Atheism
Atheism is not a faith. It is the absence of belief in any Gods or other spiritual beings. Some atheists deny that God or any other spiritual beings exist. They do not use God to explain the existence of the universe. There is usually a disbelief in the soul and an afterlife.
Scriptures
There are no scriptures or writings. Atheists believe that human beings can devise suitable moral codes without the aid of Gods or scriptures. ‘Weak atheists’ do not believe that God exists. They support their views by stating that there is no evidence for the existence of any God or Gods or that the evidence is not good enough. ‘Strong atheists’ go further and say that there are good arguments that prove there is no God and that the whole topic is meaningless
Reasons for non-belief in religion
People are non-believers for many different reasons including:
- Atheism is a chosen philosophy;
- There is insufficient evidence to support any religion;
- They believe the idea of religion is nonsensical;
- They have lost faith in a previously held belief;
- They live in a non-religious culture;
- Religion doesn’t interest them or doesn’t seem relevant to their lives;
- Religions appear to have done a lot of harm in the world;
- The world is such a bad place that there can’t be a God.
Diet and dress
There are no restrictions or rules.
Points to remember
- Do not assume that atheists have no belief system
- Do not ignore the social and cultural needs of atheists
- Non-religious people describe themselves in various ways
- Human Rights and Religion and Belief legislation gives equal protection to religious and non-religious belief
Festivals
There are no festivals.
