Abstract This paper discusses the concept of atheism, the arguments from the atheists in justification of their belief, the debate over whether atheism is a religion or is just simply a denial of all religious believes."
From the Paper "Atheism has been a debatable issue for several years. The concept of atheism is usually misunderstood by people. Some consider it as an anti religious belief while some people consider as a separate religion. However, these perceptions about atheism are wrong. Atheism is nothing more then an absence of belief on the existence of gods. An atheist is simply a non believer. He or she do not accepts the notion of god's existence on the grounds that there are no convincing evidences for god's existence. "
Abstract This paper discusses the eternal religious debate of whether or not there is a God. The paper presents the basic tenets of atheism, the main one being the total lack of belief in any form of theism or deity. The paper contends that atheism is more of a perspective than a philosophy of non-religion. The paper examines the opinion that all organized religions were created by man, thereby confirming the belief that God does not exist.
From the Paper "The suggestion that atheism is a credible non-belief system points to the idea that it has some basis in fact; to say that the atheist is right is to suggest that Christians may be wrong which further leads to the suggestion that faith is an unreliable guide to knowing that God does exist. Therefore, if faith is unreliable then every single aspect of Christianity or some other major religion must be examined through the use of logic and reason which no doubt terrifies the believer by totally upsetting his/her belief systems. Thus, as Vincent P. Miceli relates, "when reason is liberated from the shackles of faith, it will claim sovereignty over every sphere of knowledge. . . and thus force believers to question the existence of God by subjecting His alleged divine revelations to critical analysis" (18)."
Abstract A summary of Diego Rivera's work and style, followed by an interview with the artist himself. The painter answers questions regarding his shifts in style, mural art in Mexican history, his atheism and his inspirations. It is apparent how his paintings emphasize the power of art as a medium to bring about social reforms.
From the Paper "Diego Rivera was one of the leading artists of the 20th century. He was born in 1886 in Leon, Guanajuato. He had an inherent talent for painting (arts), which was evident when he started to draw even as he was just 3 years old. He went on to become one of Mexico's leading painters. In the early part of his career he was a traditional artist but later on, he was influenced by Cezanne and the Cubist approach to paintings. This is clearly reflected in his works such Zapatista Landscape, Woman at the well, etc. However it was Picasso who made a great influence upon him and Diego produced many of his works predominantly reflecting Cubical style, which gives more freedom for the artist. His artwork "Sailor at lunch" is typical of Cubism."
Abstract This paper discusses the nature of atheism and psychology in a multi-cultural background. By demonstrating the ramifications of the belief system, the writer seeks some of the psychological evaluations and studies that have been done in recent times.
Paper describes views in ancient Greece on free thinking and atheism. It is full of examples of great philosophers, such as Socrates, Pericles, and Alcibiades.
Abstract This paper looks at how the free thinking caused many accusations against Sophists for atheism, the highest level of heresy in the ancient society, a social order in which every unusual thing that happened was defined as a sign, omen, or warning from the gods.
From the Paper "The Ancient Athens, unlike any other city in Greece, gave to its citizen's the freedom, unrivaled by any other social order in the Ancient society. Every male citizen of Athens was equal by right, but the difference between the poor and the rich remained unchanged. One of the main distinctions that democratic structure of government provided, was significantly reducing risk of political take over by force. To take the power, during democracy in the Athens, first you had to deal with practically whole population of the Athens. Military take over, was no longer an option, now the power had to be obtained by the different means. The answer to this, was the art of sophism, the direct definition of which is power through the persuasion."
Tags: persecuted, philosophers, think, atheist, god
Abstract A look at how the belief in a religion or deity has become weaker over the centuries. The writer examines what makes a 'perfect' religion, defines atheism, and looks at current philosophies of religion.
From the Paper "Pascal said "If you believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you have lost nothing. But if you don"t believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you will go to Hell. Therefore it is foolish to be an atheist.? This argument is known as Pascal? Wager. It contains several flaws. One of the biggest flaws is that it is based on the assumption that the two possibilities are equally likely. If, in fact, the possibility of the existence of God is close to zero, the argument becomes much less persuasive. So, sadly, the argument is only likely to convince those who believe already. Devotees of a particular faith are likely to believe that a definition ought to describe the true quality of religion. They are not happy with the concept that d definition is a heuristic device, useful for one purpose, but of no value to another. They are impatient with a definition that may seem to be a subtle evasion of an obvious truth. The strong belief in God makes them blind to seeing any other possibilities objectively."
