Atheism Facts and Myths

Dispelling Common Misconceptions About Atheism

I do not seek here to convince anyone to become an atheist. Instead, I wish only to discuss what atheism actually is and to dispel the all too frequent misconceptions regarding   it. Many persons of religious persuasions assail atheism without truly understanding it. What they attack is not atheism as such, but rather a straw man constructed by themselves and consisting of every possible idea that they do not advocate. Much pointless negativity and intolerance might be avoided if only individuals of all intellectual persuasions became aware of the actual ideas of which atheism consists, the reasons for which many adhere to it, and common misconceptions held regarding it.

What Atheism Is

Dictionary.com defines "atheism" as

1. The doctrine or belief that there is no God.

2. Disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.

Further related definitions are provided by the American Heritage Dictionary:
1. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.

2. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.

Thus, there exists a simple test to distinguish an atheist from a theist. One needs only ask an individual, "Do you believe in the existence of any kind of god or gods?" If the person thus questioned answers in the affirmative, then he is a theist. If he answers in the negative, then he is an atheist.

An atheist does not believe in any kind of god or gods. But what exactly are these "gods" that atheists do not believe in? Princeton University's WordNet defines "god" as

1. The supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions.

2. Any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force.