Category Archives: Atheism

ZazzleAlthough acceptance of atheists is increasing, their fellow Americans still eye them with considerable suspicion. The percentage of Americans who declare themselves religiously unaffiliated has risen from 5 percent in 1972 to 25 percent now. But depending upon the poll, the share of Americans who call themselves atheists varies from a low of 3 percent to around 11 percent.

Given the social stigma attached to atheism, researchers at the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) hypothesized that polls might underreport the number of Americans who are nonbelievers. To test this hypothesis, they used the unmatched count technique, in which poll respondents are randomly divided into two groups. The control group is asked how many of a number of harmless statements"I am a vegetarian," "I can drive a motorcycle," "I own a dog," etc.are not true statements about them. The second group is asked to respond to one additional, more sensitive statement: "I believe in God."

Respondents are not specifically indicating which statements are true for them, only the total number that is. This type of polling has been used, for example, to estimate the size of the LGBT community and the extent of antigay feeling.

The researchers ran two slightly different unmatched count technique surveys involving 4,000 Americans. In their report, "How many atheists are there?," they conclude that about 26 percent of Americans likely do not believe in God.

Over at FiveThirtyEight, PRRI research director Daniel Cox notes that public attitudes toward the LGBT community have become more accepting as more Americans report having a gay friend or family member has increased. He suggests that the same dynamic is happening as more atheists come out of their nonbelief closets.

Interestingly, PRRI's 2013 American Values Survey reported that "fewer than 6-in-10 (58%) libertarians believe that God is a person with whom one can have a relationship, one-quarter (25%) believe God is an impersonal force in the universe, and 16% report that they do not believe in God."

For more background, see my article, "The New Age of Reason: Is the Fourth Great Awakening finally coming to a close?"

Also see ReasonTV's report on the Rally for Reason, a 2012 gathering of nonbelievers on the National Mall:

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Atheism More Prevalent Among Americans Than the Polls Generally Show - Reason (blog)

Catholic blogger Matthew Archbold recently wrote a post titled Atheism is the Uncoolest Choice Ever, and I Can Prove It. What struck me, in reading through his piece, is a series of specific assumptions. Take this, for instance:

4) This is an extreme Christian.

This is an extreme atheist:

See the difference?

Mother Theresa believed that suffering and poverty were beautiful, and reportedly denied patients in her care access to pain medicines or other interventions that would have increased their comfort. Shes not the person Id pick as a positive example of a Christian who lived a life of selfless service. In addition, many atheists are extremely critical of Dawkins, something Archbold seems not to know. More to the point, why does Archbold think it makes sense to compare an atheist professor with a Catholic humanitarian? Why not compare two professors, or two humanitarians?

But theres perhaps an even more important point to make:Many people who dont believe in God also dont give a whit about atheist figureheads. Atheism is not a church, with members and theology and an authority structure. Its not a belief system, and it has no dogma. There are conservative atheists and progressive atheists, anti-abortionatheists and pro-choice atheists, feminist atheists and misogynist atheiststhe list goes on and on.

Theres an assumption here thatthose who do not believe in the supernatural replace church with some sort of organized atheist activities. You can see that here:

6) Typical Atheist gathering:

World Youth Day:

See the difference?

The idea that that is a fair comparison is bizarre. For one thing, its a highly selective choice of imagesthe protesting atheists should be compared to pro-life protestors, not a worldwide meeting between youth and the pope, featuring live music and a festival atmosphere. For another thing, most individuals who do not believe in God arent replacing God-time with organized-atheist-time. Instead theyre replacing it with family-time. Or community-time. Or friend-time, or outdoor activities, or visiting museums, or playing board games, orwell, the list goes on forever.

Those who are actively religious, with a full schedule of church, youth group, and other church-related activities may have a hard time seeing past their experience to understand what life mightlook like without those things. Im sure I couldnt have imagined it myself at one point, during my many years as an evangelical. And yet, here I am. I take my daughter to Girl Scouts. I volunteer at my kids school. I have friends and neighbors over for cookouts. I garden. I campaign for local political. I take my kids to the library. I stop and talk with other parents dropping theirkids off atschool.

