Resources for the modern atheist

Countless times since I first "came out" as an atheist, I have been challenged to justify my lack of faith in a higher power. Often times, I have been presented with difficult and complex arguments and I think that making information on the more common questions available here may be quite useful to others. Please feel free to contact us either by email or by posting on the forums if you would like to add something to this section. Any contributions would be very welcome!

Understanding The Theory of Evolution - One of the most prominently and frequently questioned aspects of the atheists life is "Well if God didn't make us, Who did?!". The Theory of Evolution is a large issue and will always be ridiculed and fought by those that feel threatened by the idea that a higher power might not be necessary for us and the wonderful world of life around us to have arisen. The more we know, the more capable we all are of dispelling the many myths and misinformation that has been spread about the subject.

 

Morality Without Religion - Most of us will at some point be presented with the argument that having morality without religion is impossible. It will be implied that without the threat of a menacing deity looming over us, there is nothing to stop atheists from wreaking havoc on our fellow man. This is of course absolute nonsense. Just as an infant is born knowing how to breathe and what to do when presented with its first meal, human morals are instinctive. They require refinement as we mature and humans draw on the knowledge of our parents for guidance but the basis of all morals are decidedly innate.

 

Religion Is Harmless - This argument will often be made that religion does no harm and  should simply be left alone. Many of us feel strongly about our atheism because of experiences that fall flatly contrary to this claim. Sadly, history is riddled with countless episodes of hate, murder, oppression, and ethnic cleansing all done in the name of a loving and peaceful deity. It has been claimed that these atrocities against the human race are all in the past and simply don't exist in the modern world. It has been claimed that only the most perverted and power-drunken of the religious world would advocate the trimming or slaughter of our human rights. This is a falsity that we must all fight with the most powerful weapons the human race has ever devised. Knowledge and reason.

 

America is a Christian Nation - Many times it is cited that America and its Constitution were created around the worship of the christian god. The vast majority of people do not know that the "In god we trust" phrase was added to most of our money only 50 years ago. Even the "one nation under god" phrase was added during a dark and fearful time in American history; the Cold War. That most of this was added to polarize a somewhat religious country against a secular hostile communist nation just isn't know in our generation. It is thought that America money and our pledge of allegiance was always this way. This is a misconception that is nurtured and spread by those that seek religion-based power over our government and leadership. The truth is that America and its founding fathers knew all too well the danger of allowing religion to govern a people and went to great lengths to bar its involvement in legislation. Still, 200 years later, faith has found its way into government. Knowing more about this great nation to which we all belong and spreading this information can do nothing but increase awareness and tolerance for those of all faiths or no faith.

 

The Unfair Persecution of Science -  It is a sad truth that the very thing that has propelled us to a world of global communication and prosperity is now under attack. Science has been harshly misinterpreted and brutally attacked throughout history but even today, misunderstanding spreads rampant. Science is nothing more than a set of tools that humanity can use to understand the world around us. It relies on things like experimentation, observation, and empirical evidence. The wonderful thing about this basis is that evidence lacks the capacity to lie. Misinterpretation can and does happen but science has an excellent system in place to weed out flaws and errors. This system is called the Theory. Often times, the word theory is maliciously misrepresented to mean "completely unfounded idea" or "admission of invalidity" when the truth is really far from it. For a scientific hypothesis to ever become theory, the hypothesis must withstand many trials of critical examination and extensive and repeated testing. Theories are far from unusable conjecture as is evident by the technology we all now rely on. The Theories of Electricity and Magnetism have allowed the design of the electronic devices we all use every day; from the cell phone to the mainframe at your local bank. The theory of gravity allowed NASA and other space agencies to place satellites in orbit and even plot courses for probes to reach other worlds in our solar system. The theories of genetics and selective breeding have allowed us to farm plants capable of producing many times the food of their wild cousins. We cannot allow superstition and mysticism to deceive us into thinking that Science is anything but our best hope of understating the world around us.