Counterpoint - Simple arguments against atheism - part 1

March 17, 12:18 PMAtheism ExaminerTrina Hoaks

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Examiner.com's own Islamic Examiner, Yusuf Khan, recently wrote an article - Simple arguments against Atheism - Part 1. I think the title is self explanatory. To be sure, the arguments he makes are "simple." Too simple.

The first thing that Khan brings up is that atheists have said "'Hey! Atheism is not a religion!'" and "'Atheism is not a belief system, it's unbelief!'" This is true, but Khan apparently isn't buying it. He used the fact that atheist writers are lumped into the Religion and Spirituality sections on Web site to show cause for his incredulity. He said:

Have it your way. Because if that's the case then I don't know why Atheist propaganda is always found in the Religion section of most publications, including this one. It's a little like Political articles in the Style & Fashion section of Examiner.com. But's that okay, I'll play along. It'll be fun.

To be clear, atheist writers are not given a choice as to where their columns will be nestled on a given Web site. I can assure you that I am not crazy about the fact that I am in the aforementioned category. However, there are a few things that I understand.

First, I understand that it is only recently that the atheist voice has been given a platform. There are not many sites that allow atheist writers to have their say. Because this is a relatively new phenomenon, it only makes sense that we should be placed in the most convenient or logical category.

I suspect that as time goes by and as our numbers grow, we will become a part of another category. For example, I would like to see atheists, humanists, secularists, etc. placed into a category all their own - let's call it the "Freethinkers" category. But, as it is now, on Examiner.com, for example, there are only a handful of writers that fit into that category. And, quite frankly, I think it would be silly to devote an entire category to so few writers.

On a side note, I applaud Examiner.com for giving us a place to be heard. Which brings me to my next point. Although I wish there were some other category for atheist writers, that is not what is important to me at this moment. What is important to me is that I have the opportunity to share news and commentary that is of interest to like-minded individuals. It would be crazy for me to walk away from this opportunity simply because there isn't a category just for me. The important things is to be heard... and I understand that.

Having said all that, I come back to this - just because we are lumped into the R&S category does not make atheism a religion any more than it makes secularism or skepticism a religion (secular and skeptic writers are in this category as well.)

If a child chooses to keep her rock collection in an egg carton because it is handy that doesn't mean her rocks become eggs. (I'm not saying we're rocks.) More to the point, though, as I've already pointed out, is that we writers do not choose what category we are placed in.

Khan continues by offering up the following "argument" against atheism. He said that atheists cannot agree on a definition of atheism. He said that "[o]n the surface the definition of Atheism seems to be the denial of the existence of an all-Powerful, Supreme Creator." But he supposes that what is true is that atheists don't deny the existence of deities so much as they "defy His Authority."

I think that in general, atheists understand what an atheist is. It is someone who does not hold a belief in deities. It seems that Khan is the one who is confused. It is true that atheists define themselves in a number of ways. Many avoid using the word "atheist" altogether. However, that does not negate the plain and simple fact that atheists do not believe in deities. And, while certain atheists speak out against religion and the supposed nature of a mythological "God," that does not mean they "defy His Authority." That means that they are pointing out the absurdity of the myth.

More importantly, if someone is merely denying the authority of a deity rather than the existence of deities, they are not atheists. And that fact, in and of itself, renders Khan's "argument" moot.