Not believing in God does not mean you lose all sense of community, or that you replace religious community with overtly atheist community. Far from it. While some atheists do become involved in organized atheism, thisinvolvement is often little different from other forms of activism, political, community, or otherwise. We all choose causes we are passionate about, whether it be womens issues, immigrants rights, poverty alleviationor defending the separation of church and state. In other words, even organized atheism is not about replacing religion.

One last thing. Note this part here:

1) Atheists have less children and that probably meanswell you probably know what that means since youre all about SCIENCE! Once again, to sum up, youll be miserable, have a shorter life, and quite likely less sex than your religious counterparts. And you thought atheism was cool? Reconsider and repent ye fools. Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life. Left unsaid, is that Hes totally cooler than Richard Dawkins!

This is a very serious whole to part fallacy. Even wereArchbolds claims here are trueand his claim that atheists have less sexseriouslyneeds a citationthere is some serious confusion of correlation and causation going on here. Being an atheist wont make you have fewer children, becausesurprise!how many children you have is up to you! (Well, and your partner, but you get the idea.) Being an atheist does not shrivel your ovaries (or testicles). Sure, religions frequently pressure their adherents to have children,but theres nothing stopping individual atheists from having children.

Whats missing is an understanding that atheism offers people choice. You want to have three or four children? Guess what, you can! You want to have no children? Guess what, you can? You want to spend your weekends hiking? Have at it! You want to spend your weekends gaming? You can! You want to focus your energy on environmental activism? Go to town! You want to work with local immigrant outreach groups? Be my guest! You want to go to a rock concert, have sex with your boyfriend, get a tattoo? By all means! You prefer the symphony,enjoy being single, and memorize poetry in your spare time?You go girl!

Im not saying that religion (in this case Catholicism) brings allend to choice. It doesnt. You still choose your passions, your interests, your areas of activismbut generally within certain boundaries. There are pressures exerted by your religious communitypressure to attend church and reconciliation, pressure to remain abstinent until marriage, pressure to oppose abortion and gay marriage. And depending on the sect, pressure to not drink, to not wear certain clothes, to not listen to certain kinds of music, and so forth.

Archbold presents a contrast between two sectsone, he suggests, with stellar role models and events, the other with crappy role models and eventswhen in fact the actualcontrast is between joining a community with specific rules and norms, on the one hand, and being able to more freely follow your interests and create your own communities and social circles, on the other.

To be sure, some, like Archbold, prefer joining a ready-made community with its own rules and norms to creating their own communities. Thats understandable! This decision, however, should notbe backed up with stereotypes and falsehoods aboutthe alternative like those bandied about in Archbolds article.

Or has the Catholic Church exited the eighthcommandment?

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What Do Atheists Do All Day? - Patheos - Patheos (blog)

Father Jude Eli will again offer classes at Sacred Heart Church in Nogales, this time with the topic of Current Trends of Secularism, the Church and Modern Atheism.

The classes will run from Monday, June 5 through Thursday, June 8, with a morning session from 10-11:30 a.m. and an evening class 7-8:30 p.m. Each class will have a unique focus; he does not repeat the information covered in the morning class at the evening class, organizers said.

The classes will be held at the Sacred Heart Center on the corner of Walnut and Araballo streets, and all are welcome.

Eli has been a member of the Dominican Order since 1964. He holds degrees in cultural anthropology, philosophy and theology, and has done sabbaticals in Biblical archaeology and Judaic studies in Jerusalem.

For more information, contact Irma Lopez at (520) 287-9221.

Originally posted here:
Speaker to address 'The Church and Modern Atheism' - Nogales International

If you believe, there should be this nagging doubt in your head. In the course of human history, there have been countless other believers in gods different from and mutually exclusive to your god. They all were sure that their god was the only or best game in town. They felt the same conviction you do. They thought their religion had the privileged place in history just like you do. They didnt take any of the other gods that other people believe or believed in seriouslythose seemed like alien and distant possibilities, just like you feel about their gods. They failed to reflect on the historical, social, and cultural role that their god played in their culture that made it so analogous to all of the other gods and other cultures. They figured that the religious worldview that they happened to be born into also just happened to be the one and only one correct one in the entire history of the human race.

