How I’m Celebrating Atheist Day
Written by Amy Denton-Luke
Happy Atheist Day!
In honor of my newfound determination to be my real self around others, I’m celebrating Atheist Day by offering a better understanding of what atheism means. Atheists get a bad rap and continue to be one of the least trusted and most disliked groups, and in some countries, being an “out” atheist can even get you killed. My goal is to provide insight into a few of the myths about atheism, because there are so many negative connotations and misconceptions that come with the label. This Atheist Day, it’s time to remove the stigma and normalize atheism.
In this article, I will explore a few definitions and explain what an atheist is and is not. Then, I will discuss the misconception that atheists are “angry at God”, and explain the real reasons behind our anger. Lastly, I will discuss my least favorite myth: that atheists “believe in nothing” and have a sad, meaningless view of the world. Here, I will share what I do believe in and describe what my godless worldview actually looks like.
Definitions: What Atheism Is and Is Not
First, what is an atheist? An atheist is a person who does not believe in a god or gods. Now, you may be familiar with the definition that an atheist is someone who asserts there are no gods. While some atheists do make this claim for some or all proposed gods, referred to as “hard atheism” or “strong atheism”, many atheists do not. You do not need to claim to know that there is no god to be an atheist. I personally do not take this position, as I don’t find it necessary to do so, but also because it’s a positive claim that requires evidence I do not believe we have and therefore cannot claim to know.
Some of you might be wondering, “Doesn’t that make you an agnostic?” Yes and no. Agnosticism and atheism are answers to two different questions. Gnosis addresses knowledge while theism addresses belief. You can be a gnostic theist or an agnostic theist, or you can be a gnostic atheist or an agnostic atheist. I do not believe in a god, but I also don’t think this can be known, therefore I’d be considered an agnostic atheist. However, when talking about religious belief, it’s that second part that matters. Whether you claim to know or don’t know, you either hold a god belief or you don’t; you’re either a theist or an a-theist.
The common misunderstanding is that there’s a fence where one side says “there is a god” and the other side says “there is no god” and the fencesitter says “I don’t know”, but this is not the case. The real question is: “Do you believe in a god?” The answer is either yes or no; you believe in a god or you don’t. “I don’t know” still translates to not having a god belief, and therefore counts as a “no”. There’s also no need to take any extra steps by claiming there is no god in order to answer “no”.
Let’s look at the question from the skeptic’s position: Are you convinced that a god exists? The key word here is ‘convinced’: you are either convinced that something is true or you remain unconvinced. The default position is to withhold belief until sufficient evidence can be provided to demonstrate the claim is true. My answer to this question is no, I have not been convinced that a god exists, therefore I am an atheist. Other folks may use different definitions, so it’s best to ask what they mean by the labels they use.
The label “atheist” comes with many negative connotations, so I would like to clarify a few more misconceptions: I am not angry at anybody's god. I do not think religious or spiritual people are "crazy" or "stupid". I do not believe religion is a mental illness. I do not worship the devil. I do not believe in "nothing". I am not empty, lost, or incomplete without a god belief. I also do not hate religious or spiritual people, I’m not here to take anyone’s beliefs away from them, and I have no interest in deconverting anybody. I believe each person must come to their own conclusion when answering the god question, and I support everyone’s right to practice their personal religious beliefs.
“Atheists are Just Angry at God”
An atheist is about as angry at the Christian God as a Christian is angry at Zeus. No, we are not angry at anybody’s god, though we do have reasons to be angry. Many people who are raised in a religion and later deconvert feel as though they've been lied to, missed out on experiences, or even wasted their lives. Some must reconcile the guilt, shame, and hatred they were taught to feel toward themselves by their former religion. Some of us will come out as atheists only to be told we just want to sin, we’re going to hell, or that our life is pointless without our god belief. We might even be disowned by our family or ostracized by our community. The anger we often feel in those first couple of years is not always channeled in the most productive or helpful ways, and this common experience is referred to as the “angry atheist” phase.
My own angry atheist phase was triggered by the comment: “You’re not really an atheist, you’re just angry at God because you’re sick”. Looking back, I understand the person likely said it out of fear or incredulity, but at the time, it hurt. I was grieving the loss of my health at a very young age and undergoing a massive shift in worldview, and for both to be weaponized against me with one dismissive sentence felt exceptionally cruel. It caused a years-long retaliation to prove my condemnation of religion. This phase eventually passes, and mine ended about ten years ago.
When we move past the angry atheist phase, it’s not all kumbaya with all religion always. Being a “friendly atheist” does not mean I do not have criticisms of religion. However, the anger that I feel now has less to do with my atheism and more to do with being a human who is against harm being done to other humans. The following criticisms are not frustrations exclusively felt by atheists, they are points that I believe many religious folks, including Christians, would probably agree with:
What I’m angry about now is the Christian nationalists who are attempting to legislate their personal religious beliefs and take away the rights of others, including restricting women’s bodily autonomy and targeting LGBT adults and children. I am angry at the Christian extremists who are fueling the anti-science movement, ignoring church-state separation, violating human rights, and attempting to force others to live by their belief system. I am angry at the Catholic Church that I was raised with for protecting the priests who abused children in the US, and for what its residential schools did to First Nations children in Canada. I am angry at the church for its crimes throughout history and the use of its Bible to justify slavery and Manifest Destiny. I am angry at the lives taken, cultures destroyed, and damage done by this message that was spread at the end of a sword for the last 2000 years. I am not angry at your god. I am angry about the atrocities committed in the name of your god. This statement is nothing radical: I think we can all agree that genocide is bad.
