Boulder Atheists

This is the text from the Boulder Atheist handout. I like their condensed set of bullet points that describes what they are all about.

• What is atheism?
  The word derives from theism, which means the belief in a god or gods. By placing an 'a' ahead of it, it denotes 'not' a believer ina god or gods. Atheism has no Holy Book, dogma or prescribed set of beliefs that must be adhered to.


• Who are atheists?
  An atheist is anyone who does not believe in the existence of a god or gods. This may include anyone holding a strictly naturalistic view devoid of supernatural beings or forces and those who identify as secular humanists, agnostics, freethinkers, skeptics, or rationalists.


• Do atheists believe in nothing?
  Anyone can believe in anything that they choose to. Atheists can possess many, if not all of the beliefs that a religious person does, such as love of family and friends, a desire to help others in a time of need or simply wish to do no harm to another person. The only thing that sets them apart from a religioius person is their disbelief in the existence of a god.


• Do atheists hate God?
  Some people misinterpret atheists' disbelief in a god as anger at, or hatred of God. Atheists are not all alike and while some feel that there is no reason to stand against religion, others may believe that the world would be a better and more peaceful place without religion. In general, atheists tend to advocate the use of reasoning, logic, and science to guide them on a daily basis oin their decision making process.


• Can a person be moral without God?
  Morality is the ability to make decisions about what is right or wrong. To determine this a person only needs to take into consideration how their actions will affect others or society as a whole. Empathy towards others can play a major role in determining what is moral and what is not. Most atheists will agree that morality is achieved by doing what is right regardless of what they are told, and not by following a set of guidelines found in ancient manuscripts that include the promise of reward or the threat of punishment in an afterlife.


• Do atheists want to prohibit religion?
  While there are some atheists who feel that religions should fade away, many others respect the role that religions communities can play in society. Atheist support freedom of religion, which includes freedom from religion.


• Is atheism just another religion?
  Theistic religions are comprised of specific doctrines and teachings that must be believed in without any supporting evidence to substantiate that they are in fact true; this is the very definition of faith. Atheism is simply the rejection of the claim that a god exists due to the lack of evidence to support such a claim. Atheism itself is not a philosophy, ideology or worldview but it can be part of a philosophy or worldview.