There are God knows how many ..... : )
Before we get to the numbers and percentages, let’s cover some quick definitions. An atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in the existence of God or gods. An agnostic is someone who isn’t sure if there is a God or not, or who doesn’t feel like he or she (or anyone) can have any valid information on the matter, and thus, thinks that it is impossible to say there is a God, or that there isn’t. Both atheists and agnostics are non-theists: they lack a belief in a deity. So how many people are we talking here? A lot.
According to the latest international survey data, as reported by Ariela Keysar and Juhem Navarro-Rivera in the recently published Oxford Handbook of Atheism, there are approximately 450-500 million non-believers in God worldwide, which amounts to about 7% of the global adult population. And according to the Pew Research Center, if we broaden the category to include all non-religious people in general—those unaffiliated adults who do not identify with any religion—we’re talking 1.1 billion people, which equals about 16.5% of the global adult population. As such, “non-religious” is actually the third largest “religion” in the world, coming only behind Christianity (in first place) and Islam (in second). Thus, there are more secular men and women on planet earth—many of whom are atheists and agnostics—than there are Hindus, Buddhists, Mormons, Sikhs, Jains, or Jews.
But let’s look at the number of non-theists (atheists and agnostics) specifically.
Various selected countries, according to the Oxford Handbook, with the highest percentages of non-believers, include:
- Czech Republic: 55% atheist/agnostic (actual number: 4,649,620)
- France: 41% (19,965,630)
- Sweden: 39% (2,800,152)
- Germany: 36% (24,564,226)
- Netherlands: 34% (4,303,110)
- Belgium: 34% (2,857,053)
- Denmark: 32% (1,369,512)
- Norway: 32% (1.146,464)
- United Kingdom: 30% (14,579,992)
- South Korea: 28% (10,419,885)
- New Zealand: 28% (866,000)
- Finland: 28% (1,172,404)
- Japan: 28% (29,766,356)
- Hungary: 27% (2,254,556)
- Australia: 26% (5,058,772)
- Spain: 21% (7,633,561)
- China: 17.9% (234,595,000)
- Russia: 17% (18,971,229)
- Taiwan: 15% (2,665,188)
- Uruguay: 14% (232,018)
- Italy: 13% (6,648,003)
- Israel: 11% (524,780)
- Ireland: 10% (369,949)
- United States: 8% (18,625,556)
- Mexico: 6% (3,685,552)
- India: 2.5% (27,691,000)
There are many additional countries with significantly high percentages of atheism and agnosticism, such as Estonia, Slovenia, Vietnam, etc., and many more countries where the percentages are quite low (1%-2%), but such countries can often be highly populated, such as Brazil, so that 1.2% atheist/agnostic still equals over two million Brazilian non-believers.
Also, these numbers and percentages are most likely fairly conservative, because in many countries, being a non-believer in God is highly stigmatized and/or illegal, so people are more likely to hide their lack of faith, rather than proclaim it to some person doing a survey.
What are we to make of these hundreds of millions of atheists and agnostics? That is a wide-open question, to be sure. But according to various sociological, anthropological, and psychological studies, the following generalizations are valid: men are more likely to be non-theists than women (on average), non-theism is strongest in Europe and the Anglophone world, most societies with the highest percentages of atheists and agnostics are faring relatively well (so the fear that secularism is somehow dangerous to society is clearly unfounded), and non-theists tend to be more highly educated and intellectually oriented (on average) than their believing peers.
But perhaps the most significant matter concerning non-believers is that they generally have far fewer children than religious people—so the future of atheism and agnosticism may not be as bright as it is for the religious, especially Muslims, who tend to have the most children of all.
New Zealand
The numbers given for New Zealand were out of date, even at the 2015 publish date of this article.
The 2013 census reported 1,635,345 or 41.9% having no relious affiliation.
archive.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-culture-identity/religion.aspx
If tends in the census figures continue we might expect 47% non religious compared to an expectation of 43% Christian.
For the first time the 2018 census was conducted online, however a significant amount of data is missing. Statistics New Zealand is working to use statistical methods to extrapolate the missing data. This extra work has delayed the publication this census until later this year, where normal census publication normal happens by November of the Census year.
