The Concept of Atheism - Essay Example

Atheism: The Other Side of the Story In a world where technology and science seems to dominate, religion still plays a vital role in the society. Whether one person believes in God or not, the fact still remains that religious beliefs molds how a person is being perceived in a community. One is supposed to choose a religion as to the majority of the population. Atheism therefore is connoted as taboo by the fact that not many people understand what is happening inside the mind of an atheist. But what is Atheism? It is definitely not linked in any sort to demonology or witchcraft unlike what might other religious scholars say. Quoting Julian Baggini, “Atheism … it is the belief that there is no God or gods” (3). For others, those words are enough to distinguish an atheist from not. However, there are still those people who would dig deeper into the topic as there are broader and more profound understandings of the subject at hand. The above mentioned meaning or understanding of atheism can be referred as a childhood analogy or comprehension. Just by the mere acknowledgement of the word atheism brings out a very negative thought and conception. Nevertheless, there are always 2 sides in a story. This is a truth in all aspects even in the world of atheism. There is always the good and the bad, the positive and the negative, one cannot exist without the other. One needs the other to exist and it goes either way (7-8). Organized religion often set standards as to what one should and should not believe. This is often where the problem or misunderstanding starts. Though there are Sunday Schools and Bible camps where scriptures are explained, it is not enough that when people say that a person should believe it then it is the truth. A person still has a right to question things that concerns them. One can even say that an atheist is more inquisitive towards their faith as they would further divulge into information that conservatives would perceive as taboo since they are questioning the existence of a higher power or divine intervention. In this concept, there is a broader and untold fact which is accompanied in their refusal to believe in God. One can assume that atheists believe in the “what can be seen” (4-5). Also according to Baggani, “This brand of physicalism asserts that the only kind of stuff is physical stuff: there are no non-physical souls, spirits, or ideas. This is a version of physicalism that many, probably most, atheists can sign up to” (5). There is a thought or question that arises with this statement. Because there are still things which are intangible yet believed to true, an example of which is a thought or an idea that is still not expressed or enacted by a person. This is where Science enters the picture of spiritual belief. Two worlds are colliding within the vicinity of an atheist. In more than 2,000 years of documented principles, Science and Religion have never agreed in a singular idea. There would always be an argument between these 2 aspects. It is like what is fore mentioned, there are always 2 sides in a story. Throughout the years, there are still debates as to which is true and which is false between these 2 worlds. These debates are still on-going between their scholars even as this paper is being written. The difference between the two is that Science gives a more breathable room for scientists to explain their theories without the fear of being ex-communicated from the society or their church. Here, one can presume that Science has the broader mind between the two. Yet it does not mean that Science is better than Religion. This cannot be proven even in a million years. One can debate his whole life and dedicate his whole being trying to prove which is which yet in the end; there will always be questions that would end up in the vast space of blankness. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes a person believes in theories or principles being presented by both worlds yet the idea that something that starts in Science may actually end in Religion or vice versa. There are instances that a person cannot seem to point his fingers as to which he actually believes in therefore creating that benefit of the doubt and does not make the person someone lesser because of this. It is almost always that evidences would present themselves to support certain points which may aid in the creation in the thought (10-13, 24). If one however would use physical evidences to prove their principles, this would definitely work in favor of atheism. The proof of the existence of a God is still based on faith and ideas. Some would point to the Bible as a proof of God’s existence but are the scriptures written in it true? There is the benefit of the doubt that the scriptures in the Bible are fictional and none actually did happen during a period of time when a certain God lived among men. It would be like the Greek and Roman myths where gods and goddesses were worshipped. But that is just it, a myth, nothing more nothing less. What else can be presented to prove that what atheism is all about is false? A book is not enough proof that there is something divine and holy. It is still people and organizations who would say that a God or gods truly exist. Can a man be an eye-witness that he has seen God? A question yet to be answered or it may remain to be a question. The absence of tangible evidence is what hinders certain people to be believers. Often, faith and scriptures are not enough to convince a person to change their beliefs and/or point of views. This could be the case why until the present there are people who would just let themselves be lead into a world of indecisiveness and doubt. On the other hand, there would be individuals who would not be contented and would settle to not to believe in anything for as long as their questions remained unanswered (14-16, 24). There are instances however that the absence of physical evidences creates a greater pull on the beliefs of the religious and negates even more atheism. Since this is what faith is all about, though one cannot see God that person still strongly believes that a greater power such as a God truly exist even before the creation of the planets and mankind. Organized religion is based on faith though there is no physical evidence that can prove the existence of the center of religion itself believers and followers continue to exist even in the vast emergence of Science and Technology. Even an ordinary man can research about any given topic at any given time with the help of the Internet; it is still not enough to knock-down Religion. Scientific procedures are being used to negate the existence of evidences presented by the religious sect to prove that what are written in the Bible are facts and not a mere product of a person’s imagination. Atheists seem to have all the works going in their favor as far as physical evidence is concern. However, as further investigation and debates go on, there are questions that are still yet to be answered. These are often being connected to faith and/or religion and the fact that there is a higher power or a God involved in the orchestration of each and every person’s life. There is always something beyond the world that people lives on every single day. Though there is still no evidence about this, theists believes that a higher power created the natural world. Faith makes these beliefs and principles to exist even during the days where technology seems to make a whole planet smaller and within the palm of his hands. Baggani further stated that: Atheism also has great explanatory power when it comes to the existence of divergent religious beliefs. The best explanation for the fact that different religious people believe different things about God and the universe throughout the world is that religion is a human construct that does not correspond to any metaphysical reality (29). After all that have been said and done, the lessons brought by organized religion during childhood seem to be a mere shadow of what religion is all about. The facts and principles that a person can encounter in his daily life can affect his belief in a thing or two which can affect his belief in things which were presented to him as a definite truth from day 1. One side of the story is purely a matter of fact while the other side tries how much faith the person has to his beliefs. One can be presented as true while the other may remain hanging yet both would surely be affecting a person’s lifestyle and state-of-mind. Works Cited Baggani, Julian. Atheism: A Very Short Introduction. New York, USA: Oxford University Press, Inc. 2003. Read More