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Atheism 101
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I’m J. Cafesin, a freelance writer in the San Francisco bay area, and a devout atheist. I use the word devout with purpose. I don’t believe in any gods, or even the possibility of one, as agnostics do. There is no such thing as a soul. What makes us unique, different from each other is simply our combination of chemistry, which begins at conception and ends at death. I do not believe in heaven or hell, rebirth, or that higher planes await us. We all end up the same as Hitler. We cease to exist. Only the effects on the lives we touch remain when we die.
According to Wikipedia, in the March 2009 ARIS report (American Religious Identification Survey, released by Trinity College), 15% of Americans claim no religion, “of which 1.6% explicitly describe themselves as atheist or agnostic.” Most impartial studies claim that the non-religious make up about 12-15% of the world's population, with actual atheists comprising about one fourth of that number. Wikipedia and other sources caution these figures may be wildly inaccurate. Atheists often don’t report themselves as such to avoid prejudice and social stigma, especially in religious based societies like the U.S. Additionally, Atheism is a hard word to pin a precise definition on, since so many interpreter the term differently.
WikiAnswers had a comprehensive definition, breaking Atheism down into two categories, “strong” and “weak” atheists, though ‘weak’ atheists are often referred to as agnostics. Agnostics generally don’t confirm the existence of a god, but allow for the possibility of one (or many), more often then not in an amorphous form. Atheists believe no god/s exist, in any form. Studies confirm about 6% of the world population would consider themselves Atheists. I am one of 400 million strong.
Are you?
In the weeks to come we’ll discover the history and definition of Atheism, explore statistics, demographics and sociology of atheists, and talk to members of this group on the verge. I’ll also be sharing what it’s like being a practicing atheist in our monotheistic society, and raising kids without religion in Conta Costa County, one of the few religiously-driven bastions of conservative politics in California.
Voice your opinion on Atheism.
jcafesin@hotmail.com
J. Cafesin (my initials a twisted fluke to my lack of religious orientation ; )
www.jcafesin.com
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