Atheists in the world
Disclaimer not meant to offend. Here is my two cents. I am relieved the population of Atheists is so low. Mostly because ive seen the way Atheist treat those they disagree with. Some of them are downright cruel and rude. I get it belief in gods or afterlife isnt for Atheists but hear me out. People have experiences that change their viewpoints. I was never an Atheist in this lifetime and because of my own experiences i am convinced i am not meant to be either. I grew up christian deconverted and became a Pagan and a Buddhist. Its what works for me.
I am an Agnostic for the very
I am an Agnostic for the very reasons you cited: No one can possibly know one way or another.
Unfortunately, Agnostics get labeled "fence sitters" by those who don't know the difference between fact and belief. We take guff from both sides.
Belief is certainty about something you don't know (if you did know, it would be knowledge, not belief).
I think it is good that the Western World and some parts of the East, are becoming non-theists...
...Religious fanaticism is the enemy of civilization.
Atheists have fewer children
Atheists have fewer children than dogmatists because we deal with the realities of overpopulation, pollution, climate change, poverty, etc. Dogmatists "think" they can screw like bunnies and the money to care for their sprog will magically appear by praying hard enough.
something to consider
the vast majority of theists live in the developing world. it is an established fact that a single person in the developed world is more of an environmental burden than multiple people living in the developing world, from the size of their carbon footprint to the amount of waste they produce. please educate yourself on the environmental kuznets hypothesis, and as a piece of parting advice, try back up your ignorant claims before littering them on the internet in the future.
WAAAAAAAAAY too many! We need
WAAAAAAAAAY too many! We need to fix that. A world without atheists would be paradise.
Really now?
Because I'm sure the crusades, inquisitions, and jihads are really a sign that religion is the bringer of peace.
"BUT WUT ABOUT MUH CRUSADES
"BUT WUT ABOUT MUH CRUSADES AN MUH INQUISITION AN MUH IZLAM?!?!?!"
The Crusades were reactionary, contrary to what atheist historical revisionists want you to think. It wasn't Christians murdering non-Christians just for the sake of murdering them, it was Christians who fought back because they were fed up with being murdered for daring to be Christian. The Inquisition was terrible and so is radical Jihad, I will give you that. However, do you really think atheism is better? Atheists had Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, and Vladimir Lenin just to name a few (if I were to name all of the atheist mass shooters in America in the past twenty years, I'd be here for a really long time). They all had the same beliefs: atheists are a superior "race" of humans, theists are mentally ill and dangerous, theism poses a threat to society, and everyone who believes that there is a higher power deserves to be wiped out completely. (Hey, that's exactly how modern atheists think! WEIRD!)
Can you feel the atheist love?
@Anti-Atheist Girl, FINALLY someone said it! :D
Atheists are scary; one minute they're bullying and verbally abusing you with all their anti-theist buddies, the next they're shooting up churches and threatening to kill Christian high school students. They really do think like Stalin, Mussolini, and all the other atheist sickos who rose to power. This is why no one with half a brain wants an atheist President.
I'm an atheist so I guess by
I'm an atheist so I guess by your logic I must have the desire to shoot up a school? Not even close. Just because there are bad atheists out there doesn't mean we all are. That's like me looking at what catholics have done in the past and saying that all catholics are mindless sheep who only follow what the Church and the Pope tells them. But okay, continue down the all atheists are bad route, it only makes you sound stupid. :)
Atheists: "Just because there
Atheists: "Just because there are bad atheists out there doesn't mean we all are."
Also atheists: "The Westburo Baptist Church, Steven Anderson, and Joel Osteen are all shady and terrible people, therefore, ALL Christians are shady and terrible people!"
You're right, not all atheists are bad people. All I'm saying is most atheists tend to generalize all theists and paint them all in a negative light, but they seem to think it's okay as long as they're the ones doing the generalizing.
Generalizing atheists is justified
All of the atheists I've known personally, every atheist celebrity, and 99.99% of all the atheists on the internet are all scummy, anti-theist, bigoted idiots who talk and act like they'd murder every theist in the world if they had the chance. To stay safe, it's better for us to avoid ALL atheists. There are far more bad atheists than "good" ones.
Seriously?