Abstract When the Mongols invaded Europe in the 12th century, they used infant children for spear practice. Barbaric? Not much different from modern-day abortion practices. Tying in current American and world domestic policy with the historic failures of the communist philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche, this paper proves abortion, euthanasia, and atheism are by-products of the world-wide ideal that God does not exist.
From the Paper "One hundred million people died at the hand of an idea. "God is dead," Nietzsche said. "One hundred million is a small price to pay for communism!" Marx could remark. These appalling statements are bearable only if you observe Karl Marx's definition of man as a featherless, biped-ed, economic being; thus, it will take a moment to pretend to forget that man is in fact rational. Marx rejected the truth that characteristics of man also include spiritual, political, emotional, and loving. These deaths never brought about Communism. No matter how many years were spent trying to achieve Marxian absolute revolution, the only result was death and destruction and totalitarianism."
Abstract This research explores arguments and counterarguments regarding the existence of God. According to the paper, atheists live in a material world and deny the existence of anything that cannot be seen, felt, or touched. The paper further reports that the key atheist argument is that God does not exist because the essence of God cannot be experienced on earth.
Outline:
Does God Exist?
The Atheist Viewpoint
The Deist Answer
From the Paper "If we simply live and then die, our actions do not matter. The future does not matter; therefore, humankind must have some higher purpose. Atheists argue that our higher purpose is in service to man and the future inhabitants of earth. Deism does not undermine man's need to serve the future generations of humankind; it simply recognizes and embraces man's higher purpose. If one is dedicated to God and the higher purpose of improving humankind, then one does no have to justify their reason for existence through actions. Both deists and atheists have their sights on the future, the difference is that Atheists must justify their existence through actions. However, they have no investiture in the outcomes of their actions."
Abstract This paper is about Emma Goldman and her various theories, political, societal and moral. It focuses on her forty years spent as an American, especially the years when she was an active member of the anarchist party. It details her involvement in the assassination of Henry Frick, and her accusal in the assassination of President McKinley. It also discusses how her divergent views involving feminism without suffrage, created isolation among politics that she lived with her entire life. Her involvement in the burgeoning sexual revolution and her persona as a figurehead of the atheists and a violent inciter is also expanded upon.
From the Paper "Emma Goldman put very little worth upon the idea of government as a protector of the greater society. Emma Goldman rejected the idea that philosophy could ever be political and she spent her time and energy trying to defeat all types of organized government that she so detested. Her radical and uncompromising views on the nature of government left her without a political forum to embrace, and shaped her reaction to and participation in American anarchism? "
Abstract This paper looks at the big themes in H.G. Wells' "The Island of Doctor Moreau" which diametrically oppose each other: the theories of existence (i.e. evolution and religion), and the cruelty and need for dominion that man exhibits towards animals, and ultimately the question of the meaning of it all that Wells poses to his readers.
From the Paper "Prendick's first encounter with the creatures of the island is when the ship rescues him. His impression of M'ling is that he is a "misshapen man", and although M'ling turns from Prendick with "animal swiftness", he still refers to him as a man. He considers M?ling a person with animal-like qualities, rather than the other way around. The captain of the ship is called a "brute". His drunken, hostile behavior towards all on-board is construed as beastly. Without provocation, he batters M'ling, who accepts the abuse and does not retaliate. His spirit has been broken like a whipped dog. Wells draws an image here of man against beast, with man being the aggressor, and the beast being the submissive party. Man's attempt at controlling nature through violence and carnage is noted immediately. Ironically, the so-called less civilized creatures are more refined. M'ling conducts himself passively, while the captain behaves barbarously. The two species inter-relate, and the reader sees a bit of beast in the man, and some of man in the beast."
Abstract This paper presents an examination of how the author develops the concepts of childhood, adolescence, and the transition to maturity in this work. The paper focuses on plot and characterization as well as the author's personal philosophy.