So a reasonable person would have to ask herself: if my god and his relationship to me in history looks just like their god and his relationship to them, and if their god isnt real, what exactly makes mine different? Is it reasonable to think that mine is different and that its only me and the tiny group of people who happen to believe just like I do that got it right?

J.L. Schellenberg, in Pluralism and Probability, Religious Studies, 33, 143-159. 1997, argues that the odds are always going to favor the conclusion that your view is wrong in this situation. There are just too many other gods out there that undermine the probability that youve got the right one.

H.L. Mencken has a great essay here about the long list of dead gods: Memorial Service

Aa, Aah, Abil Addu, Addu, Adeona, Adjassou-Linguetor, Adjinakou, Adya Houn't, Agassou, Ag, Agw, Ahijah, Ahti, Aizen My-, Ajisukitakahikone, Ak Ana, Aken , Aker , krs, Aku, Allatu, Altjira, Amano-Iwato, Ame-no-Koyane, Am-heh, Amihan, Amon-Re, Amun, Amurru, Anapel, Anath, Andjety, Anhur, Anit, Anu, Anubis, Apsu, Arianrod, Ash , Ashtoreth, Assur, Astarte, Aten, Atum, Ayida-Weddo, Ayizan, Azaka Medeh, Azaka-Tonnerre, Azumi-no-isora, Baal, Bacalou, Badessy, Bagadjimbiri, Bahloo, Baiame, Bakunawa, Bamapana, Banaitja, Ba-Pef, Baron Cimetire, Baron La Croix, Baron Samedi, Barraiya, Bata , Bathala, Bau, Beltis, Beltu, Belus, Bernardo Carpio, Bes, Biamie, Bil, Binbeal, Boli Shah, Bossou Ashadeh, Budai, Budai, Bugady Musun, Bugid Y Aiba, Bunjil, Cai Shen, Ceros, Chenti-cheti, Chi You, Chimata-No-Kami, Chun Kwan, Cihang Zhenren, City god, Clermeil, Congo (loa), Consus, Cronos, Cunina, Dagan, Dagda, Dagon, Daikokuten, Damballa, Dan Petro, Dan Wdo, Dauke, Dea Dia, Dhakhan, Diable Tonnere, Diana of Ephesus, Diejuste, Dimmer, Dinclinsin, Dragon King, Dragon King of the East Sea, Duamutef, Dumu-zi-abzu, Ea, Ebisu, Edulia, El, Elali, Elder Zhang Guo, Elum, Engurra, Enki, Enma, En-Mersi, Enurestu, Erlang Shen, Erzulie, Ezili Dantor, Fan Kuai, Fei Lian, Feng Bo, Four sons of Horus, Fu Lu Shou, Fu Xi, Fjin, Fukurokuju, Furrina, Futsunushi, Gasan lil, Gasan-abzu, Goibniu, Gong Gong, Govannon, Gran Matre, Grand Bois, Guan Yu, Guangchengzi, Gunfled, Gwydion, Hachiman, Hadad, Hakudo Maru, Han Xiang, Hapi, Hapy, Heka , Hemen, Hermanubis, Hermes , Heryshaf, Hoderi, Hongjun Laozu, Hoori, Horus, Houyi, Huang Feihu, Hung Shing, Iah, Ibong Adarna, Iku-Turso, Ilmatar, Ilmatar, Imhotep, Imset, Iron-Crutch Li, Isis, Istar, Isum, Iuno Lucina, Izanagi, Jade Emperor, Jar'Edo Wens, Ji