The second you generalize based solely on personal experience and claim that the lack of belief is inherently evil is the second you admit your blatant bias for religion. It really is sad seeing people like you strawman disblievers so heavily because you're so terrified of having your religion disproven time and time again. How does it feel, having your beliefs slowly chipped away year after year by science? How does it feel knowing that your religion is slowly dying, and that the number of people who actively disbelieve it grows every year? Must be scary, right? Perhaps that's why you seem to so blindly and angrily attack anyone who simply makes a claim of belief. No matter how YOU decide to define atheism, it doesn't matter. You aren't an authority on definitions or the beliefs on a group of people you clearly know nothing about. After all, atheism is the lack of belief, and you comparing us to Stalin simply doesn't work. Quick note before I end this reply, Staling was an atheist, but his ideology most definitely wasn't. He didn't eliminate religion because he was an atheist, he eliminated religion from Russia because of the fact that he wanted to indoctrinate his people. He wanted them to deify him, and he needed to have the church erased in order to do so. You clearly haven't done you research on either of the topics you tried so hard to insult
@Anti-Atheist Girl
@Anti-Atheist Girl
This is why I have a hard time trusting atheists. Every atheist I've ever known has lied to me (and others) about history, science, and the Bible, and they've all been sickeningly disrespectful to me just because I believe (based on evidence and personal experiences) that there is a God and an afterlife.
I feel like a jerk for not trusting atheists at all, in the off-chance that some of them aren't like that, but I'll take my chances! XD
Yeah, and if I were to list
Yeah, and if I were to list all of the theistic criminals we would spend an eternity here. Both Theistic and Non-Theistic people made amazing and terrible acts. Neither side is better or worse. Believe what you will believe. Do what you will do. As long as you don't hurt yourself or others in the process there shouldn't be a problem.
- Love from an atheist teen
@agnosticboi
@agnosticboi
And how many people have atheists killed in the 20th century alone compared to all the people killed in the Crusades? lol!
It doesn't even come close; atheists are far more violent and aggressive. Theists still have the moral high ground.
Theists, deists, and
Theists, deists, and agnostics have always been better people than atheists in every possible way. We're better than atheists when it comes to science, philosophy, and morality especially. Atheists are too stupid to understand science, so they latch on to sci-fi fairytales for children as the foundation for their atheism. They are absolute idiots when it comes to philosophy, while non-atheists (especially Christians) are excellent when it comes to philosophy. And why are atheists so much worse at science and philosophy than literally everyone else on the planet? Because atheists have no morals and deny moral objectivity. They're like this because they are mentally stunted and are stuck in a child-like state where they feel no guilt, never apologize for their terrible actions, and are scared to death of taking responsibility for the things they say and do. That's why atheists have done more damage, committed more crimes, hurt more people, and done far worse things than everyone else. And so, they deny scientifically-backed truths and the wise words of philosophers so they can pretend that there is no God, no objective morals, and no responsibility, and so they can just feel free to do whatever they want without pesky things like kindness, selflessness, love, courtesy, and altruism getting in their way!
Do you really think that
Do you really think that atheism is a good moral code to live by? I mean, you can believe in whatever you want but... seriously? Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Jeffrey Dahmer, and every school shooter in the past 20+ years were all atheists, and they murdered and destroyed all in the name of atheism. It's always atheism. Theism (for the most part) prohibits murder, but atheists think that murder can be justified. Atheists also think that treating women like objects that only exist for the atheist man's sexual pleasure. They also look down on black people because black people tend to be more religious/spiritual. Sorry to have to tell you this, but atheists and atheism in general have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Theism is not be perfect by any means, but at least theism is supported by facts, evidence, history, and science. Also, theists actually go out of their way to help people in need. You never see a group of Christians committing mass suicide or genocide, or pressuring others to commit suicide, you only see atheists and other radical asshats doing that.
TL;DR: Theists are objectively better than atheists, and theism is objectively better than atheism. Get over it.
@atheismsux
@atheismsux
High five! HAHAHA! XD
Just be careful. Criticizing atheism will soon be illegal everywhere with the way those pansy-assed whiners react whenever someone so much as disagrees with them and their precious little "lak uv bileef".