I am also angry that I live in a world that automatically sees me as evil, untrustworthy, and immoral, simply for not believing in a god. I am angry that I was made to feel so ashamed of my belief system that for years I could not even utter the word ‘atheist’. I’m angry that I allowed people to make me feel that I had to hide who I was to make others comfortable and more importantly, to be accepted. But I think what I’m angry about the most is that on his deathbed, my Godfather, who I adored and admired, spent our last conversation not by telling me how much he loved me, but instead by telling me how disappointed he was in me, just because I no longer believed in his god.
“Atheists Believe in Nothing”
I wish I did not have to clarify the following statement but unfortunately, experience has taught me that I do: As an atheist, I am still a good, moral, ethical person who holds many beliefs and values. I do not need a religious text to tell me right from wrong and I do not need the threat of hell to treat people well. In general, I don’t believe anybody does. What I do believe in is the value of all humans, and I care deeply for their well-being. I strongly believe in human rights, equal rights, and social justice. I believe in taking care of the planet not only for future generations but for every creature with which we share this earth. I have a deep love and appreciation for nature and the beautiful world we live in. I don’t need to believe in anything supernatural to have a sense of wonder about the universe. The natural is awe-inspiring enough for me.
I believe my life is meaningful simply because I exist, and my purpose is only to enjoy the time I have. I don’t need some higher meaning or grand purpose. I do not need a god to find happiness, fulfillment, or a reverence for life. The fact that I get to experience life at all brings me profound joy. I get to exist as a human and spend (hopefully) 80 years finding pretty rocks and eating pizza and laughing. I feel grateful just to be alive and experiencing this life with all of you. My life does not in any way lose its meaning because I don’t have a soul that goes on forever, either in this world or in some afterlife. In fact, it’s even more precious to me because it doesn’t.
I will end with an excerpt from a conversation I had with a Christian friend of mine, who I felt had made the assumption that there was an empty void in my worldview where my god belief should be, and therefore my outlook on life must be bleak. This was my response:
“I think about everything that had to happen in order for me to be born. How the local universe formed, how our earth became habitable, how life came to be, the hundreds of millions of years of evolution before the "dawn of man". The 200,000 years of Homo sapiens that came before us. All the people that had to survive childhood, meet, have sex, carry a fetus to term, give birth, and for those children to survive, grow up, meet their partners, have sex, give birth to the next generation of ancestors-- for thousands of years until my parents. And all the sperm and all the eggs inside of them that could have produced a child and I was the one who was born. Being alive is, for the lack of a better word, a miracle, and for me that's enough. I don't need anything else. For me, this world and life is so profoundly beautiful not in spite of not having a god, but even more so because I don’t believe in a creator with a grand plan. In my worldview, the idea that it was designed by some all-powerful being just cheapens it.
I'm so grateful to be here. I’m so grateful to experience this life and this world. I am extremely privileged to have been born to a white middle class family in the late 1900s in the United States of America. I’m fortunate that in my lifetime I get to experience all these medical advances and the internet and any hobby I choose, which is something I could not have experienced in the past. And I am also alive in a time where I can still explore the earth, enjoy nature, own land, and eat whatever I want. Who knows how long those luxuries will be available to humans as overpopulation continues and climate change worsens. How fucking lucky are we?
I've made peace with the fact that we are here for a time, and then we aren't. It hasn't been easy. I hope I'm blessed with a long life, and I hope those around me are blessed with long lives too. But knowing that someday I will lose everyone I love forces me to appreciate them more in this moment, because I may not have them in the next. Everything will come to an end. Including this planet. Including me. But right now I am breathing. And when I watch the trees in my backyard sway in the wind or sit next to the Blackfoot river, I feel connected to nature and the universe. I feel my nervous system regulate and my body relax. I know that I belong here, that I am home, and I am held. And I realize that right now is all that matters. And it's enough.”
. . .
If you’re a believer, I want you to know that you have friends, family, and neighbors who are atheists, though they may not be “out” to you, and they are good, moral, trustworthy people. I support your right to practice your religious beliefs. Many of you are my allies, and many of you are my friends.
If you’re currently deconstructing your faith, know that it is okay to ask questions, to have criticisms, and to doubt. It is perfectly acceptable to assess and reassess your beliefs. I support your journey wherever it takes you: whether you arrive at theism, deism, pantheism, or atheism.
To my fellow non-believers, know that you aren't alone. You are not a bad person, you have nothing to be ashamed of, and you are not incomplete. Know that I see you, and you are wonderful just as you are. You can reach out to me at any time for support and community.
And finally, to me: I will no longer feel shame for being an atheist, I will no longer hide who I am to make people comfortable, and I will never again abandon myself to be accepted by others.
Happy Atheist Day, everyone.
Read the Atheist Day Declaration here
