Atheism For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)) (5 page)

One Sunday I sat through a sermon in which the Christians in the room who were married to nonbelievers — that included my wife, by the way — were urged to leave their marriages (2 Corinthians 6:14). That’s when I stopped going entirely.

If you want to find out more about a religious perspective, I am a poor choice for a guide. You’d be better seeking someone out from that perspective. But if you want to know what atheism is actually about, may I humbly suggest an actual atheist for a guide. I happen to be available, so read on!

In
Chapter 3
, I spend some time describing what atheists actually believe and debunking some common myths about them. Most atheists take ethics very seriously, for example, and find life deeply meaningful and inspiring. We’re not mad at God — at least no madder than the Pope is at Chaac, the Mayan god of rain — and though some atheists arrive at their disbelief after something bad happened to them, that’s not the most common path.

Most atheists come to their conclusions after really working on it for a while, then becoming convinced by things like these:

Realizing that religious answers are just a bit too convenient

Comparing religions and reading their scriptures

Examining the classic arguments for belief

Solving the
complexity problem
(the idea that the universe is just too complex to have come about without a designer) and (really) understanding evolution

Noticing the steady retreat of religious answers

Grasping the size and age of the universe, as well as the implications

Noticing that the universe is just as an informed person would expect it to be without a God

There’s much more, of course, and
Chapter 3
is one of the places to find it.

Seeing the Progression of Atheism

A lot of people think that atheism is a recent idea. But religious disbelief actually has a long and fascinating history, and the chapters in Part II take you on a quick ride through it. Just as a student of Christianity would want to know about a few rather significant things that happened 2,000 years ago, someone who wants a better understanding of atheism likewise needs to know what atheism has been up to for the past 30 centuries or so. These sections provide a quick overview.

In the distant past and in different cultures

People tend to think of certain times and places as completely uniform in their beliefs. India is full to the brim with Hindus. The Greeks all worshipped the gods of Olympus. Everyone in Medieval Europe was Christian. Right?

A closer look shows all of these claims to be misleading. Just as political “red states” (Republicans) and “blue states” (Democrats) in the United States are really all various shades of purple, every place and time in human history includes a lot of different beliefs — including atheism.

That’s not to say all points of view have the same chance to speak into the cultural microphone. Religion in general and the majority religion in particular tend to call the shots and write the histories, especially prior to the late 18th century. Add to that the fact that atheism (or blasphemy) has often been punishable by imprisonment or death, and you can see why atheists in certain times and places tend to
whisper.

Ancient and medieval eras

But the voices are there, including some in the distant past and in cultures both in and out of Europe. In the chapters in Part II of this book, you can meet

Atheists in ancient China, where atheism was a welcome part of the conversation among philosophers

Atheists in ancient and medieval India, including religions with completely godless branches