I agree
If we can get rid of those weird atheist bastards and let them form their own little "Godless Utopia" on another planet, we'd all be much better off. If that happened, anti-Semitism would practically cease to exist, Christians wouldn't have to worry about being shot in the head for believing in God, Muslims wouldn't be executed in their own homes by their atheist neighbors, school shootings would be less frequent, the suicide rates would significantly drop... everything would be so much better! :D
Just imagine how much better
Just imagine how much better off we'd all be if every atheist, satanist, and scientologist in the world just moved to another planet, where they can be creeps and bigots far away from civilized society. (It would be better to just kill all the satanists, though; that would be good, considering the fact that they're all worthless, dog-killing, hateful, subhuman monsters. They wouldn't be missed. Atheists and scientologists, as immoral as they are, are just idiots. They deserve to live because they give normal people something to laugh at.)
Remind me to stay away from
Remind me to stay away from the Czech Republic at all costs.
We don't need atheism, it's 2018.
Read a science book. Study history. Take the time to actually read the Bible in context.
Atheism is a myth for children. Christianity is the objective truth.
It's time to wake up and drop irrelevant fairytales like atheism. There is no excuse to believe in atheist nonsense in 2018, when we have science and higher education.
@Atheism Sucks
Your comment is so painfully true!
I abandoned atheism when I realized what a stupid, illogical belief system it truly is. I did as you said and read the Bible in context - rather than reading it like an angry 5-year-old with a chip on his shoulder - and it didn't take me long to realize that Christianity is the only way to go. The Bible is true, and it has historical and geographical evidence to back it up!
Atheism, on the other hand, is a complete joke that only an illogical, dumb, unenlightened, anti-science idiot would believe in.
To be a Christian requires logic, intelligence, scientific knowledge, an an enlightened self awareness... I just wish I would have realized it sooner, because being an atheist is boring, uninspiring, and nonsensical. I've always loved science, and I believed the lie that atheism was scientific. In reality, science is God's language.
Atheism is a fairytale
Atheism is a fairytale invented by simple-minded people. It's only purpose is to subjugate people, spread false information about theism and agnosticism, and brainwash people into believing lies. All because atheists are afraid of the truth; they will do ANYTHING to keep people from realizing the fact that atheism is pure, idiotic bullshit. They themselves know that they're living a lie, but they just stick their heads in the sand hoping that if they scream "THERE IS NO GOD!" a few billion more times that maybe - juuuuuust maybe - God will just disappear. It's lunacy parading around and calling itself "science".
Atheism is indeed a fairytale
Atheism is indeed a fairytale written by mankind to try to explain difficult questions (yet fail miserably at that) and give people a sense that their actions have no consequences and they don't have to feel guilty for any reason at all... even for murder.
Atheism perpetuates evil.
You ever see that video of a
You ever see that video of a monkey pissing in its own mouth? That's exactly what atheists are like: stupid, disgusting, and lacking the knowledge, self-awareness and critical thinking skills required to function properly. No wonder so few of them have been iconic scientists and inventors. They're all so busy pissing in their own mouths and flinging crap at everyone who doesn't agree with them and their silly beliefs that they never actually do anything for society. XD
Atheist/Agnostic World View
Your comments are terrifying. The un-holly scriptures are laughably full of lies. Less than 50 years ago the bible was being touted as "The in-errant word of God." Today that claim is no longer used because of the many lies, misinformation and historical inaccuracies that have been well documented; studied by the most thorough historians ever to live. Still we are required to bow to the world wide power of collective religions. I can't cash a paycheck without paying homage to a system that enforces the, "in God we trust," ideology. Atheists/Agnostics don't kill people. Murderers kill people. Ideas set us free from these monsters. All of the dominant religions were born during the Stone or Bronze Age; that period of time when illiteracy was still the norm. Ambitious men dreamed up religion, and their followers killed off the fathers of Rational Thought and Critical Reasoning. Use your brain.
If you insist on believing that an invisible diety created time space and matter, consider the possibility that such a diety set out to give life to billion that he new would not "choose" him. (Many are called but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14.) He supposedly began knowing that he would send billions of people to eternal weeping wailing and nashing of teeth in the lake of fire for essentially sin they commited during a single teardrop of time. That murderous, monstorous torturous person is your god. Please reconsider. Humanity created god in our image. This petty, deceitful, jealous, murderous, horror inducing personality should not be loved. He should be feared. If he doesn't exist then those who demand that we worship him must be feared even more. They are without reason.
God and the rich
All holy books in this planet have being hand write by the richest people thousands of years ago. I spent 13 years looking for the time when this world became religious from a supposed secular society. That's was my theory, according to my old extinguish Catholic teaching. When I finally identified that Jewish, Christian and Muslims religious institutions were using their newly education system to infiltrated religion, a Penn State professor was already published God's Evolution. That book throw my 13 years reaserch in the garbage!