Gong, Julana, Jumala, Jupiter, Juroujin, Kaawan, Kagu-tsuchi, Kalfu, Kalma, Kara Khan, Karora, Kerridwen, Khaltesh-Anki, Khepri, Khnum, Khonsu, Kidili, Kini'je, Kitchen God, Kneph, Kjin, Ksitigarbha, Kui Xing, Kuk, Kumakatok, Kuski-banda, Kuu, Ku'urkil, Lagas, Lan Caihe, Lei Gong, Leizhenzi, Lempo, Ler, Li Jing , L'inglesou, Llaw Gyffes, Lleu, Loco (loa), L Dongbin, Lugal-Amarada, Maahes, Ma-banba-anna, Mademoiselle Charlotte, Matresse Dlai, Matresse Hounon'gon, Maman Brigitte, Mamaragan, Mami, Mamlambo, Manawyddan, Mandulis, Mangar-kunjer-kunja, Marassa Jumeaux, Marduk, Maria Cacao, Maria Makiling, Maria Sinukuan, Marinette, Mars, Marzin, Matet boat, Mayari, Mbaba Mwana Waresa, Meditrina, Mehen, Melek, Memetona, Menthu, Merodach, Mider, Mielikki, Min , Molech, Mombu, Morrigu, Mounanchou, Mulu-hursang, Mu-ul-lil, Muzha , Na Tuk Kong, Nana Buluku, Naunet, Nebo, Nehebkau, Nergal, Nezha , Nga, Nin, Ninib, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, Nin-lil-la, Nin-man, Nio, Nirig, Ni-zu, Njirana, Nogomain, Nuada Argetlam, Numakulla, Num-Torum, Nusku, Nu'tenut, Nyyrikki, Odin, Ogma, Ogoun, Ogoun, Ogyrvan, Ohoyamatsumi, kuninushi, Omoikane (Shinto), Ops, Osiris, Pa-cha, Pangu, Papa Legba, Peko, Perkele, Persephone, Petbe, Pie (loa), Pluto, Potina, Ptah, Pugu, Pundjel, Pwyll, Qarradu, Qebehsenuef, Qin Shubao, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun, Ra, Raijin, Randeng Daoren, Rauni , Resheph, Rigantona, Robigus, Royal Uncle Cao, Ryjin, Saa, Sahi, Samas, Sarutahiko, Saturn, Sebek, Seker, Serapis, Sesmu, Shakpana, Shalem, Shangdi, Shango, Sharrab, Shen , Shennong, Shezmu, Shina-Tsu-Hiko, Simbi, Sin, Sirtumu, Sobek, Sobkou, Sjb, Sokk-mimi, Sopdu, Sousson-Pannan, Statilinus, Suijin, Suiren, Suqamunu, Susanoo, Tagd, Taiyi Zhenren, Tala, Tam Kung, Tammuz, Tapio, Tenenet, Tengu, Tenjin, Theban Triad, Thoth, Ti Jean Quinto, Ti Malice, Tian, Ti-Jean Petro, Tilmun, Todote, Toko'yoto, Tomam, Tu Di Gong, Tu Er Shen, Tuonetar, Tuoni, Ubargisi, Ubilulu, U-dimmer-an-kia, Ueras, Ugayafukiaezu, U-ki, Ukko, UKqili, Umai, U-Mersi, Umvelinqangi, Ungud, Unkulunkulu, Ura-gala, U-sab-sib, Usiququmadevu, U-Tin-dir-ki, U-urugal, Vaisravana, Vaticanus, Vediovis, Vellamo, Venus, Vesta, Wadj-wer, Wen Zhong , Weneg, Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun, Wepwawet, Werethekau, Wollunqua, Wong Tai Sin, Wuluwaid, Xargi, Xaya Iccita, Xevioso, Xuan Wu , Yama, Yau, Yemaja, Youchao, Yuanshi Tianzun, Yuchi Jingde, Yunzhongzi, Zagaga, Zaraqu, Zer-panitu, Zhang Guifang, Zheng Lun, Zhongli Quan, Zhu Rong , Zonget.

