About Atheism

Atheism is the belief that there are no gods. An atheist is someone who does not beleive that there are any gods.

This belief is not so revolutionary as some would believe. Most people who do beleive in gods only believe in a very small proportion of the gods that humans have invented. A Christian will profess that Zeus does not exist just as a Hindu believes that the Judeo-Christian-Muslim God is a fairy tale. We atheists simply disbelieve one god more than adherents of the monotheistic religions.

Some people dislike the term "atheist" because they mistakenly think it conveys a certain sense of overconfidence. In fact, saying that someone is an atheist says nothing about the certainty with which that person holds his or her disbelief. Saying that you believe a ball will fall to the ground when you drop it does not mean that you have faith in the theory of gravity. Saying that you believe phlogiston does not exist is not a controversial claim, nor one that expresses an undue degree of certainty. So it is with atheism.

Similarly, knowing that someone is an atheist tells you nothing about his or her social attitudes. Some of us are very philosophically-oriented and enjoy debate, particularly about topics relating to religion. Others of us are very uncomfortable with confrontation and may not even mention the fact that we are atheists except to our very close friends. Nonetheless, we are all still atheists.

We go by many names as well: freethinkers, nonbelievers, skeptics, secularists, humanists... each label confers a different connontation. Some people prefer one over the others and there are many communities that rally around each of those terms. Many of us refer to ourselves using different labels at different times depending on the context. We call ourselves "atheists" officially because it is the simplest and most inclusive term; anyone who does not believe in gods is an atheist.

There are many reasons why people conclude that atheism must be the correct position to take — with more reasons being discovered all the time as science treads further into those territories once held to be the exclusive domain of religion — and some people find certain reasons more convincing than others. Some of us are most convinced by intellectual arguments demonstrating that the concepts of the supernatural are incoherent and inconsistent. Others approach the issue from a scientific, empirical perspective: as hypotheses, gods and souls are not the best explanations for the world around us. Yet others are appalled by the way that religious zealots have always tended towards bigotry, pettiness, cruelty, and abuses of power. There are so many reasons to not believe in gods that two atheists could have entirely different sets of reasons for their atheism and yet still both be entirely justified.

In summary, atheists vary widely. One can find atheists of any gender, race, national origin, profession, and education level. We often disagree with one another about philosophical or political matters. What brings us together is our group identity fostered by our shared disbelief.

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Ask an Atheist

Since atheists are such a diverse bunch, you will find many different descriptions of what it is like to be an atheist. For other perspectives and more information, see the American Atheists "About Atheism" page, our links and resources page, and read more about our Boston Atheists community.