The fact that I pinpoint the rich as "God's Great Architect " was just accidental. Literacy is very new. In 1820's around 10-15% of the global population were literates. So we can said that this planet was fill with illiterates since the very first time a social structure was created. But there is a coincidence, only those in power can read and write thousands of years ago, and they were rulers by their time. I read the Bible, Koran and Vedas and all three books has two things in common: they ask for total compliance. As reward for your obedience, they offer resurrection. That's the link between religion and the circle of those who want to rule: the one percent! So technically speaking, God/Gods and the rich are the same substance and by force have the same weakness: none will exist without the serf! So this is something to think about when you put your head on your pillow tonigh, and hope you can sleep once you analize it.
Atheism is NOT a belief system...
Atheism Sucks, seems you’re not really getting what atheism and agnosticism is. There is no fairy tale associated with the stance that there is no evidence to support gods of any kind.
I would explain further, but looking at your argument style, and sheer lack of understanding, I won’t waste my time. Yes, it is 2018... Mysticism and belief in invisible deities is the only fairy tales we see, and there’s no reason (or value) in giving money to and believing in organized religions that are spelled out in medevil books that subjugate people, condone slavery, and give very little by way of education for the world we inhabit.
Familial values were around long before the Jesus Diaries, so it’s dishonest to say that values come from blind faith in storytelling from before the dark ages. If you’re so big on science, and higher education, maybe you should pick up a book, other than the bible.
From your stance you seem to believe in all the gods that humans have created throughout time. Is that indeed the case?
Actually, atheism is a belief
Actually, atheism is a belief system through and through. As a matter of fact, the only stance that actually ISN'T a belief system is agnosticism.
Atheists BELIEVE that there is no God, they BELIEVE that morality is subjective, they BELIEVE that they're the only smart, rational, scientific, and moral people on the planet, they BELIEVE that theists are mentally ill, evil, and dangerous, they BELIEVE that the world would be a better place if everyone was an atheist, they BELIEVE that the universe just exploded into existence from nothing and for no reason, and they BELIEVE that life is meaningless and that we're all just a bunch of worthless, purposeless meat sacks full of magical stardust wandering around aimlessly.
Now, if you want to believe in all that Dark Age, atheistic nonsense, that's okay. I have no problem with that. However, I do have a problem with atheists preaching at me, telling me that I'm stupid and subhuman just because I'm not buying what they're trying to sell me.
The more they insult me and the more I see them killing Christians in their churches and shooting up innocent kids in public schools while taking to the internet to brag about how much "smarter" and "better" they think they are than all the "stupid" theists that one of their own kind bullied or killed, the more anti-atheist I become.
If atheism was truly just a "lack of belief", then why do atheists constantly congratulate themselves simply for being atheists? Why do they care about what other people believe to the point that they feel this uncontrollable, compelling urge to bully, harass, abuse, and even kill non-atheists for their "wrong-think"? Why is their "lack of belief" such a huge part of their identity? You don't see people who don't collect stamps bragging about how smart they think they are for not collecting stamps, so why do atheists brag about their atheism and their self-proclaimed "super-human intellect" so much?
If atheism wasn't a belief system, atheists would be quiet, polite, friendly, respectful, and rational people. Unfortunately, though, that's not the case.
Maintain a standard of right behavior
The old saying that if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all was debunked by Jesus Christ when he said, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell! May the force be with you, Anti-Atheist girl.
Maintain a standard of right Behavior
I seriously mean no disrespect anti-atheist girl, but your reply to my comment is confusing. If you are trying to say that it is okay to criticize others because Jesus did it ( again, I am not sure what you are trying to say) I would just have to point out, that for one, using a quote from your own belief system would not be a strong persuasive tool against an atheist. Secondly, he is talking to snakes and vipers by calling them snakes and vipers, not an insult. Thirdly, he is asking them a question (you left the question mark out of your post) of how they will keep from going to hell. He is not calling them stupid or uneducated, not insisting that they are definitely going to hell. My last point is if that is in fact proof that Jesus said hateful things, I would not follow his religion or encourage my loved ones to do so.
