ATHEISM MYTH LIST

This is a growing list, with the most recent additions headlined in blue and revised items in red.
Click a particular myth on the list for a reality check, or scroll down to explore them all!

• There are no atheists in a foxhole.
• Atheists should show respect for the religious beliefs and traditions of others.
• Everyone believes in God; so-called atheists merely pretend not to believe.
• Atheism is just another religion.
• Atheists are immoral and evil.
• There is an atheist conspiracy to take over the world.
• Atheists are arrogant.
• Atheists are angry at God.
• Atheists worship and serve Satan.
• Atheists are communists.
• No atheist can be considered a patriot.

Fact:  To be sure, this "foxhole" is merely a metaphor for crisis situations in general.  But let's pursue it literally, just for fun.  Suppose we toss a live grenade (hypothetically, of course) into an occupied foxhole, and observe the occupant's response.  Does he drop to his knees and pray to have the explosive miraculously transformed into a "dud"?  Or does he throw down his Bible and scramble to get rid of the deadly device?  If he is to survive, then at that crucial moment all of the warm-and-fuzzy "omnipotent, caring, merciful father" stuff that he has been taught all his life must be instantly flooded out of his mind by the urgent "do or die" instinct of the here-and-now.  He must act immediately; he can pray later—if there is a "later."  Though afterward he might deny it, rationalize it, or even praise his God for saving him, at that instant when his immediate survival depends solely and completely upon his own action, he must become momentarily an atheist.  If he does not, he becomes permanently dead.

Myth:  Atheists should show respect for the religious beliefs and traditions of others.

Fact:  Have Christians typically shown respect for Hindu and Wiccan belief?  Are Muslims renowned for their respectfulness of Buddhist and Jewish tradition?  Does anyone in the modern world respect the practice of human sacrifice common in old religions?  No, to profess respect for those things which we find abhorrent would be to betray our own values.  Just so, atheists do not respect those religions which promote superstition and denigrate reason, which vilify man as inherently evil, which treat women as property, which condone slavery, and which advocate domination and exploitation (rather than responsible stewardship) of the earth.
     What all fair-minded members of a pluralistic society are bound to respect and defend is the right of each person to hold whatever beliefs he or she sees fit, even though we may strongly disapprove of the beliefs themselves.  While responsible atheists are openly critical of belief systems which they see as pointless, vile, ludicrous, destructive, or demeaning—e.g., Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism—they nevertheless respect Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Jews as human beings, and defend their right to believe according to dictates of personal conscience.  And they expect the same in return.

Fact:  To people who have always believed in God, such an assertion may have the ring of truth; yet from his or her own experience every atheist knows that statement to be false.

It is merely "preaching to the choir," an attempt to shore up the shaky faith of some believers by denying that real doubt exists.  Meanwhile, its only effect upon non-believers is to reaffirm in their minds the silliness of religious "thinking."  Consider that if atheists were to assert, "No one really believes in gods; so-called theists merely pretend to believe," a few lifelong atheists might nod in agreement, but everyone who has ever been a believer would know such a statement to be false.  However, most atheists disbelieve in gods with the same degree of certainty that they disbelieve in fairies and trolls; being thus secure in their disbelief, they feel no need to make such absurd statements about those who disagree with them.

Even if only by proclaiming them to be "fools," the Bible itself affirms that there are some who do not believe.  Yet even if such statements from authority are discounted, the fact that some people honestly do not believe in gods can be readily demonstrated:
     Anyone who truly believes in an omniscient, omnipotent, vengeful God is surely in awe of that deity and fears its certain wrath.  Thus the believer's general behavior reflects his perception of what God demands as a price for securing whatever reward (e.g., a pleasant afterlife) is promised for "righteous" behavior.  Even if lacking in high virtue, at the very least the believer tries to act in such a way as to avoid whatever punishment (e.g., eternal torment) is threatened for transgressions, even if he must sometimes sacrifice his own pleasure, self-esteem, and worldly well-being to do so.
     Anyone who acts without regard to such considerations obviously has no fear of divine wrath, and the only reasonable explanation is that he is satisfied that God does not in fact exist.  Now, if we postulate (as many do) that any respectable God insists that only those who profess belief will be granted eternal reward, and that any intimation of disbelief constitutes grounds for certain damnation, then no one who truly believes in such a God would dare to declare a false disbelief at peril of his or her soul.  Thus any profession of atheism can reasonably be taken to be in earnest.

Fact:  Unbelief—simple lack of belief, characteristic of many atheists and self-described agnostics—requires no more faith than a rock can muster.  However, atheists are not all of one stripe.  There are some whose attitudes are rooted, not in passive unbelief, but rather in active disbelief, and it can be reasonably argued that this active disbelief is in some measure based on faith.  Indeed, this is a valid basis for demanding equal protection of atheists' "religious" liberty under the law.

