and the consequences of religion for humanity. ... Criticism of Islam has existed since Islams formative stages on philosophical, scientific, ethical, political and theological grounds. ... Throughout the history of Christianity, a wide range of Christians and non-Christians alike have offered criticisms of Christianity, the Church, and Christians themselves. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Life-size figure of Joseph Smith Criticism of Mormonism is the criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, especially of the largest and most prominent group, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter referred to as the LDS Church). ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

1. ^ See e.g. Alvin Plantinga, who suggests that belief in God is like belief in other minds in this respect, in his God and Other Minds, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1967; rev. ed., 1990. ISBN 0-8014-9735-3
2. ^ See e.g. Dawkins, Richard (2006). The God Delusion. Ch.3: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-618-68000-4.  and Harris, Sam (2005). The End of Faith. W.W. Norton. 
3. ^ Anthony Kenny What I Believe see esp. Ch. 3 "Why I am not an atheist"
4. ^ The Dawkins Delusion? by Alister McGrath, citing, eg, David Myers, “The Funds, Friends and Faith of Happy People.” American Psychologist 55 (2000): 56-67; Harold G. Koenig and Harvey J. Cohen, The link between religion and health : psychoneuroimmunology and the faith factor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002; Marc Galanter, Spirituality and the healthy mind : science, therapy, and the need for personal meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
5. ^ Paul, Gregory. 2002. The Secular Revolution of the West, Free Inquiry, Summer: 28-34 and Michael Martin (Editor), The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy), Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (October 30, 2006)
6. ^ Michael Martin (Editor), The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy), Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (October 30, 2006)
7. ^ Blaise Pascal Pensées
8. ^ IRNA. Ahmadinejad: Atheism of big powers is rootcause of man's plight. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
9. ^ See, e.g., United States v. Miller, 236 F. 798, 799 (W.D. Wash., N.D. 1916) (citing Thurston v. Whitney et al., 2 Cush. (Mass.) 104; Jones on Evidence, Blue Book, vol. 4, §§ 712, 713) ("Under the common-law rule a person who does not believe in a God who is the rewarder of truth and the avenger of falsehood cannot be permitted to testify.")
10. ^ ^{a b} Is Atheism Consistent With Morality? (2001). Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
11. ^ http://www.progressive.org/mag_intv0106
12. ^ 'Faith does breed charity', The Guardian Sept. 12, 2005
13. ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part III, Section I, Chapter 03. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
14. ^ Can Atheists be ethical?. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
15. ^ http://atheisme.free.fr/Quotes/Atheist.htm
16. ^ Nall, Jeff. "Overcoming antagonistic atheism to recast the image of humanism." The Humanist 66.4 (July-August 2006): 31(6). Link to the magazine: [1]. Link to a reproduction of the text: [2]

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