Atheist Revolution:
How to Understand Atheists: A Guide for Christians
atheismWhat is atheism? Are there really people out there who don't believe in any gods at all? What do they want, and what do they think of Christians?

Hi there. I'm an atheist, and I write the blog Atheist Revolution. I use the handle vjack because I live in an area dominated by fundamentalist Christians where my words could cost me my job, my friends, or even my personal safety. I'd like to provide you with a brief guide for understanding atheists.

What is Atheism?

You'd be surprised to learn how often this is misunderstood. Unfortunately, even some dictionaries have it wrong. As you know, theism refers to the belief in god(s). Monotheism involves belief in a one god, while polytheism means belief in many gods. On the other hand, atheism refers to the lack of theistic belief. That is, the theist believes in god(s) and the atheist does not.

Imagine that someone has grown up in extreme isolation and never heard of any sort of gods. That person would be an atheist by definition because he or she would lack theistic belief. You see, atheism does not require the atheist to have considered and then actively rejected theism. The typical atheistic position can be summed up as follows: the theist has not met his or her burden of proof in asserting theism. For the atheist, there simply isn't sufficient evidence to accept theism.

As you can see, atheism is not a religion, a philosophy, or a worldview. It is not the conviction that there are no gods. It is nothing more than the lack of theistic belief. Of course, most atheists believe all sorts of things. What they have in common is that they do not accept the theistic claim (i.e., that some sort of god or gods exist).

For more, see What is Atheism?

Why Don't Atheists Believe in God?

There are a number of reasons, and you are likely to hear different answers depending on who you ask. However, I think it is reasonably safe to say that there are two main reasons with which most atheists would agree:

Insufficient evidence. As noted above, most atheists will tell you that the religious believer has failed to meet his or her burden of proof on the question of god(s). That is, the person arguing for the existence of god(s) has not provided sufficient evidence to support the claim that such entities exist.
Incoherence of the god concept. Many atheists will explain that it is not clear to them what exactly they are being asked to believe. In other words, they find the very concept of a god or gods to be logically incoherent or nonsensical.

What Do Atheists Want?

Like any other large and diverse group, atheists want different things and it is difficult to pin down a shared platform. I have encountered atheists who are extremely conservative, opposing abortion, same-sex marriage, and many of the same things fundamentalist Christians would oppose. I have ran across others who believe in ghosts and a variety of other paranormal phenomena.

Once we understand what atheism means, it should be clear how diverse atheists can be. Having said that, I think that most atheists have at least a few things in common on which we would agree.

What Do Atheists Think About Christians?

Again, we are a fairly diverse bunch, so opinions will vary. Some atheists are extremely anti-Christian; others value the teachings attributed to Jesus as much as many Christians do and just dispense with the supernatural components. Most atheists condemn Christian extremism, even though there is considerable disagreement about how much of a threat it poses to democracy.

I have written what I think about Christians, so that will give you one perspective. I have also attempted to explain why I find it perfectly reasonable to believe that most Christians are good people.

ooman:

Mr striktlymi, you need help.

striktlymi:

ooman,

Don't mind me o! Sorry for trolling but do you really consider yourself an atheist? I think Anti-theist is more appropriate. This is just my thought but I am still watching you to understand your angle.

Anyways, you are right! I do need help!

ooman:

Big man, missed you on my post "the problem with the black man"

Actually, if you need help, i will do anything for you.

Concerning you thinking am not an atheist, you might be right, PERSONALLY, I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE NONTHEIST (google nontheism )

striktlymi:

Cool!

I was enjoying the thread and our 'small talk' but some of your buddies came to chase me away.

I get tired when one is shown evidence but tries to undermine it. Immagine someone saying Israel is not a developed country without providing a shred of evidence.

Sorry for leaving unannounced and thanks for the offer of help.

ooman:

WELL, AM NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, I THINK IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW WE DEFINE "DEVELOPED" OR "UNDEVELOPED". i can decide to say Nigeria is developed, and i can say it is undeveloped. it has to do with the understanding of some factors at the time.

striktlymi:

ooman,

That argument will only hold if Economics is not a science. Economics is both a science and a social science. It makes do of the scientific process to propound its theories and laws. The difference between Economics and the physical sciences is that Economics studies the economic behaviour of humans hence the lack of a controlled environment for its experiments while the pure sciences has the luxury of conducting controlled experiments.

Now, when we talk about countries that are developed, developing or underdeveloped we have measurable criteria not opinions. To suggest that this is subjective is making a mockery of the beautiful subject of Economics. By the generally accepted measures, Israel is a developed country. This is a fact that should not be argued. Whether you make use of the Human Development Index (HDI), the per capita income, the Gross National Product (GNP), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) etc Israel is developed.

So for someone to come to say otherwise when the facts are there only shows that the individual is arguing from emotions. When I notice this, I retreat. I have stopped arguing with some Christians too because a lot of them argue with emotions. This is just the sad reality. To argue is an art! Accepting evidence does not mean that one has accepted Theism, Atheism, Agnosticism, non-theism and the other isms.

This is a fundamental problem I have noticed on nairaland and to be frank, that's why I prefer to put up pictures instead of arguing. There are some Atheists I like arguing with and top on the list is wiegraf. Yea, he can be vulgar if pushed but he basis his arguments on identifiable and measurable evidence. I like arguing with you too and probably logicboy but when I see that the arguments are turning left, I step back.

Thank you!

ooman:

back at you. I will rest on this case.

Red-Light:
coool

Idi Amin: @Op, repent and accept Jesus as ur Lord and personal saviour. Its beta 2 live as if derez a God and find out la8r derez none than vice versa

Olodostein: I don't need to understand Atheist. They need to be redeemed.

Almighty God is omnipotent, Omniscience and omnipresent.

Atheist you wanna know the Truth? Seek Jesus. He is the way , truth and life.

Seek God in truth and in spirit. He will reveal himself to you.

No need for your limited reason in trying to prove what is Real.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!

Ile-Ife:
To avoid being banned, please ensure that your post is not offensive to Christianity.

SECONDED and THIRDED!!! Seun, pls take note this should be on Christian treads. We too need protection ke, from Boko Haram and the likes.

jmoore: why the long essay when it was clearly summarized in the bible >> Psalm 14:1

J12: Lol. I'm yet to meet an atheist who is totally against abortion and homosexualism.