Maintain a standard of right Behavior
First, I would like to apologize for any confusion. On 10/07/19 in the first line of my reply to YOUR post I addressed anti-atheist girl rather than you. Your post was, in fact, not a reply to my comment... Sorry about that, I am new to this venue of social media. In any case, I was hoping that you would respond to me, clarifying your original post . I am trying to understand both sides of this issue. Please let me know what you think about my reply to your original post. Thank you for any input.
More atheist lies
Aaaaaaaaaand, wrong.
Atheism IS a belief system.
They BELIEVE that they own science, morality, and logic.
They BELIEVE that the universe and everything/everyone in it is all just one big cosmic fart.
They BELIEVE that being an atheist automatically makes you a scientific genius, and that being a theist automatically makes you an uncivilized imbecile.
They BELIEVE that there is no God, even when faced with the overwhelming evidence that there is a God.
They BELIEVE everything the atheistic secular public school system tells them to believe, even when it's demonstrably false.
They BELIEVE that atheists are incapable of killing, committing crimes, or being bad people, and that the only bad people throughout human history have only been theists (ignoring the many, many atheist dictators and murderers like Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, Mussolini, Mao Zedong, Hitler, Castro, Jim Jones, Lee Harvey Oswald, etc.)
They BELIEVE that theism is the cause of all wars, even though less than 7% of all wars throughout human history were religious/spiritual in nature.
They BELIEVE that everything atheist speakers and celebrities say must be true... just because they're atheists!
They BELIEVE that life is meaningless and that we're all just meat-sacks filled with magical stardust.
They BELIEVE that they are the only people on the planet who are capable of thinking and understanding science, even though most of their precious science comes from the minds of scientists who believed in God because they saw scientific evidence for God's existence.
They BELIEVE that their atheism is objectively superior to everyone else's views and that anyone who disagrees with that notion is a blind buffoon.
And lastly, they BELIEVE that they don't have to prove their worldview because... "MUH ATHEISM IS JUST A LACK OF BELIEF!"
Oh, but atheism TOTALLY doesn't make any claims! NOT AT ALL!
That whole "lack of belief"
That whole "lack of belief" crutch that atheists lean on is such a cop-out. Basically, what they're saying when they say they "have no beliefs" is "My worldview is the right one but don't make me prove it because I can't. Just accept the fact that I'm smarter and better than you and everyone else in the world because I say so."
It's just like five-year-old children changing the rules of games so they will never lose and the other kids will never win. "No, you can't win on days that end in the letter Y, only I can! Because I say so! MEANIE-POOPIE-HEAD!"
So true
Atheists believe in the dumbest things, like self-creating universes and innumerable genders, and atheism has no good arguments.
That's a fun bald statement of alternative fact
The philosophical atheist take the scientific position of the origins of the cosmos, which is roughly "we have some interest and something contrary evidence which suggests a nature for the early universe, but we don't have evidence that before time is even meaningful, so really we don't, however the idea that universe was conjured by magic is easily among the more implausible conjectures support by even less evidence." But also it is not really an atheist thing. Many who are not atheists accept this position too.
Literature written by people who had know idea where the sum went a night, is not generally considered useful is psychology, psychiatry or psychosexual analysis. This is usually considered obvious. We're not going around trying to change people gender either, and conversion therapy often abusive, and deaths are not unheard of, and neither are reports of the therapists come out gay themselves when finally figure out that they have been walked into by fiction and straight up libel.
Why would a creator of a universe be defeat-able by iron chariots - story goes he wasn't happy about it either.
Careful guys! Don't trigger
Careful guys! Don't trigger the atheist idiots! Once they grow up and get educated, we can tell them the truth: atheism is all mythology. When they finally grow up and stop believing in nonsense, then you can mock atheism all you want. Because no adult with a fully-developed brain is an atheist.
Atheism
I'm an atheist and I don't BELIEVE any of the things you have listed here. But I do BELIEVE that if theists BELIEVE these things about atheists then theists are stoopid :-)
More Theist Lies
I've heard that Thou Shalt not bear false witness is supposed to be a big thing like one of the ten commandments or something, but I see it being ignored here as a matter of course, by people who appear to be Christian.
Let's have a look at some of this, not the worst I've seen, but it is plentiful.
Atheism doesn't "own science" though many of us advocate for the scientific method, and the things it has taught us, science belongs to humanity. It often contradicts scripture, showing us for example that biological traits are heritable from parent organisms which is in direct contradiction to Genesis 30:38-39.