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Atheism: Proving The Negative: 500 Dead Gods

Apatheism ( a portmanteau of apathy and theism) is the philosophical view that one should be apathetic towards the existence or non-existence of god(s). It is more of an attitude rather than a belief, claim or belief system.[1][2]

An apatheist is someone who is not interested in accepting or rejecting any claims that gods exist or do not exist. An apatheist may thus decide to live as if there are no gods. The existence of god(s) is not rejected, but may be designated irrelevant.[3]

Scientist and philosopher Ian von Hegner has argued that apatheism is an alternative to positions such as theism, atheism, and agnosticism, with implications that have been overlooked in modern philosophical discussions.[4] Philosopher Trevor Hedberg has called apatheism uncharted territory in the philosophy of religion.[1]

One version considers the question of the existence or nonexistence of deities to be fundamentally irrelevant in every way that matters. This position should not be understood as a skeptical position in a manner similar to that of, for example, atheists or agnostics who question the existence of the gods or whether we can know about the gods.

The existence of gods is not put aside for moral or epistemic reasons for democratic or existential reasons, it is deemed unnecessary. This is a universalization of the fundamental democratic principle that there are no first- and second-class humans and that among other species or beings (including hypothetical gods or aliens elsewhere in the universe), human beings also are not second class. In this version the existence of the gods is thus not one of the so-called grand questions in life.[5]

The term apatheist is believed to have come into use in the early 2000s.[citation needed] Journalist Jonathan Rauch has claimed to be an apatheist.

An apatheist may not have any interest in the god debate just purely because of their lack of interest on the topic.

This apatheistic argument states that morals do not come from god and that if a god exists there would be no changes with regards to morality, therefore a god's existence or non-existence is irrelevant.

An apatheist would argue that if a deity or deities truly wanted people to believe in them, then said deity or deities could demonstrate their existence with miracles, and explain their plan(s) for humanity or the lack thereof. Being all-powerful, if they truly wanted humans to believe, they could send a divine sign not left up to interpretation. This is also a popular argument with antitheists; Matt Dillahunty makes it with great frequency.[citation needed]

Since they do not seem to care if humans believe or not, apatheists will not care until they show them a reason to, and perhaps not even if such an event occurred. Richard Dawkins has gone so far as to claim this position in interviews[6] (this is in essence the argument from nonbelief).

A view related to apatheism, apathetic agnosticism claims that no amount of debate can prove or disprove the existence of one or more deities, and if one or more deities exist, they do not appear to be concerned about the fate of humans. Therefore, their existence has little to no impact on personal human affairs and should be of little interest.[7][8] It can be summarized by the statement "I don't know and I don't care."

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Apatheism - Wikipedia

Vincent and Jules are in Mr. Wolfes classroom.

Im sure if there was a national poll of the Russian populace before Lenin and his crew of Bolsheviks took over that country asking if a free society was desirable, the results would be a resounding YES! The devil, of course, would be in how you asked the questions. If you phrased the queries like Would you like your standard of living to rise due to the liberalization of the economy that comes with a free society? then only the most ardent fans of authoritarianism would say no. However, if you were going to gauge the sentiment of the people by asking, Are you against the Czar and all of the earthly powers God gave him? then youd get another totally different answer.

The newest thing you have to read on the internet is the piece on FiveThirtyEight Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought. The researchers came up with some creative ways of asking people how they thought about God as against to simply asking Are you an atheist?

The authors of the study, published earlier this year, adopted a novel way to measure atheist identity. Instead of asking about belief in God directly, they provided a list of seemingly innocuous statements and then asked: How many of these statements are true of you? Respondents in a control group were given a list of nine statements, such as I own a dog and I am a vegetarian. The test group received all the same statements plus one that read, I do not believe in God. The totals from the test group were then compared to those from the control group, allowing researchers to estimate the number of people who identify as atheists without requiring any of the respondents to directly state that they dont believe in God.1 The study concludes that roughly one-quarter (26 percent) of Americans likely do not believe in God.2

Wow, thats cause for some celebration, right?

Mr. Wolfe in the movie Pulp Fiction is a skeptic and a fixer. The man talks thinks and acts fast. What would he have to say about the latest study?

Before taking a look at a clip, heres some background on the scene.

Here is Mr. Wolfe (HarveyKeitel) inspecting a freshly cleaned car. A little while ago it was nothing but human brains and blood. Now, the vehicle looks like its safe to drive the city streets.

