Analyzing Atheism Essays -- Religion, Spirituality

Religion is one of the touchiest subjects in America. It is something that is rarely on the forefront of many people’s minds but as soon as someone brings it up, everyone has an opinion. Similarly, the idea of no religion, of atheism, is equally opinionated. While Americans of â€Å"faith† often have conflicting opinions with each other, they often stand united on the stance of atheism. For them, atheism is bad and atheists are bad. However, what really is an atheist? At its most basic, an atheist is merely an individual who rejects the idea of god and religion. It is nothing more, nothing less. Nevertheless, many people of faith attach secondary implications to this definition. They unify atheists under a series of assumptions concerning morality, belief, organization, and just plain illogical misconception. As an atheist of eight years myself, I find such assumptions to be insulting and prejudiced. I am an individual. My lack of belief does not entail other beliefs. T he same is true for all atheists. The first misconception I bring up is the most radical and illogical. Very few hold this sort of belief, but those that do I am unlikely to sway with simple logic and common sense. They are the type of people who only see what they want to see and hold onto their preconceived prejudices like a life preserver in a dark sea. Thus, I will address it first and be as quick and succinct as possible. As an atheist, I do not believe in the devil and so I cannot be a Satanist. That is a logical impossibility. The next misconception is a little more subtle, but by far the more widespread. Many people believe that morals are a religious construction and that without religion there is no morality. Thus, they conclude that atheists are amoral ... ...e science of the universe and the science of life are beautiful and help give meaning to existence to me in ways that religion never could. At the end of it all according to science, we are all made up of the same stuff as stars. Within us all are the building blocks of creation, of everything. The last and overarching point I am trying to illustrate is the atheism in not a standardized system of beliefs like religion is. Being an atheist does not entail anything other than a disbelief in deities and religion. While it is likely that atheists will share other beliefs it is not because they are atheists. To say otherwise is to make a baseless and prejudiced assumption. Atheism is not a religion or a belief system; one is not a follower of atheism. We are individuals with differing thoughts and opinions on the many myriad of issues that we often are lumped under.