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May 26, 2006 atheist (a·the·ist) n. One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.
The definition is very clear, and very simple. If you don't believe in a god, or deny the existence of one, you are an atheist.
No where in the definition for atheism does it say that an atheist is "a person who believes its impossible for a god to exist", or "a person who hates god" as many religionists assume. We can't hate, feel envy toward, or be rebellious against something we just don't believe in. People don't deny the existence of a Santa Clause because they hate him. They deny the existence of Santa Clause because the idea is just too stupid for them to accept solely on "faith." The idea of a God is just as silly.
agnostic (ag·nos·tic) n.
The definition for an agnostic is also very clear and simple. If you don't believe we know enough about the world to know if there is a god or not, you are an agnostic.
But why is the idea of a God so silly to the atheist? In all honesty, I personally believe atheists and agnostics are intellectually more evolved than religionists. We've outgrown that primitive instinct for quick, unrealistic explanations for things that are still a mystery. We're patient. Many of us see the idea of a god as an idea born from ignorance and impatience. Early humans didn't know how to explain the many mysteries of our bodies and of the world so, instead of waiting for science to give realistic and testable answers, they invented gods and religions to provide a "quick fix" for our problems.
But if religion is false, why doesn't the atheist just ignore religion and "live and let live"? Because many of us choose not to sit in silence while religion and superstition continues to inspire intolerance, ignorance, and violence. We can't sit around and watch religion continue to slow the progress of our scientific and medical research. If religion didn't cause so much damage, I wouldn't bother wasting my time talking about it.
So what does the atheist suggest we replace religion with? Doesn't religion help a lot of people, especially those who have struggled? Sure it does, but dealing with problems of reality with unrealistic solutions and mythological stories is not the best way to go about it. Religion is just a distraction. It's not a solution.
Some atheists ignorantly believe that religion can be replaced with plain, dry, atheism. But what they don't understand is that atheism is nothing on it's own, and it does nothing to fill the emotional gaps some people have chosen to fill with a religion. Atheism offers no advice. It gives no suggestions.
Tolerant, Humanist, philosophies that have been around longer than any myth based religion will provide the best solutions to our problems. Unlike religion, Humanist philosophies are based on the natural morality and instincts that have evolved into all of us. They're not based on the writings of psychotic poets and corrupt politicians with agendas, and will comfort and unify us better than any religion can.
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