Theories of Atheism

Atheism is defined as the denial or disbelief in the existence of god. (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) This may be true to believers, those who believe in the existence of god, but to non-believers this is incorrect. Atheism is better described as an absence of the theistic belief due to different and non-compatible belief systems. (Smith, 2000) Throughout history Atheism has been a highly discussed way of thinking. We know that it exists but how did it come to be? Whose logic is responsible for the ideas that are today known as Atheism? The answer is, many people. From its scarce origins dating back to the time of Greek philosophers such as Epicurus and Lucretius to more modern thinkers as Thomas Hobbes and David Hume.

The early Greek philosopher Epicurus’ theory of “materialism” His theory stated that the only things that exist are bodies and the space that is around them. He rationalized that the soul is made of material, so when the bold dies, the soul dies with it. Leaving no possibility of afterlife. He also proposed that gods may exist but would have nothing to do with humans. Lucretius also didn’t deny the existence of gods but declared that human ideas about gods made them fear death and cause unhappiness. (BBC, 2001)

As time passed on, scientific, philosophical, and historical developments and advancements were made. Individuals began to become aware of the differences in religious teachings and the new knowledge. The new ideas weren’t compatible at all with the teachings. The rationalists and thinkers who discovered the new information were labeled atheists and anarchists because of this.

In the 1600’s the philosopher Thomas Hobbes made great claims as to why people desire to know and understand causes. Humans are the only animals that practice religion. Only humans worry about the future, our fate, and causes of events. In Hobbes time and still in ours, the divine answers are still unclear. Because of this we as humans invent causes or believe what others tell us for answers to our questions. Many people believe they have the right answer. “If there was a right answer, no testimony would ever be false, nor would they conflict.” However certain individuals believe they are, it is still a belief. John Locke called this the distinction between knowledge and belief. Locke stated that for a belief to become knowledge, it must be justified and must be true. If a belief is true it can be classified as knowledge but remains a belief if not proved. Nothing is certain and therefore cannot be proved (Smith, 2000)

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher in the 1700’s. He made several claims about humans and their desire. He stated that Christianity is a biblical religion and therefore historical. People pass their beliefs and ideals down. We are not hearing this directly from “god” but from other humans, which are easily deceived and make many mistakes. Hume also stated that humans are very capable of error when reasoning matters of fact, and we rely on other erred humans for testimony, supporting his claims. (Smith, 2000)

Today in the modern world there are more complex and