Atheism has always been a minority report
Organic atheism is chosen, and coerced atheism is mandated by a nation-state
The World Religion Database (WRD) ranks ==agnosticism== (the belief that humans cannot know whether God exists, or the position of particular individuals that they themselves do know whether God exists) - with 9.4 percent of the world’s population in 2022 - as the world’s 5th largest religious affiliation
==Secularization Theory== argued that as societies modernized they would abandon religion
In the ==Spiritual But Not Religious== (SBNR) category, they don’t affiliate with any religion, and in many cases, they have strong criticism of religious dogmas, which they typically view as antiquated and false, and religious rituals, which they see as shallow and empty
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Atheism and Agnosticism: A Genealogy
The word “atheism” derives from the Greek term atheos, which means “without God” or “god-less”
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According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, religion “has been used to justify war, slavery, sexism, racism, homophobia, mutilations, intolerance, and oppression of minorities. The totalitarianism of religious absolutes chokes progress” (Prothero 502)
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Atheism at a Glance
In short, atheism (and agnosticism) are part of a skeptical tradition that pursues human flourshing in a godless universe by rejecting religion as false and harmful
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Today, the term ==“atheist” refers to a non-theist==, someone who doesn’t believe in the existence of God or the gods
The term ==“agnostic” refers to a non-knower==, someone who doesn’t know whether God or the gods exist
A ==negative Atheist== is anyone (agnostics included) who doesn’t affirm theism
Although the term “atheist” formally attends only to the existence of God, as a practical matter most atheists deny a host of related doctrines, including the afterlife, the immortality of the soul, miracles, reincarnation, hell, and providence
There is also a spectrum of agnosticism as well
The following terms all point to efforts akin to those of Sunday Assembly to say what nonbelievers affirm rather than what they oppose
==Secular Humanism==: a worldview that rejects religion and supernaturalism in order to emphasize and celebrate human life here and now