Its a victory.

But, you gotta put it in perspective.

Sixteen seconds in Mr. Wolfe drops some wisdom that should make it into the 10 Skeptical Commandments:

Well, lets not start sucking each othersdicks just yet.

What does that have to do with czarist Russia, Lenin, and this new study?

Everything, thats all.

Most Americans want sane gun laws.

Do we have them?

No.

Right Wing lunatics dont represent the will of the majority of Americans.

Donald Trump and George W. Bush didnt win the popular vote.

I say you could have sixty percent of Americans being atheists and it will just not mean a lick of good. If were not organized and since pastbehavior is the best predictor of future behavior thats a safe bet then the theists will continue to kick our collective godless butts.

Many of you are thinking, Were all getting together to fight Donald Trump and stuff!

Yeaaaaahhhh, no.

Not all of us. Not all atheists.

AND

once the wolf at the door is gone, we will go back to being complacent. Thats what we do as a species. Our default setting is stupid and complacent. Atheists as a group are no different.

After dropping the truth-bomb ofWell, lets not start sucking each others dicks just yet, Mr. Wolfe continued executing a plan to get them all out of the shit, so to speak.

In our case, hed probably say the way to long-term survival is creating local institutions where humanists/atheists go about the business of assisting the less fortunate and in doing so win hearts and minds. Thats what our faith-based competitors do, and its been a winning strategy for them.

But atheists arent going to do that.

Its too hard. It takes too much money and time. Were happy for the government to do the heavy lifting regarding feeding the sick and educating the poor.

And thats why 25% of Americans may just be atheists, but that doesnt mean we should be throwing a party.

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Atheists Shouldn't Get That Excited About That New Study About Atheism - Patheos (blog)

Science Daily

Atheism might be more common than assumed...but it's complicated Science Daily Widely-cited telephone polls (e.g., Gallup, Pew) suggest U.S. atheist prevalence ranging from 3% to 11%. But in the US, there's heavy stigma leveled against religious disbelief, which might make people reluctant to disclose their lack of belief over ... Atheism May Be More Common Than We Think, Study Finds - PatchPatch.com all 2 news articles »

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Atheism might be more common than assumed...but it's complicated - Science Daily

Atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people because they are able to rise above the natural instinct to believe in a god or gods, scientists have said.

But according to Edward Dutton, from the Ulster Institute for Social Research in the U.K., and Dimitri Van der Linden, of the Rotterdam University in the Netherlands, this could also lead to their declinein the same way high intelligence appears to have played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire.

Dutton and Van der Linder build on the theory that religion is instinctive, and it evolved as a behavior that helped humans become the highly successful species they are today.

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There has been a great deal of research into how religion originated, with the most prevalent idea being it evolved to help societies to form believing there was heaven and hell, for example, would ensure cooperative, social behavior over fears of eternal damnation.

But now society has developed, why does religion still exist?

Ancient Greek and Roman texts show that even thousands of years ago, the link between intelligence, religion and atheism had been formed. More recently, scientific studies suggest a clear correlation between lower intelligence and religiousness.

In a study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science, Dutton and Van der Linden say the link between higher intelligence and atheism, and lower intelligence with religion, can be accounted for by our instincts.

According to the study, our genes mean belief in religion is instinctiveit did, after all, help us develop as a species. Having a higher intelligence, they say, allows people to override these instincts and engage in more rational, and therefore enhanced problem-solving behavior.

Atheists at the Reason Rally on the National Mall in 2012 in Washington, DC. Study says atheists are more intelligent than religious people because they can ignore their instincts. AFP

But this is not all good news for non-believers, nor does it mean heightened intelligence will be selected, eventually leading to a species full of hyper-intelligent atheists. Instead, the ability to override your instincts would likely lead to a decline in intelligent, atheist people, because they are more likely to be antisocial and to have fewer childrenor to not have them at all.

Its true that people who are less intelligent tend to have more children than people who are more intelligent, Dutton tells Newsweek . And intelligence is negatively associated with religiousness. So on that basis, you would expect religiousness to increase.