Atheism doesn't own morality either, Though Norway is one of the worlds least religious nations, they have one of the worlds lowest crime rates, and low teen pregnancy rates. With a 3-year recidivism rate of just 20%, which compares to America's 70%.
Logic is universal, it is a branch of math.
The universe is not a Seth Macfarlane joke. Though that joke is very funny. The universe as we see it today is the consequence of natural and mostly observable phenomena, governed by natural laws concerning the four fundamental forces of gravity, electromagnetism, the Strong nuclear force and the Weak nuclear force, and photons of wildly varying energy levels. There remains no evidence of an unseen consciousness magicking the universe in existence like some sort of genie as per Genesis.
Well I wouldn't go around calling Francis Collins an imbicile, while a Christian, he did some very fine work exploring the human genome. Like many who work in a lab as he, he leaves his religion with his street coat on the rack by the door during the work day. But at the same time have you seen Westboro Baptist Church - or the Rwandan Genocide(that got started by Christians talking shit about a targeted minority to boost church attendance - please tell us how that is civilized). Do also tell us about the civilization in the Serbo-Croatian war of the 1990's, "Our's is a Christian movement" - Adolf Hitler; "Gott Mitt Uns" - German Army belt buckles, 70% of the German population were Lutherans c1930-40.
Not having an affirmative belief in a god, for most it means there is no reason to think a god exists, few among us go to the there-is-no-god position. Many atheists, may even adhere to non theistic religions Buddhism for example. Some of us are not good rationalists or skeptics, some call themselves "spiritual".
As for "overwhelming evidence" first person to present some get's a Noble prize. Not Kidding, such evidence would transform the human understanding of the universe, the Noble Committee could not ignore it. After millennia, we're still waiting. The Zeus folks had a head start, but they gave up.
If Science teaches anything in secular public school it teaches students to question everything. But we are also seeing young people emerge from Christian Homeschool with barely enough learning to get a basic job.
Some of your "atheist dictators and murders" were actually Christians, Jim Jones' cult was a Christian cult., Hitler was raised and educated a Catholic and never renounced his faith. Lenin and Stalin were likely psychopaths, but none-the-less made a religion in which "The Revolution" was a kind of Utopian heaven. Pol Pot was a Buddhist, but he exhibited an anti-intellectual fervor not unlike that which can be observed in some American Christians today.
Whether religion causes wars is debatable, but it certainly has played a role in unifying opposing faction against each other, and perpetuating animus increasing risks of repeated violence. An-eye-for-an-eye has been around since the time of Hammurabi, and it led many skirmishes that fall below the scale of what was covered by the study from which that 7% figure comes.
I've seen a fair amount of criticism of Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins, Which is unusual because no one ever criticizes the Pope. :D :P
If you want meaning in your life, go for it, have fun with it. We just don't believe that the universe comes with prepackaged meaning. We don't always need, it good enough to live life to the full, with family friends and doing those thing that are import us in the one brief moment we exist as humans with expiring telemeres.
If we thought only we could understand science, wouldn't we conclude we'd be wasting our time on science advocacy? Even if some researchers conclude that they saw evidence for god, as Newton did, this would be a personal matter. There is nothing approaching a scientific consensus, if there were it would appear in the journals, like Nature, or Physics Letters.
Many of us have been those blind buffoons are laughing at our former selves, acknowledge the weak stories, suppositions and superstitions that held us back from a more accurate understanding of our world.
By using the word 'superior' you mean to say Atheism is elitist. I get it, you think that's a problem because it competes with your Christianity which you believe is the "best" religion. Atheism more accurately describes a single aspect of the world as we see it.
And lastly, Christians BELIEVE that they don't have to prove their worldview because... "MUH CHRISTIANITY IS JUST A LACK OF BELIEF IN THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER!"
Atheism is the null hypothesis for the theist proposition, it means we do not accept claimed phenoms unless shown to be valid by elimination of other explanations. Lightening was once attributed to gods, now we know through the fine work of one Benjamin Franklin that lightening is simply high voltage electricity in air. This claim is not from atheism but from science, Atheism being what it is, allows deference to other sources of understanding, usually science, but not always.
