Kham Wa Essays - Philosophy Of Religion, Atheism, Religion

Kham Wa Prof. Thomas EN 110 November 7, 2016 Atheism is a Better Way of Living Atheism is a way of thinking that appears to be growing more and more as people begin to recognize that they can live their lives without the need to believe in a god or gods. The rise of people choosing atheism is due largely because of the impairments that theism has brought down on society with its teachings. Although some feel like religion is needed in order to teach people the proper way of living and the hope afterlife "Without the hope of immortality or life after death, there is no ultimate point to human existence" (Chittom, Lynn-nore, and Donnelly), others disagree, affirming that "religions tend to think morality is more about belief than behavior, and view this life as preparation for an imagined afterlife" (Issitt, Micah, and Wagner). Atheism may be based on philosophical, logical, or pragmatic principles that promote free will, intellectual development, and social harmony. In contrast, organized religion has been a major factor in the perpetuation of violence between n ations, oppression, abuse of power, sexual misconduct, and cultural clashes within societies. It's full of hypocrisy, goes against science, violates some human freedoms, and is full of fundamentalists who seek to do harm in the name of their deity. Theism comes from the word Theos, which in Greek means "God". The God also transcends the world, but takes an active interest in it. Chittom, Lynn-nore, and Donnelly define theism as "the belief in the existence of God or gods, specifically a divine source responsible for the creation of life, and frequently thought of as transcending the world while also having a presence in it." Theism also reveals purpose for human beings, and this is done with miraculous events, sacred writings, and through particular people. God is also considered personal if he can be understood by analogies, which are drawn from human experience. Also is done if human beings can enter into a personal relation with him. With such a God, he is considered full of power. Because, he is believed to be perfect and infinitely powerful. In simple words, Theism is the belief in any God whose qualities are following by the people. Catholicism, Jewish, Muslims, and Buddhism are some examples of religions in which people believe in God. In contrast with theism is atheism. Atheism comes from the prefix "a", meaning "without", and the Greek word Theos. Atheism is the denial or the lack of a God. Atheist simply do not believe in a God, and they try to prove the inexistence of God to the others. As Issit, Micah, and Wagner defined "Atheism is a philosophical idea that is generally defined as a disbelief, or denial of the existence of God or gods." Most atheist have a good sense of humor. So here's a joke told by Silverman about the kind of atheist he isa Jewish atheist. "A Jewish atheist hears that the best school in town happens to be Catholic, so he enrolls his son. Things are going well until one day the boy comes home and says, I learned about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.' The boy's father, barely able to control his rage, grabs his son by the shoulders and says: Joey, this is very important, so listen carefully. There is only one God - and we don't believe in him!'" By choosing an atheistic viewpoint, individuals take responsibility for their destiny, and when death comes upon the person, it marks the end of the person's existence. In addition, atheism refers to people who need analytical and scientific proof to believe in one action, and they choose the right to develop their own morals and guidelines. In his article, Silverman explained "We are guided by the expected consequences of our actions. We are committed to the application of reason, science, and experience to better understand the universe and solve problems. The plight of the human raceindeed, of the planetis in our hands, and social problems can be solved by methods that we develop and test." The terms negative and positive atheism have been used in the philosophical literature and in Catholic apologetics. Under this demarcation of atheism: Positive atheism is the explicit