If you have higher intelligence, youre less instinctive. Youre lower in what you might call evolved instincts that have evolved over thousands and thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution, when natural selection slowed down.

He says that with intelligence being around 80 percent genetic, eventually there will be a decline in intelligenceand, as a resulta rise in religiousness. And this, he adds, could eventually lead to the fall of society. It was commented on at the end of Rome, that the upper class werent having any children. Its the same now, he says.

Before the Industrial Revolution, parish records show that it used to be the richer, more intelligent people survived and had more children. As a result, society became more and more intelligent, up until the point of the widespread innovation of the Industrial Revolution.

But these [breakthroughs] can only be sustained if we continue to have a certain level of intelligence, so if intelligence is decreasing then eventually the inventions that our ancestors were capable of coping with, well no longer be able to cope with. Well go backwards, Dutton says. Thats what happened with the Romans.

As a society becomes less religious, and more intelligent, we begin to lose the benefits religion brings in terms of group society. If a society becomes too intelligent, it becomes antisocial and stops breeding, and it eventually declines.

Next, Dutton plans to look more closely at the genetics of atheism, not only that it reflects high intelligence and low instincts, but that our instincts might be changing. If natural selection is becoming weaker, there may be a propensity towards instincts that would have been removed under natural selection. These instincts may have been disfavored because of their association with poor genetic health, he explainsand atheism could be an example of this.

I think most people think it is rational to be an atheist, he says. But the reason why people are atheist is not necessarily some logical reasoned choice.

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Atheists More Intelligent Because They Can Override Instinctive Religious BeliefsBut It Will Be Their Downfall - Newsweek

May 16, 2017

It's tough to figure out just how religious or nonreligious different populations of people are. Widely-cited telephone polls (e.g., Gallup, Pew) suggest U.S. atheist prevalence ranging from 3% to 11%. But in the US, there's heavy stigma leveled against religious disbelief, which might make people reluctant to disclose their lack of belief over the phone to a stranger. Using a subtle, indirect measurement technique, psychology researchers have found that atheists may represent anywhere from 20% to 35% of the U.S. population.

The study, "How many atheists are there?," appears in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Based on the results, "Just as there are, and have historically been, closeted gay men and lesbians out there, there are probably lots and lots of closeted atheists out there, who don't even identify themselves as such in anonymous polls," says lead author Will Gervais (University of Kentucky).

The authors surveyed 4000 people across two studies of 2000 people each in nationally representative samples. They used an indirect sampling method, which gives participants a list of things to look at and then record how many of the statements, but not which specific statements, are true for them. This technique lets researchers infer overall prevalence of things people might not want to admit, and has previously been used to estimate the prevalence of various undesirable or criminal behaviors.

"Within our sample, one in three atheists in our online survey did not disclose their lack of belief, highlighting the level of stigma associated with lack of belief," says coauthor Mazine Najle (University of Kentucky).

Gervais says he was "surprised by just how far the indirect measurement diverged from established polls of religious disbelief. Our best estimate is more than double what Gallup telephone polls estimate." Gervais and Najle expected a much more modest gap between self-reports and indirect measurements.

The findings also have potential impact for science. For decades, researchers have been developing and testing theories about how religion works, but they focus on belief being prevalent and atheism a rare occurrence.

"If it turns out that atheism isn't all that rare, it might challenge a lot of prevailing theories," says Gervais, "Basically, it'd mean that those of us who study the natural foundations of religion need to question our bedrock theories and assumptions."

It's important to note that their results weren't crystal clear and perfect. Their estimates are "pretty noisy," says Gervais, "It's 26% as a best guess, but it could be quite a bit lower...or higher. Could be 20%, could be 35%. We also had some findings that made us question the validity of the very task we employed."

The authors appreciate that even with the "noise" their research was accepted for publication.

"Social psychology has been taking a beating lately for producing results that are too good to be true, and it's a real feather in the cap for this journal that they didn't pressure us at all to put out the "perfect" paper, rather than just transparently communicate what we found, including the good, the bad, and the ugly," summarizes Gervais.

