Self Respect (Atheistic Myths #3)

In earlier posts you may have seen me write about how Atheism is simply a lack of belief in deities. However, it would appear that a lot of the myths surrounding Atheism are based on this not being the case. Most myths I have found have almost exclusively focused on us presumably having a deeper faith that we hide, even from ourselves at times. As this series of posts continues, I'm going to note just how many of these myths focus on an incorrect definition of Atheism.

Perhaps this one will put things into perspective:

"Everyone worships/believes something. Atheists just worship/believe in themselves."

While it is rather difficult to have absolutely no beliefs of any kind, it is still entirely possible. However, let's not focus on that, as it is still a rarity. Let's focus on the second half of this, where Atheists worship themselves or only believe in themselves. Worshipping oneself is a lot more difficult than most people realize. For starters, the definition of worship is typically something like this:

The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
~ Google: Define: Worship

Unless one considers themselves a deity, it is rather difficult to even consider worship. And to consider yourself a deity, you must believe in them, which Atheists don't. However, there is the other half of this sentence to consider, the part where Atheists only believe in themselves. This is also not true.

As I have said before, there are Atheistic religions. Taoists, Buddhists, Jainists, Hindus, Pagans, many religions have Atheistic qualities and/or subsets. Even Jews and Christians have members amongst their ranks who consider themselves to be Jews and Christians while not believing in any deities. And we haven't even considered the many smaller religions dedicated to Naturalism and Humanism. In fact another way this myth is presented is that Atheists worship Humanity or Nature. Again, this would raise them up to be deities.

All of this aside, let's look at the underlying problem with this myth. Atheists, in general, don't have to worship anything. This myth is based on the supposed fact that worship is a requirement for a healthy life. No worship is required, even amongst those who do believe in deities. Take the Wiccans, for example. They do not all worship their gods, some make their gods work for them with their incantations. Yet, these people are theists. They believe in very powerful deities. They just also believe that humans are in control.

So, we have established that it is possible to go your entire life without worship. One would know this if they simply looked at the definitions of these words. Worship requires deities, Atheism requires a lack of deities. These two things are completely incompatible. And this is the second myth I've tackled that was based on a false assumption of what Atheism is. How many more myths are based on this one, larger myth?

The answer may surprise you.

Split Differences (Atheistic Myths #2)

All across the internet you will find battles being waged in written word, audio casts, video logs, and even graphical imagery. These are the same battles which used to take place exclusively on street corners, television, and news papers. Modern technology has enabled us to pass along ideas faster than they can be truly (or truthfully) expressed. As such, there are many myths and legends being created based on rumors, misrepresentation, and the previously mentioned battles. Nowhere near the outside of this fray is of course the constant debates between Atheists and Theists. In fact, a great deal of misrepresented information across the internet is usually presented by these two groups about the other.

As this is an Atheism centric blog, we will continue to focus on the myths generated by debates with Atheists. As such, let's get under way.

"All Atheists hate God."

While this can apply to all deities, the Christian god seems to be the most dominant with this statement. So, do all Atheists hate God? Of course not. However, there are some that do, for varying reasons.

Like any myth or legend, there is some truth behind it. If there wasn't, then it would not have become so popular. While personal experience tells me that most Atheists do not hate God, as it is literally impossible to hate something you do not even believe in, there are those that look at God, the portrayed character, and focus a bit of hatred onto him. These are the same people that proclaim proudly that they would rather join Satan's army than God in heaven. There are also people who declare themselves to be Atheists but still believe in God enough to hate him as a person.

People who fit the definition of Atheist (one who lacks a belief in gods) are not capable of hating God as a person. Hate of a character believed to be fictional is possible but hardly strong enough to be considered true hatred. As such, it is actually quite rare when you find a self-proclaimed Atheist that will also hate God or any other deity. They might as well make up a person on the spot and hate them.

If there is any real hatred there, then they might not really be an Atheist.