Copyright September 1999
by: Thomas E. Blaylock, Jr.
Updated: 10/31/04
ATHEISM DEFINED AND APPLIED
THE WORD "ATHEISM" IS A FALSE DEFINITION OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF ATHEISM.
ATHEISM IS NOT A BELIEF!
ATHEISM IS A PHILOSOPHY!
ATHEISM IS THE WAY OF SEPARATING TRUTH FROM TALL
TALES, FACTS FROM FICTIONS.
(THE PHILOSOPHY OF ATHEISM IS BETTER DEFINED
BY THE TERM "CLEAR THINKING")
Before taking the word Atheism apart and putting it back together again, why don't you stop right here and write down what your concept of Atheism is before you start reading this. A simple statement or a paragraph at most will do.
You need to do this so you can honestly determine how this explanation of Atheism or Clear Thinking stimulates your thinking, affects your morality and your attitude toward yourself, and those who are called Atheists by the churches.
Pay careful attention to this article! Let's go to work and dissect the word Atheism. First, look at the etymology (roots) of the word, Atheism. Theos means God in Greek. A means no, non, not or without. Ism means a concept or philosophy, or a way of thinking. Therefore, by this definition, Atheism means, a no God concept or a no-God philosophy. BY THIS DEFINITION, an Atheist is one who does NOT BELIEVE and/or, cannot accept the concept of God as defined by the various religions.
But Atheists or Clear Thinkers have a very big problem with that definition because it is the nametag which OTHERS (the church) gave them. It does NOT properly identify their philosophical position. The name Atheism doesn't even remotely define this PHILOSOPHY. It is a FALSE DEFINITION. It is an attempt to belittle, demean and falsify the Philosophy of Atheism or Clear Thinking.
To show how a name can be used to belittle a group of people, look at the name, Christian. Christ is a transliteration of the Greek word Christos that means, anointed. (The word, TRANSLITERATION means to carry the SOUND of the word itself from one language to another. Thus, Christos in the Greek, becomes Christ when the word is Anglicized or taken into English. Transliteration IGNORES the meaning. To carry the MEANING of a word from one language to another is to TRANSLATE.)
The Greek word Christos translates the Hebrew word Messiah, which means anointed. It has come to mean, anointed by God. This word, Messiah, was used only for kings, prophets and priests, who were presented to the people as being sent by God for some special work. David and King Saul were also Messiahs or Christs. They were called Christos (anointed) in Greek. The Jewish people have had many claimed Messiahs, or who claimed Messiahship for themselves.
Ian, means little from ianos in the Greek. So the word "Christian" in English, literally means, little anointed ones.
"Christian" was a derogatory term used by the Romans, Jews, Greeks and others to belittle and ridicule the followers of an ancient religion called "Mithra" and later a modern outcast Jewish sect called, "The Way." Christians were called "little kings", or "little anointed ones." We do the same thing when we say, "He thinks he is a little God", or "He thinks he is a little Caesar."
So, the title once given to Christians as a name of mockery and deformation, they now wear proudly as a mark of distinction and martyr-hood.
The nametag "Atheism" is somewhat like that. It was given by the church as a term to strike fear into the hearts of the faithful. To the leaders of the Christian religions, this philosophy was a type of mental plague. Once infected with the Clear Thinking philosophy, the former believers could never return to their past belief and obedience, or have respect for the religious powers of that day. Religion fears Atheism or Clear Thinking more than any other one thing. These articles will help you understand why.
This is interesting. The religions understood and proclaimed that once a person became an honest Atheist or Clear Thinker, he was never again able to be brought under the sway of a religion, except by force, or threat of force. Many men "recanted" their honest Atheist thinking and asked the church to "forgive them" (as did Galileo). Why? Because they loved living more than they loved dying.
The term which Atheist or Clear Thinkers have given themselves is quite different from the term, which the church has given them. It is a term that more nearly describes the philosophy to which they adhere. The name they often give themselves is, "Free Thinker."
There will be much more to say about "Free Thinking" later, but for now, the term Free Thinker describes their attitude toward life and toward life's many complex problems. It also describes their philosophy. It means they are FREE to think honestly and logically. They are not bound to any predetermined conclusions, beliefs or doctrines.
There are absolutely NO Free Thinker (Atheist) doctrines. There is definitely NO Atheist beliefs or faiths. The Atheist's freedom lies in the fact, they do NOT have to reconcile their conclusions with any belief or faith. They can start with any subject and follow the facts to their honest and logical conclusions.
THE ATHEIST OR CLEAR THINKER HAS ONLY TO RECONCILE
HIS CONCLUSIONS
WITH THE FACTS AND THE TRUTH OF A MATTER.