From the Paper "As with most authors, Ursula Le Guin bases most of her stories and novels on her beliefs and disbeliefs. She is an atheist and relies more on philosophy than religion. Perhaps that is why "Standing Ground," a story that deals with abortion, was written with no objectivity. Le Guin had no religious beliefs interfering with her intended theme. Many of her stories are based on Taoism, where there is good in every evil and evil in every good. In her writings, Le Guin addresses enduring human problems."
Abstract This paper details in great length the reasons why the author has abandoned Christianity. The argument includes principles of Christianity concerning the character of Jesus, fallacies in the Bible and the prophecies as reasons for the author's decision.
From the Paper "There are many reasons why I am not a Christian. In this paper I am going to present my case for not being a Christian and argue for my beliefs. I am sure that I will sound harsh and cruel in parts of this paper, but I ask that you, the reader, do not take it personally and that you understand that I am being so in order to get my point across.For the first eighteen and a half years of my life I was a Christian. I was brought up in a Southern Baptist Church, but I did not consider myself to be a Baptist. I considered myself a Christian. I was never one to like denominations that claimed to worship the same thing, each of course claiming that they where the ones that were correct. So I simply called myself a Christian and let other people bicker and argue about the petty things. But I did consider myself a good Christian, as nearly all Christians believe the same about themselves, I simply was not worried about whether someone should be sprinkled with water or dunked during baptism. I mean do you really think that God would care that much about you being soaked or lightly sprayed? I didn?t think so. To me it was the spiritual aspect that was important. But I think that my dissatisfaction with the factions within Christianity itself, Catholic or Protestant (and if Protestant what denomination), made it easier for me to let go of the religion altogether."
Abstract An argumentative paper critically analyzing texts, arguments and proofs about the existence of Jesus Christ and Christianity. The writer is sceptical and the tone of the entire paper is to undermine and negate missionaries and evangelists who go out and attempt to convert people.
From the Paper "Some believe in Allah, and some believe in Christ, while others believe in ghosts and reincarnation. All of these beliefs exist without the benefit of one single fact. To me it would seem impossible for Christ to have come to earth and do all that He is credited with doing and then leave behind absolutely no trace of his existence. What about the Bible you say? The Bible is a collection of myths and stories used to explain the unknown to the uneducated, or at least that is what it is used for now. In all fairness it was all the answers people had to go on inside of a scientific vacuum two thousand years ago. For example, the priests would ask what caused volcanoes to erupt and the ground to shake? What man could cause these things to happen? Even the wisest of men could offer no intelligent response to these legitimate questions; they had neither the tools nor the know-how to begin to study these things. Things have changed. What was once evidence for the existence of God is now known to even the smallest child as natural and explainable phenomena."
Tags:atheism, atheist, christianity, creation, critical, science, truth
A discussion on the division between church and state over the role of the American government in the religious convictions of its people, and vice versa.
Abstract The following paper examines the way in which the American government mandates that children will attend school, that there will be teachers, and there will be education. This paper asserts that if the latter is mandatory, then the government must decide what religious value or training will be mandatory. The debate explores how on the one side many have suggested that no religion be instituted, whereas on the other side just as many say that no religion is the same thing as preaching the religion of atheism or agnosticism. The writer examines how many Christians want a more exclusively Christian environment, while many atheists or agnostics want to decrease the level of religious power invested in school systems. Both sides have problems with their issues, and may be extremists in theory, in actions, and in rhetoric. This paper suggests a solution to this everlasting debate.
From the Paper "As the American government has progressed from a withdrawn state where it controlled little more than a militia and trade treaties to being an authoritarian structure which oversees everything from highway speeds to public education, the basis for change in its relationship to religion was firmly sown. A government which does not regulate public schools, or zoning laws, has in every field a very different role from one which does, but this is particularly important in the role of religious and ethical convictions. The difference between being tax-exempt and not tax-exempt is tremendous. The difference between having a building license or not changes the entire scope of a ministry. Perhaps most important, though, is the increased need for the government to determine what schools will teach about religion, if they teach anything at all"
