Ateism är det motsatta
av teism, och innebär att man inte tror på någon gud. Teism betyder
gudstro, och förstavelsen a betyder utan. A-teism
betyder alltså utan gudstro. Ateismen är därför ingen tro. Ateism är
en negation; det säger bara vad man inte tror. Och ateismen är
därför inte en ideologi eller livsfilosofi. Ateismen kan ingå som en del av
en livsfilosofi, och det finns filosofier som är ateistiska, men ateismen är
inte en filosofi i sig själv. Ateism är oenighet med teismen, och ingenting
annat.
Ateister behöver inte bevisa
att det inte finns någon gud. Det är teisterna som har bevisbördan eftersom det
är teisterna som påstår att det finns en gud. Det är alltid den som påstår att
något existerar som måste bevisa det, och ingen behöver bevisa att något inte
existerar. Om jag påstår att det existerar gula elefanter på andra planeter i
universumet kan jag inte kräva att du ska bevisa att jag har fel. Jag kan inte
kräva att du ska resa runt i hela universumet och kontrollera att det inte finns
planeter med gula elefanter. Eller om jag påstår att jultomten existerar och bor
på nordpolen kan jag inte kräva att du ska resa till nordpolen och kontrollera
att det inte finns någon jultomte där. Det är jag som måste styrka mitt
påstående. Det samma gäller påståendet att det existerar en gud; det är
teisterna som måste styrka sitt påstående.
Teister kan inte kräva att folk
ska tro blint. Blind tro är inte en källa till kunskap. Blind tro är endast
nödvändigt om man vill försvara uppfattningar som inte kan försvaras. Tron måste
vara blind om det vi ska tro på inte finns! Därför måste teisterna bevisa
guds existens om de vill bli tagna på alvar.
“The burden of proof lies with the person who asserts the truth of a proposition. If the evidence is not forthcoming, if there are not sufficient grounds for accepting the proposition, it should not be believed. The theist who asserts the existence of a god assumes the responsibility of demonstrating the truth of this assertion; if he fails in this task, theism should not be accepted as true.”
– George H.
Smith
George
H. Smith: Atheism,
The Case Against God. George H.
Smith sets out to demolish what he considers the most widespread and
destructive of all the myths devised by man, the concept of a supreme being.
With painstaking scholarship and rigorous arguments, Mr. Smith examines,
dissects, and refutes the myriad "proofs" offered by theists - the defenses
of sophisticated, professional theologians as well as the average religious
layman. He explores the historical and psychological havoc wrought by
religion in general - and concludes that religious belief cannot have any
place in the life of modern, rational man. "It is not my purpose to convert
people to atheism . . . but to demonstrate that the belief in God is
irrational to the point of absurdity. If a person wishes to continue
believing in a god, that is his prerogative, but he can no longer excuse his
belief in the name of reason and moral necessity."
Richard
Dawkins: The God Delusion. Dawkins
attacks God in all its forms, from the sex-obsessed, cruel tyrant of the Old
Testament to the more benign, but still illogical, Celestial Watchmaker
favoured by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments
for religion and demonstrates the ultimate improbability of a supreme being.
He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry and abuses children. In
The God Delusion Dawkins presents a hard-hitting, impassioned rebuttal
of religion of all types and does so in the lucid, witty and powerful
language for which he is renowned. It is a brilliantly argued, fascinating
polemic that will be required reading for anyone interested in this most
emotional and important subject. “The God Delusion is written with
all the clarity and elegance of which Dawkins is a master. It is so well
written, in fact, that children deserve to read it as well as adults. It
should have a place in every school library – especially in the library of
every “faith” school.” – PHILIP PULLMAN
David
Mills: ATHEIST UNIVERSE- The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism. Makes the
case against Intelligent Design. Is there really a god? Or does God exist
only in our heads? Is the Bible truly God's word? Or is it a jumble of
fanciful myths? Atheist Universe details why God is unnecessary to
explain the universe's diversity, organization and beauty. Using simple,
straightforward logic, this book rebuts every argument that claims to
"prove" God's existence. A comprehensive primer for countering today's
relgious dogma, Atheist Universe addresses all the historical and
scientific questions. "An admirable work." – Richard Dawkins
"One basic
fact is apparent to me. The reason there are so many religious nuts out
there is because religion itself is intrinsically nutty!" – Anne Nicol
Gaylor
“Faith is a
cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you
are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits. It is intellectual
bankruptcy." – Dan Barker
"There was
a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as the Dark Ages." –
Ruth Hurmence Green
“I cannot
believe in God when there is no scientific evidence for the existence of a
supreme being and creator.” – Jodie Foster
“I’m not
somebody who goes to church on a regular basis. The specific elements of
Christianity are not something I’m a huge believer in.” – Bill Gates
“The
pioneers and missionaries of religion have been the real cause of more
trouble and war than all other classes of mankind.” – Edgar Allan Poe
“If you
talk to God, you are praying; if God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.”
– Thomas Szasz
“Atheism is
synonymous with freedom and freedom of thought, which, in my opinion, are
highly positive and desirable.” – David Mills
“I do not
believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an
exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it.” –
Albert Einstein
“The
Christian system of religion is an outrage on common sense.” – Thomas
Paine