Even so, to suppose that belief and disbelief require equal amounts of faith is absurd.  Leaping the chasm between unbelief and religion requires conjuring up an entire supernatural realm, with mystical beings and magical powers utterly outside human experience (other than hallucination); in some cases, tenets of belief may even contradict observed fact or documented history.  In contrast, stepping across the gap from unbelief to disbelief requires not the slightest disregard of scientific evidence, bending of natural laws, or postulation of anything beyond our natural experience.  In short, whereas religion (especially the fundamentalist variety) typically demands a fantastic degree of make-believe, atheism requires none whatever.

Fact:  Atheism is simply a disbelief in the supernatural, nothing more.  As such it is neither moral nor immoral; it is amoral, making no statement, either pro or con, about morality.  However, as individuals and members of society, atheists are just as moral (or immoral) as anyone else.

Although atheism itself is neutral on the matter, the values and ethics necessary to human interaction are readily available from other sources, secular as well as religious.  Atheists are as fair and scrupulous (or unfair and unscrupulous) as theists in their personal and business dealings.  Most have practical values and ethics similar in most respects to those of mainstream religious people.  They just aren't terrorized by superstition, shackled by ancient taboo, or paralyzed in today's world by a fossilized moral code designed for primitive herdsmen and their chattel wives.

Morality does not require belief in the supernatural.  It requires only the understanding that some behavior is beneficial to humanity and some is detrimental to it, and the resolve to practice the former and eschew the latter.  Atheists neither hope for a heaven nor fear a hell.  Nevertheless, people—religious or not—who act from a sincere dedication to social responsibility are more genuinely moral than those who act simply out of hope for reward and fear of punishment.  (And they are certainly more moral than those who do evil with the expectation of being forgiven.)

Fact:  Certainly there are a few rabid atheists whose mission in life appears to be the denigration of religion.  But even the most optimistic among them is probably not so detached from reality as to suppose that anything he says or does is likely to make the slightest dent in the beliefs of the faithful, let alone eradicate or even subjugate religion as a whole.

"Preachy" atheists, though very vocal and hence most noticeable, are actually a tiny minority within the minority atheist community.  Most atheists just want to be left in peace, and are quite content to leave the job of taking over the world to religious fanatics, whose crusading nature is more suited to the task.  Unlike many religious people, atheists are generally comfortable and secure in their way of thinking; they accept that others have beliefs which differ from their own, and are not disturbed by the idea.

Yet while most atheists are not particularly troubled by the thought that others believe in the supernatural, they do become justifiably upset when fanatics attempt to misuse the civil authority to impose their beliefs and taboos upon others by force of law.  In this, however, atheists are no different from most "mainstream" religious believers, who likewise regard coercive fanaticism of any sort as disruptive of the pluralistic social order and contrary to the ideals of individual liberty.  But mere opposition to domination by fanatics is purely defensive in nature; the ambition to take over the world is an aggressive tendency currently exhibited only by religious fundamentalists.

Fact:  A few certainly are, but most are not, and it is unfair to tar all with the same brush.

Arrogance is aggressive and overstated pride, not to be confused with passive aloofness or even active defensiveness.  An arrogant person is one who attempts to support his own point of view, not by arguing its merits, but simply by deriding as inferior anyone whose opinion differs from it.  We have all encountered people like this—some atheists, yes, but also quite a few religious people if we stop to think about it.  It is not arrogance, merely to have the strength of one's convictions to defend them through honest argument, else almost everyone would be considered "arrogant."  Arrogance is neither simple belief nor the earnest defense of it, but rather the gratuitous abuse of others for failing to share it.  And the height of arrogance is to employ coercion in any form to enforce such abuse.

Most atheists are the peaceful sort.  They are not after your money, your mind, or your kids.  For the most part, they are content to let you believe whatever you like, provided you grant them the same courtesy.  They assume their share of society's burden, asking nothing from anyone save common respect and fair treatment, which they gladly return in kind.  If you don't hassle them, they won't hassle you.
     But if you preach to them, don't be shocked if they appear aloof, just as you would be if someone suggested that your beliefs needed correcting.  If you insinuate that their unconventional viewpoint makes them inferior as human beings, don't be surprised if they seem indignant, for anyone with a lick of self-respect would react the same way.  And if you propose to replace their children's school science and history courses with sectarian mythology, it should not be entirely unexpected if they become downright defensive.  Aloofness, indignation, and defensiveness are the natural reactions of those who are abused.  Arrogance is the province of the abusers.

Fact:  Because they frequently find themselves under attack by arrogant believers who supposedly know better, it is understandable that atheists sometimes appear a little ill-humored.  However, it is real people and real abuse which aggravates them, not imaginary beings.

