Redefining Atheism*
by: cicerone
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Word Count: 733
Religion has been a part of mankind’s evolution for so long that it has become almost a matter of instinct. On the other hand, the concepts that make up atheism are so recent in nature that one cannot wonder at the fact that atheism is still looked upon as some sort of mental aberration. These facts, however, do not in any way reflect the importance of the concepts included in atheism. It is true that atheism has never been fully developed as a positive social force, but has remained essentially a negative system of thought opposed to religion. Going back to the common dictionary definition of atheism as one who denies or disbelieves in the existence of God, one can only say that that is a very superficial definition. It would be equivalent to saying that a Christian is one who believes in Christ. The statement is true, but it does not say anything of substance.
Before offering a more substantial definition of atheism, let’s take a short
look at the state of atheism in the United States. For some who profess to be
atheist (and this may be the majority of those claiming atheism), it means
nothing more than that: They do not believe in the existence of God. They have
not really given any thought to what that means to them, and in many cases they
continue to live their lives as if they did believe in God. There are also those who not only profess to be atheist, but who have developed an argument to support their position. They can explain what it means to them to say they are atheists and they can support this claim with arguments. This is the position of most educated individuals who claim to be atheists but do not wish to enter the public debate in support of atheism.
Lastly, there are those who both profess to be atheists and have developed
supporting arguments, and who are in addition willing to enter the public
debate in support of their philosophy. In the United States, the atheist who is
willing to enter the public debate finds himself taking a position against the
doctrines of Christianity, to a large extent. Normally, you can find atheists
taking positions on the opposite side of religion on important social issues, such
as abortion, homosexuality, racial issues, women’s rights, prayer in schools and
the separation of church and state. All of these issues are clearly outside the
scope of the dictionary definition.
The fact that the English language contains words (agnostic and agnosticism) specifically denoting those who believe that God is unknown or unknowable and that man can only know what is material in the universe,thereby rejecting totally the teachings of organized religion, points to the weakness of the dictionary definition of atheism. It also indicates that there are a number of people who have decided not to take a stand on the supernatural, but rather accept that if it exists it is unknowable. From the point of view of history, many of the philosophies that went under such names as skepticism, cynicism, stoicism and others have been labeled as atheist in nature even though they professed a belief in the supernatural in some form.
In the modern world, such philosophical positions as deism, rationalism and others have been classified as atheist in intent without evidencing a disbelief in the supernatural or even in God. This looseness in the use of the word “atheism” has led to much confusion as to what actually makes up the philosophical position of atheism. For this reason it is necessary to attempt to redefine the parameters for using the word atheism. Here, it is suggested that atheism be used when denoting those who deny the existence of the supernatural, in any form, and who further deny the existence of any type of absolute truth, or the validity of any authoritative creed whose truth is supposed to be accepted specifically because it is “authoritative.” This would include the denial that the existence of the supernatural is unknowable, except in the sense that it does not exist at all. In place of the supernatural, and “authority,” the atheist would place his or her reliance upon human reason. Therefore the definition of atheism would be one who denies the existence of the supernatural in all forms whether this belief is in the form of religion or absolute truth of any form; one who believes that first causes can, and will someday, be known.
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