The Problem I Have With Atheism

It’s a negative thought. That is, it merely takes a position against something.

And, while I proudly call myself an atheist – a person with no belief in gods – I am a whole lot more than that. Aren’t you?

I now fully realize this as the purpose for this blog – to explore all that I stand for and, hopefully, to get you thinking along the same lines. Previous posts are consistent with this purpose. Now, I’m stating it explicity.

A plan for this blog – and my life – is starting to come together.

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July 10, 2008 · Filed Under Atheism, Finding Meaning

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7 Responses to “The Problem I Have With Atheism”

  1. jamon on July 10th, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    I’m not sure whether atheism is against any thing as such. Rather, it stands for nothing – there are no gods.

    So, once that this ‘non-assertion’ is made, one has the freedom to build a life meaning with substance. Perpaps not a lasting (eg infinite) meaning, but a one with substantially more richness than any theology could provide IMHO.

  2. Mark on July 10th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    Jamon,

    Thanks for clarifying. I think it is a good clarification to make. Perhaps it would have been better to say that “there are no gods” is not enough to define myself by.

    And, it’s at that point where your second paragraph and my own thoughts are in agreement.

  3. jamon on July 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    My pleasure.

    I’m often frustrated by theists who assert that atheism can provide no meaining.

    As if the very existence of a God can. They’re no different to me, as to provide meaning they require narrative through scripture, moral codes and all sorts of other things. On top of the existence of their God.

  4. Darron S on July 10th, 2008 at 2:56 pm

    I’ve learned from my theist friends that, due to their belief structures, their minds need you to be offered up some positive belief structure that they can relate to, rather than just leaving them hanging with “I’m an atheist…”.

    I firmly believe that religious people across the board feel that “any god is better than no god”.

    So, whenever I’m probed about my beliefs I say something like this, “I’m an Atheistic Secular Humanist. Our tenets, or if you like “7 Commandments”, are:

    1. Need to test beliefs – A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
    2. Reason, evidence, scientific method – A commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
    3. Fulfillment, growth, creativity – A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
    4. Search for truth – A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
    5. This life – A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
    6. Ethics – A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
    7. Building a better world – A conviction that with reason, an open exchange of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.”

    I think religious folks are very used to being told what’s right. So, if you offer them up a belief system, anything except the empty void of atheism, they’re more likely to be receptive to the idea.

    Cheers!

  5. Mark on July 10th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    Darron: Thanks for joining the discussion and adding the secular humanist tenets (I consider myself a secular humanist also).

    I think perhaps my recent deconversion left me feeling somewhat empty and I am in a process of discovering my own belief system – as opposed to one that is provided by a religious authority.

    Secular Humanism fills many of my belief gaps very nicely but, of course, the journey continues.

  6. GentlePath on July 17th, 2008 at 9:09 am

    I dunno. I like the word atheism, it’s direct and clear: a-theism. No-deities. What I don’t like is the ubiquitous reaction I get when I use that word. It’s more of a delimiter than a descriptor in practical terms.

    And I completely don’t get the hatred directed toward atheists. I have a new understanding for how racial hatred could go unnoticed because I certainly never noticed how atheists are hated but it definitely exists. I’m proud to say that I didn’t hate atheists when I was a believer. But it’s pretty weird being hated in such an impersonal manner.

  7. dd on June 4th, 2009 at 2:54 am

    “I’m often frustrated by theists who assert that atheism can provide no meaning.”  Exactly.  Adding a god or two to the whole ball of wax doesn’t increase its meaning either, you just have a whole ball of wax containing a god or two.  The presence of gods doesn’t answer the purpose question either.

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