We might be understandably irritated at Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, for interrupting our family's evening meal with a knock on the door to deliver "a message from God."  We might be impatient with those who call us "immoral and evil" just because they cannot comprehend secular values and ethics.  We might be annoyed at self-righteous busybodies who feel it their duty to tell everyone else what is fit to read or view, and who insist that libraries, bookstores, and video outlets rid their shelves of everything else.  We might be downright upset about those who want to replace our kids' science and history courses in public school with sectarian mythology.  And those of us who grew up under the influence of a family faith might even be a little resentful of religion itself for being a waste of part of our own precious lives and brainpower.

But to be angry at something that doesn't exist?  Let's think about this for just a moment.  Are Hindus "angry" at Yahweh / Jehovah / Allah because they believe the Judeo-Christo-Islamic god does not exist?  Are Muslims "angry" at Brahma / Vishnu / Shiva because they believe the Hindu gods do not exist?  Are Christians "angry" at Zeus / Jupiter, Odin, Ormuzd, and Ra because they believe the gods of antiquity do not exist?  Certainly there are some fuzzy-thinking folks who are inclined to be angry at everything, including things that don't exist.  But as for rational people (including most skeptics), anger toward something that doesn't exist is absurd.  The only people for whom atheism is a source of real anger are those who cannot stand the idea that someone else thinks their gods are silly.

Fact:  This is yet another example of the incoherence of what passes for thought among some religionists.  Why would anyone who has gone to the trouble of unburdening himself of belief in deities take up belief in demons instead?  It is not the nature of skeptics to be so disorganized in their thinking (which is why they become skeptics in the first place).

From the atheist's viewpoint, abandoning God only to embrace Satan makes no sense at all, for both appear to him equally imaginary.  Swapping one yoke of superstition for another would represent no overall advance, but merely an exchange of vices, like taking up alcoholism to celebrate having quit smoking.
     Though it should be obvious that atheists do not worship either gods or devils, some believers maintain that unbelievers are Satan's unwitting servants.  However, it might be more convincingly argued that, if faith is an inborn inclination of all human beings (as many believers affirm), then a person could not become faithless solely of his own volition.  One who is deprived of faith is merely a victim.  The true evildoers are those who cause others to reject faith.
     And what more effective agents could Satan recruit to this evil task than those who exhibit religion as the pursuit of the ignorant and the obnoxious; who portray the creator as vain, vengeful, and vicious, and who deny the marvel of his creation; who use belief as a bludgeon instead of a bond; who characterize honest curiosity as vice, smug ignorance as virtue, the reality of nature as a lie, and the ultimate creation—humanity—as an inherently unworthy thing of sin and shame?  Who indeed, but evangelistic fundamentalists!  It is likely that these drive many more borderline-religious people away from religion than they ever win to it—all the while fancying that they are doing the work of their Lord.  We can but hope that they are appropriately rewarded.

*I myself am one who was driven to question—and ultimately to abandon—his once fervent religious belief, by the irrational and repugnant behavior of certain fundamentalists.  I credit them with opening my eyes to the absurd, disgusting, and destructive aspects of religion, thus enabling me to free myself from it and seek a more positively enriching basis for my life.

Fact:  While it might be true that, according to Mr. Marx, all committed communists must be atheists, the reverse is most certainly not the case—just as all communists are people but not all people are communists.

Atheists in the United States work for wages, salaries, and commissions.  They have mortgages, bank accounts, and investments; many own their own businesses.  And just like everyone else they all grumble at tax time.  They are just as capitalistic as the rest of their countrymen.  The only difference is that atheists (as a rule) tend to be a bit more compassionate about it, than those who have convinced themselves that ruthless exploitation is perfectly okay because God is a capitalist.

Fact:  If that is the case, then Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, H. L. Mencken, Albert Einstein, Sinclair Lewis, Clarence Darrow, Thomas Edison, Luther Burbank, Andrew Carnegie, Clara Barton, Mark Twain, Susan B. Anthony, Robert G. Ingersoll, and Ulysses S. Grant (to name only a few of the most famous) were not patriots.  These men and women were all atheists in any practical sense of the term.  Whatever other virtues or faults they might have had, not one of these contributors to our national culture believed in a supernatural creator and overseer.

The assertion that atheism and patriotism are mutually exclusive dishonors all who, though rejecting belief in the supernatural, have nevertheless courageously served their country, sometimes sacrificing limb or even life, to defend and preserve the principles for which this nation stands and the freedoms which its people enjoy.  Only a shameless coward (or an ignoramus) would slander those honorable ones who cannot now defend themselves.

If you have cause to make public remarks about atheists or atheism, why not first consult someone who is an atheist in order to verify your information?  If it's true, then go ahead and tell it to the world.  But if it turns out to be false, then by refusing to repeat it you can be satisfied that you are not violating the Ninth Commandment.  (And also that you are not making a fool of yourself!)  If you have questions or statements about atheism which you would like to have verified, you are welcome to send me e-mail (from FEEDBACK) with the word "atheism" in the Subject line.  I'll be happy to answer any question I can, or refer you to a reliable information source if I cannot.  (Earnest inquiries only, please!  Letters which merely preach will be trashed; I've heard the sermons already.)

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