Thanks for the rant, it's been lovely correcting all this fairly standard lazy apologetic diatribe, didn't even have to crank up the google machine. :)
Atheism... it offends me that
Atheism... it offends me that people believe that garbage so much. People can believe whatever they want, but atheism is pure bullshit. Those atheistic idiots are only atheists because they're too stupid to understand science, literature, mathematics, and history. Truth be told, atheism is just a euphemism for severe mental retardation.
It doesn't matter how many
It doesn't matter how many soulless bastards... I mean atheists... there are. Who cares about them? They should all just move to the "Godless Utopia" of North Korea and leave us normal people alone.
This comment section is interesting to say the least
As said in the subject, this comment section is... interesting. It shows how desperate theists become to justify their beliefs after they realize how it's dwindling away into nothing.
1. Quit saying what atheists believe. You may view the idea of "lacking belief' as a cop-out answer, but that's only because you're blatantly biased. Atheism is the lack of belief in any higher power. We look at your claims that God exists, and we say "I really don't think that evidence is sufficient in proving the existence of divinity". There is no claim being made here. The atheist can not, no matter how much you complain, have the burden of proof.
2. This is where the ideas of agnosticism and gnosticism come into play. You see, atheism is a claim of belief. You either reject or accept evidence supporting a belief system, and that makes you either an atheist or a theist. Agnosticism and gnosticism are claims of knowledge. You either know or don't know. For example, and agnostic atheist doesn't know if there is a God and doesn't see enough evidence to actually believe in one either. The fact alone that many of you here so desperately hold onto the claim that atheism is wrong and is making a positive claim really shows how tightly many of you hang onto the ideologies of your religion. Skepticism and open mindedness are important, as is rational thought, and many of you seem to lack all three of these abilities. I really recommend that you all work on your maturity, because it's very naive and insulting to say what other people believe then insult them for it. Please grow up and realize that world is changing, making your religion less and less viable/powerful every single day.
Czechia is awesome
Just got back from the Czech Republic. Nicest country I've ever visited. Never felt so safe in a city at night, either. Absolutely loved it.
Obvious misunderstandings
1. Jains and Theravada Buddhists are nontheistic and do not have an official stance on the existence of God or gods. Mahayana Buddhists in China fuse Daoism with their version of Buddhism which is why they have gods such as Guan Yin, but the official religion of China is Atheism, so these statistics are not really accurate. Jains do not believe in a creator/judger because they believe the universe has always been in existence (big bang accounts for cycles) and does not require a creator.
2. As an Atheist, I had a mystical experience while pursuing a study of Buddhism which allowed me to understand the true reality. I cannot tell you anything rational about God or gods, but I can say authoritatively that theistic people are completely rational and good people who deserve respect. I can also say that Atheists are moral and intelligent people and deserve respect. All people are guided by their loved ones and universal principles of growth.
The human race works with and without God or gods. We are a family and all of us deserve to be loved by one another. We have to understand one another and not be defensive.
Educating myself
I've read the comments listed to date. I am not choosing a side, just comparing characteristics between the two sides. I would be ashamed to be a Christian or a person with belief in a higher power if my actions and dismissal of other people was as negative as the comments I have read written by 'believers'. Believers are blatantly insulting atheists. Believers are also saying more bad things about themselves, claiming atheists have said these things. Some atheists have made insulting remarks about believers as well, but not to the same extreme. Religious freedom does not only apply to people who want to believe. You are also free to not believe. The Believers that say all atheists are horrible people, probably don't know all the atheists. It has been my experience that, more often, people of faith tend to want to 'witness', or talk about their belief as if you have to follow it. This has happened to me many times. I have never in my life had an atheist try to convert me. Take a moment to look back through the posts. You will notice a high percentage of the Believers are saying hateful intolerant things. But then claim to be better than everyone else. I would never paint all believers with a broad stroke based on the comments left on this site. I will say if I had to choose what kind of neighbors I would prefer it would definitely be the atheist, as they seem less hateful of and more respectful of others. Which in my view results in a more loving, accepting and compassionate world. Also, before it was proven otherwise, a large percentage of people thought the Earth was flat. They had no evidence that it was flat. If you ask them why they had that belief they would probably reply that they were told so by their elders. By the way, I believe in Christian values as spirit, but not as an organized religion, that shames you into tithing and attending ritualistic meetings to prove you are worthy.