Explore further: Study explores distrust of atheists by believers

Distrust is the central motivating factor behind why religious people dislike atheists, according to a new study led by University of British Columbia psychologists.

What's the group that least agrees with Americans' vision of their country? It's not Muslims, gays, feminists, or recent immigrants. It's atheists, according to many sociological surveys. In one survey conducted in 2006 by ...

A new University of British Columbia study finds that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers.

A new study examines all robust, available data on how fearful we are of what happens once we shuffle off this mortal coil. They find that atheists are among those least afraid of dying... and, perhaps not surprisingly, ...

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Why would it be scarce? Atheism is a religion based on faith because it is impossible to prove there is no GOD.

Rderkis, that's like saying someone is superstitious because it is a leap of faith to believe -- in absence of evidence -- that unicorns do not exist.

Yet another comment from you that demonstrates you don't know how knowledge works. Atheists don't necessarily believe there is no god, they just don't believe there is a god. The assertion that there is a god can just be ignored by people who require proof to believe, because there is no proof. But lack of a belief is not a belief.

Besides, there's no way to prove that there's no Tooth Fairy, but not believing that once one is an adult is not a religion either.

rderkis:

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Atheism might be more common than assumed...but it's complicated - Phys.Org

Chinas Communist Youth League posted a video to advocate atheism.

Chinas Communist Youth League, the cradle for generations of Chinese Communist leaders, tends to be more and more active in the battlefield of public opinion, among the youth in particular. Recently, the Communist Youth League launched a new battle on religions: it posted a self-made video on its Weibo, Chinese equivalent of Twitter, to promote atheism.

The 11-minute video is called What If Atheism Is a Religion? Different from traditional Chinese communist propaganda or Western religious promotion, the video employed the style of satire and funny Japanese comics in order to cater to the contemporary young internet generation.

The video proposed the following fundamental questions:

What if atheism is a religion?

If atheism is a religion, who will be the icons?

Who saved the world, God or the people?

What kind of activities do atheists conduct?

The video starts as a young, innocent man meets a group of atheists dressed in white robes. The atheist pastor tells the young man that every day is a miracle to the atheist because the atheist religion believes that aday without God is the day with a miracle.

Then the pastor invites the young man to their church and introduces all the great philosophers and scientists in human history they worship, including Galileo Galilei, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Confucius, Karl Marx, and so on. The pastor says, It is the people rather than God who saved the world. For example, it is Willis Carrier, the god of air conditioner, who saved the world from ending up in hot hell. As for the activities the atheists conduct daily, they recite the physical laws, sing the song of the periodic table of elements, and pray to the almighty self for bringing food to the table.

The young man asks the pastor innocently: Other religions always curse us atheists to go to various hells. Now since we atheists also have formed a religion, shall we curse them back?

The pastor sighs: Our atheist religion is only a joke in the video, but we atheists will never curse anyone, despite other religious people holding prejudice against us in reality.

In reply, the young man, together with the atheist group, sing the song of The Internationale in Chinese, which has the line,there are no supreme saviors. Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribunes.

In the end, the video switched back to a serious attitude. It invited some prominent professors from Chinese top-ranked universities, media workers, and online opinion leaders to declare their belief in atheism. Also, the video quoted Chinas Constitution:

No state organ, public organization, or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion.

Undoubtedly, the video is public advocacy foratheism for the Chinese young generation produced by Chinas Communist Youth League. What is noteworthy is that the video won some popularity among Chinese netizens. So far, the video has beenre-posted 4,960 times and liked 4,234 times. Among the 3,687 comments, most are positive and supportive (though negative ones could have been deleted) and the most liked comment is an compliment for the video: The League finally began to publicly advocate atheism. [Ill] give the League 100 thumbs-up.

The praise for the videosomewhat goes along with the data published by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The Communist Party of China officially is atheist, and according to the Commissions latest-released 2017 Annual Report, more than half the countrys nearly 1.4 billion population is unaffiliated with any religion or belief.

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China: What If Atheism Is a Religion? - The Diplomat