Comparing Christianity, Atheism, and Agnosticism: Beliefs, Reasons, Implications, Lecture notes of Religious studies

Download Comparing Christianity, Atheism, and Agnosticism: Beliefs, Reasons, Implications and more Lecture notes Religious studies in PDF only on Docsity! Christianity The Christian conception of God is much like that of the Jewish tradition from which the tradition was spawned. God is described as dwelling in heaven and bears the all-encompassing traits of transcendence, while possessing the ability to interact in human history. However, Christians take the notion of God's interaction with humanity a step further by teaching the doctrine of incarnation. Jesus Christ, they believe, is the messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, the embodiment of God who has come to earth to aid humanity. Christ's arrival and subsequent crucifixion at the hand of the Romans is said to symbolize God's love for all of humankind, along with his willingness to stand by them as they proceed through the trials of life. Another point in which Christianity came to diverge from its Jewish roots is in its conception of the Trinity, the doctrine that holds that the oneness of God is represented in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. While the Father seems most congruent with the transcendent, monarchical aspects of god, and the Son represents Jesus as God in the earthly flesh, the Holy Spirit maintains the idea that there is a part of God which continues to interact within the world. The Holy Spirit is for Christians the energy through which God manifests Himself within people and events, compelling them to do his good works. Thus, the Trinity further develops the theist strain of Christianity, as God remains personal and transcendent while still being able to affect earthly events. Atheism Atheism (from Greek: a + theos + ismos "not believing in god") refers in its broadest sense to a denial of theism (the belief in the existence of a single deity or deities). Atheism has many shades and types. Some atheists strongly deny the existence of God (or any form of deity) and attack theistic claims. Yet certainty as to the non-existence of God is as much a belief as is religion and rests on equally unprovable claims. Just as religious believers range from the ecumenical to the narrow-minded, atheists range from those for whom it is a matter of personal philosophy to those who are militantly hostile to religion. Atheism often supports its case on science, yet many modern scientists, far from being atheists, have argued that science is not incompatible with theism. Many people living in the West have the impression that atheism is on the rise around the world, and that the belief in God is being replaced with a more secular-oriented worldview. However, this view is not confirmed. Studies have consistently shown that contrary to popular assumptions, religious membership is actually increasing globally. The Rationale of Atheism Atheism is a belief that is held for a variety of reasons. 1. Logical reasons Some atheists base their stance on philosophical grounds, arguing that their position is based on logical rejection of theistic claims. Indeed, many atheists claim that their view is merely the absence of a certain belief, suggesting that the burden of proving God's existence is upon theists. In this line of thought, it follows that if theism's arguments can be refuted, non-theism becomes the default position. Many atheists have argued for centuries against the most popular "proofs" of God's existence, noting problems in the theist lines of reasoning. Atheists who attack specific forms of theism often claim it as being self contradictory. One of the most common arguments against the existence of the Christian God is the problem of evil, which Christian apologist William Lane Craig has referred to as "atheism's killer argument." This line of reasoning claims that the presence of evil in the world is logically inconsistent with the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent God. Instead, atheists claim it is more coherent to conclude that God does not exist than to believe that He does exist but readily allows the promulgation of evil. 2. Scientific reasons As a further development of the rationalist position, many feel that theories of divine creation blatantly conflict with modern science, especially evolution. For some atheists, this conflict is reason enough to reject theism. Evolutionary science, supported by a large body of paleontological and genomic evidence and accepted by the overwhelming majority of biologists, describes how complex life has developed through a slow process of random mutation and natural selection. It is now known that humans share 98 percent of our genetic code with chimpanzees, 90 percent with mice, 21 percent with roundworms, and seven percent with the bacterium E. coli. This humbling perspective is quite different from that of most theistic traditions, such as the Abrahamic religions, in which humans are thought to be created "in God's image" and are existentially distinguished from the other "beasts of the Earth." Similarly, astronomical facts, such as the recognition of Earth's Sun as only one undistinguished star among billions in the Milky Way, are seen by some atheists as rendering implausible the proposition that this universe was created with mankind in mind. Finally, some atheists argue that religion emerged as a pseudo-scientific explanation for natural phenomena and that, with the progress of human scientific endeavor, these etiological myths have been rendered unnecessary. All this said, it is also true that there are many scientists, Newton and Einstein among them, who do not believe that science is incompatible with the existence of God. Darwinian evolution, for example, can be understood as a method God developed for the propagation of life. 3. Personal and Practical reasons In addition to using philosophical arguments, there are those atheists who cite social, psychological, and practical reasons for their beliefs. Many people are atheists not as a result of philosophical deliberation, but rather because of the means by which they were brought up or educated. Some people are atheists at least partly because of growing up in an environment where atheism is relatively common, such as those who are raised by atheist parents. Some people are led to atheism by unpleasant experiences with their inherited traditions. Some atheists claim that their beliefs have positive practical effects on their lives. For instance, atheism may allow one to open their mind to a wide variety of perspectives and worldviews since they are not committed to dogmatic beliefs. However, since rigidly-held atheism may be a dogmatic belief, those with an open mind are more likely to be agnostics. Such atheists may hold that searching for explanations through natural science can be more beneficial than searching through faith, the latter of which often draws irreconcilable dividing lines between individuals with different beliefs. Christianity Christianity, as a theistic and proselytizing religion, views atheism as sinful. According to Psalm 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." Additionally, according to John 3:18-19, "He that believeth in him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." These passages suggest that those who reject the divinity of Jesus do so because of a tendency to do evil, rather than evil being a consequence of their disbelief. Agnosticism Agnosticism is the belief that ultimate questions, especially those about the existence of God,