atheism Flashcards
what is an atheist?
someone who doesn’t believe in god
what is agnosticism?
the uncertainty to whether god exists
what is negative (weak) atheism?
doesn’t claim that god doesn’t exist but is asked if they believe in god they would say no
what is positive (strong) atheism?
both atheist and theist defend their belief giving evidence to disprove the other
what is new atheism?
those who actively reject the belief in god and work against it considering it to be harmful to humanity
who are the four horsemen of new atheism?
the figureheads of new atheism:
Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett
where did new atheism stem from?
gained popularity after the 9/11 attacks which were believed to be caused by religion
what does non-thinking mean?
the criticism that new atheists like Richard Dawkins argue that religion teaches people to be satisfied by not understanding the world and that there is no evidence to support their beliefs
what does Dawkins argue non-thinking leads to?
leads to fanaticism and helps create a society where extremism can flourish
Dawkins also argues that religion is forced upon children
what does an infantile world view mean?
religion teaches people to accept without question, they teach limited simplistic stories about the universe, and presenting god as to be feared. god is not required to explain the universe
what does it mean by impeding scientific progress?
Hitchens claims that religion works against reason, restricting science teaching in schools concerning evolution and controls healthcare and medical research
Dawkins claims religion teaches us not to change our minds and saps our intelligence
what does Richard Dawkins argue?
calls religion a virus “It grips the body, takes control”
its nonsense that without religion there is no morality
believes teaching religion in schools is child abuse
written books “the god delusion” and “the root of all evil”
what does Sam Harris argue?
believes that all religions are not created equal and highlights difference in scripture and doctrine as indicator of value or lack there of
he is critical of the Christian Right in US politics, blaming them for focus on “pseudo-problems” like gay marriage
what does Daniel Dennett argue?
there is no proof of god so we should assume its not real
if god is good then why is there the problem of evil and the brutality of the animal world.
the change in the story of religion is inconsistent and contradictory
what does Christopher Hitchens argue?
the main source of hatred in the world is organised religion.
religion poisons everything and infects us
he argues god favours child sacrifice and the bible calls for slavery and genocide
god can convict you of thought crime and dreams
what is the claim that science and religion are compatible?
McGrath claims that Dawkins fails to make the distinction between total absence of supporting evidence and the absence of totally supporting evidence.
some facts of the world have been proved but bigger scientific questions haven’t been proven so why can’t the answer be god, there is some overlap between science and religion.
science has no methods for deciding what’s ethical
who is Alister McGrath?
a former atheist now Christian who is a professor of science and religion
what is fundamentalism?
religious people who believe the word of a holy book or scriptures literally or close to literally
fundamentalism IS NOT extremism
why has there been an increase in fundamentalism
attack from new atheism has made religious groups more vocal, seeking to influence law and public policy
Christian Right in US on gay marriage and abortion
who are examples of religious fundamentalists?
ken Ham- Christian who believes the universe is 6000 years old and the literal truth of the old testament, rejection of science
Pat Robertson- christian who condemned homosexuality and abortion claiming natural disaster is gods punishment
what are apologists? how do they influence?
people who actively defend religion, influence through social media, TV, public debates
who is William lane Craig?
a Christian apologist who uses reason and logic. he has debated Christopher Hitchens
what does William lane Craig argue?
that people have a desire to go against god and that without god morality and evil do not exist, the world is chaos as evil goes unpunished
what does the apologist Robert Barron argue?
atheism is a fantasy, wouldn’t it be nice if we could do what we want and challenges them with scripture. Atheists are just teasing at the idea of god
