Atheism
What is Atheism?
Atheism is defined in most dictionaries as a non-belief in the existence of a God, a simple definition for a single word, but to many atheists this definition alone does not give full credit to what it is to be an atheist.
Atheism first and foremost is not a belief system such as religion, and atheism most definitely is not a religion. Atheism is simply a word to describe a person that does not subscribe to religious beliefs in a God, Gods, or a supernatural being. And because Atheists do not subscribe to religious belief systems, they open themselves up to a wide range of other freedoms.
Some people might think that because Atheists do not subscribe to a religion and do not believe in a God they will be immoral and can run around doing a bunch of immoral things because there is no fear of an afterlife. This couldn’t be any further from the truth, Atheists believe that we all have the capacity to be moral and do morally good things on our own because we are empathetic. For example, I do not like to be stolen from, I would not wish that on anyone else, and so I myself would not steal from another. I do not need the fear of an afterlife to influence my positive and good morals, I can see that through co-operation and moral goodness I can get a lot further in life and be happier.
Atheism also allows people to be free from the burdens of so-called “sin”. There isn’t a book of rules and restrictions that must be followed to ensure one makes it to an afterlife, because to an atheist there is none. You can be free and think freely without ever having to worry that your thoughts contradict your religion or might be sinful. You are free to question something that doesn’t make sense and to put your beliefs and values in things proven through facts and evidence.
Finally, many atheists see the universe and our planet as a beautiful place on its own and take pride, have a sense of humility, and are also happy and joyous that we overcame the odds and now have a shot at life and to live. We aim to do as much as we can with our lives because we only get one chance. If there be an afterlife it is the legacy we leave behind. To deny a god and to live life as an atheist is to say you have control of your life to the fullest extent possible and to take hold of it and enjoy the richest and fullest life you can.
For more on what Atheism Is/Isn’t I encourage you to explore the following links:
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