Independent Atheism

As the 4th of July approaches, America's Independence Day, I can hear fireworks going off around me. The occasional red glare fills the sky, the sounds of bombs bursting in the air, and flags waving all over the place, whether the family is traditionally patriotic or not. Every year around this time I am reminded, quite forcefully but pleasantly, that I am living in a free country. These freedoms are challenged on many occasions, but they still exist.

"What rights and freedoms pertain to Atheism?"

Directly? None of them do. Not one right or freedom that I'm aware of directly mentions Atheism. I could be wrong, of course, but I've never heard of any. Indirectly? There are quite a few. I won't go into all of them, but here are a few big ones.

The first one that comes to mind is freedom of religion, part of the first amendment written in 1789. The government is not allowed to make any laws which support or harm any religious organization. In other words, no special treatment in either direction based on your religious status. Without this amendment, we could very well be living in a nation run by religion, one of the very things this country was formed to get away from. This amendment also guarantees that your child will not be forced into religious ceremonies in public schools.

Also part of the first amendment is the freedom of speech. You are allowed to voice your opinion despite how many people disapprove or disagree. As long as you are not intruding on the rights of others, you can say anything you want, in theory. In practice you still need to show a great deal of constraint.

Thanks to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is illegal for anyone to reject employment based on religious status. You can't be denied a job because of being an Atheist. Again, in theory. In practice it's still possible, but only if the excuse is good enough. Still, it is one of our rights and freedoms. Besides, any company that would deny employment simply because you're an Atheist isn't a company you should be working for, anyway.

To make a long story short, we have the right to be Atheists. No one can punish us for it and no one can tell us otherwise. This is our right and our freedom practically since this country was taken by the colonies in 1776. As long as we live here we can continue to fight for our right to be Atheists. Not by fighting other countries, but by enforcing the laws in our own.

While freedom still reigns supreme in America, so will Atheism exist and thrive.

Happy 4th of July.

Accurate Corrections

It's quite rare when I find an actual question being asked of Atheists. Typically I have to dig through various websites or create one based on debates that I have with people. This time, however, I have a real question asked of Atheists all the time. This question was stated by a Theist a while ago and has never been answered by Atheists. In fact, I dare say it's impossible for them to answer it. So, what is this question?

"What is the proof and evidence that atheism is accurate and correct?"

I'm sure a lot of readers already know why this question has never been answered, and can never be answered. The question simply makes no sense.

In the first place "proof" does not exist. As such, evidence is all we have. Evidence cannot prove anything, only make it unreasonable to see things any other way. This is what's known as demonstrating beyond a reasonable doubt. This is the closest we can have to proof of any kind, and even this can be shown to be wrong if we find enough evidence against it.

Second, in order for something to be accurate, it has to be correct in all details. It has to correlate to reality as we know it. This means that saying both accurate and correct is just redundant.

So how does this work with Atheism? Put simply, it doesn't. There is no relation at all between the position of Atheism and this question.

Atheism cannot have evidence for or against it as it is simply a lack of belief. The position of Atheism is based entirely off the lack of convincing evidence for deities. It is impossible to have evidence for or against a position like that.

Atheism also cannot be "accurate" in any sense because it doesn't offer anything. In order for something to require accuracy, it has to have a mark it's trying to hit, a point it's trying to make. Atheism is a rejection of a point, not a point in itself. There is nothing to be accurate about.

So, can you see why this question can't be answered, why it makes no sense? Just because it's possible to ask a question that doesn't mean it has an answer.

Why do apples chop fewer logs than shoes? The question makes no sense. You'd think I was crazy if I seriously asked that question. Well, it's the same as the above question. Anyone who seriously asks that question doesn't understand what they're asking at all.

So if you see this question going around, try not to get too worked up over it. Just tell them it makes no sense and calmly explain why. If they still don't get it, they're not worth worrying about.

Let them have their nonsense and just focus on reality.