What is atheism?

Atheism is a straightforward concept, yet it often gets misconstrued. The term “atheism” is composed of “theism” with the prefix ‘a’. Let’s break it down: theism is the belief in one or more gods. The prefix ‘a’ indicates “without” or “lack of”. Hence, atheism signifies “lack of belief in any god” or “absence of belief in any god”.

Commonly, theists argue, “If you don’t believe in God, you must believe that God doesn’t exist!” However, this is not accurate. Not having a belief in a god does not automatically mean believing that no gods exist. Someone might reasonably state that they don’t know if any gods exist, and they currently don’t believe in any.

This is the biggest misconception about atheism. Fortunately, there’s a neat way to illustrate its inaccuracy. Either a god exists, or it doesn’t—there are only two possibilities.

Imagine I have a bag of coins and claim that the number of coins is even. Similarly, a bag of coins is either even or odd in number. Just like a god’s existence, there are only two possibilities. If you can’t verify my claim by counting the coins, you wouldn’t know if it’s true, so you shouldn’t believe me. However, this doesn’t mean you must believe there’s an odd number of coins. Without evidence, you shouldn’t adopt either belief.

Being an atheist doesn’t require asserting that no gods exist, although some do. This stance is often called “hard atheism”. It’s atheism coupled with the strong conviction that no gods exist, anywhere within or beyond the universe.

Why choose atheism? Sometimes, theists find atheism bewildering, as it contradicts their worldview. To understand why people are atheists, consider two reasons for lacking belief in gods.

Some are atheists because they were never taught to be theists. Those raised in atheist families within atheist societies might never encounter the notion of gods, except in history books. Conversely, individuals from religious backgrounds are trained to adopt specific beliefs.

Others become atheists after questioning their belief in gods and finding it illogical.

Take Arif, for instance. Born Muslim, he ponders why his faith stands out among various religious beliefs worldwide. He notices that arguments used to prove his god’s existence are similar to those for other gods. While some questions elude science, using a god as an answer doesn’t guarantee accuracy. Arif realizes that faith isn’t a reliable way to discern truth from falsehood—it merely justifies existing beliefs. After thorough contemplation, he finds his belief rests on faith, not incontrovertible evidence, and decides to become an atheist.

This path of self-discovery is common among atheists. Their reason for being atheists boils down to a lack of convincing evidence for gods’ existence.

What do atheists believe? Atheism necessitates only the absence of belief in gods. It doesn’t dictate political stance, views on rights, or opinions on various issues. While atheists can believe in anything, their inclination towards skepticism often extends to other supernatural concepts.

What’s agnosticism? Unlike theism or atheism, agnosticism and gnosticism concern knowledge, not belief. One can be both an agnostic and an atheist—a person who doesn’t believe in gods but doesn’t claim to know that no gods exist.

Similarly, an agnostic theist believes in God but doesn’t assert knowledge of God’s existence. In practice, most believers are gnostic theists—believing in God and claiming knowledge of God’s existence. Interestingly, most atheists are agnostic atheists.

Some label themselves agnostic when they’re uncertain, which is fine. However, if they lack belief in a god, they’re atheists.

Pride in atheism: Historically, atheists have faced unjust criticism. Allegations of immorality or amorality have been disproven in predominantly atheistic countries. Atheism’s reputation has suffered, leading some to identify as different terms. Nonetheless, atheism is an intellectually valid standpoint deserving of recognition and respect.