When Atheists approach a problem they look for the facts. They know facts do not stand alone, but depend on many other proven facts. Also, they have nothing to defend, nothing, which needs an apology, and nothing, which needs an explanation. The reason for this is, THE ATHEIST (OR CLEAR THINKER) IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH. He is not trying to prove any point. He has no point to prove. He simply takes the proven facts and finds out where those facts lead. When the honest man follows the facts, he reaches whatever conclusions are in agreement with all the known and proven facts, and in harmony with the truth and morality of the matter.
It is by this method of following the facts, that Atheists have reached the factual and logical conclusion, that there is no such God as described by the Persians in the Mithraic religion. If NEW FACTS were brought forth which proved there IS such a Mithraic God, those called Atheists (by the religions) would conclude there was indeed such a God. But they would STILL be Atheists. That is, they would still follow the facts. They would still be Clear Thinkers. They would still be Free Thinkers. Think about that for a moment.
So much for now on the "free" in Free Thinking. Look next at the "thinking" in Free Thinking. Later in the "HONEST MAN'S PHILOSOPHY" you can get into the subject of thinking and go into it in some depth. For now, what is the difference between these two approaches to the problem of God's existence?
1.
PROVE God exists.
2. FIND OUT if God exists.
Which one of the approaches promotes thinking, and which prevents thinking? If you are asked to take approach number one, which says, "Prove God exists." thinking has been crippled and made one sided. Since only the holy books give any information on a god, then to follow number one means the "prover" will only look in holy books. He can never have the will or the courage to search what the scientific and civil world has to say about the matter. In other words, he buries his head in the dry sands of the holy books.
And what if you are a Buddhist or a Mithraic believer? Question number one gives you a CONCLUSION and asks you to believe and confirm it. That conclusion may, or may not be correct. But by trying to answer statement number one, you will never know the truth for sure! If you BELIEVE a Hindu God exists, then any simple jumble of statements will constitute "proof" to you.
Approach number one starts with the CONCLUSION that "YOUR" God does in fact exist. That is like trying to build a house by starting with the top of the chimney. One does not start with a finished product, with the answer. One must start with a foundation, at the beginning, with a question and with the known and proven facts and truth of the matter. It must start with the question, "Why?"
What if the first question was: "Prove the Shinto God exists"?
When and how do you know if a Shinto (or Baptist) God exists? Or, if you do not believe one of them does exist, will your mind not rebel at question number one and refuse to function properly? Whether you believe, or do not believe, anytime you set out to PROVE any doctrine or belief, your mind will not function truly and honestly (that is a fact). You cannot think honestly when the question is rigged in favor of a predetermined answer and conclusion! Rather, if you are a believer, your mind will hunt only for those statements or observations which "tend to prove" your predetermined conclusion. Your mind will pass over, ignore and reject those statements, facts and observations that disprove, or tend to disprove, what you are trying to prove. Contrary facts are simply confusions supplied by the Devil to deceive man into rejecting your religion and your God. You want to prove YOUR God exists.
On the other hand, if you select approach number two, which says, "Find out if God exists." your mind will automatically seek facts, statements and observations from BOTH sides of the question. Your mind will be able to think honestly and carefully, because you are now LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH. You are not looking to prove a point or to defend a belief. Using this honest scientific (Atheist) method, you may find out that God does indeed exist, and you will have found out the truth - honestly. You may find out that the Baptist God does exist, but the Shinto God does not exist - honestly.
Wouldn't you like to find out (for sure) if your God really does exist?
This method of approaching problems is what makes Atheism (or Clear Thinking) such a feared foe of religion and government. It is the HONEST approach to the questions and problems of life. It ignores beliefs, conformity and custom. Atheism (or Clear Thinking) hunts for the facts of the matter. Atheism starts with the foundation, at the bottom of the matter, with the facts.
Another way to view the truth of this method is to see the question as one, which is not emotional. Suppose the question was, "Prove there is a Santa Claus." That would be the religious believer's approach. The Clear Thinkers approach would be "Find out if there is a Santa Claus." The difference in approaching the truth should become clearer to you. If one BELIEVES there is a Santa Claus and ignores the contrary evidence, he can "prove" there is a Santa Claus. If he rejects the observations which "tend to disprove" the existence of Santa Claus, then a strong case can be built which "proves" Santa Claus does, in fact, exist. Just reading the Christmas stories, listening to the testimony of the kids, enjoying Christmas music, interviewing the parents in front of the kids and looking at the toys on Christmas day should be enough evidence for anybody. To the Santa Claus believer, the case is closed. Santa does exist.
That is the difference in the religious approach to a matter and the Clear Thinker's approach to the same matter. Atheists use the scientific method of honestly studying the facts. The religious believers use the "BELIEF AND TESTIMONY" method. Religion always BEGINS with a CONCLUSION instead of looking for the facts and the truth of the matter. Religion accepts hearsay, testimony and belief as proofs. Honesty does not. Gossip is religion's best (and only) proof of the claims it makes.
Atheism (or Clear Thinking) is FREEDOM to seek the truth. Religion is control of the mind that binds the mind to a predetermined conclusion. To be a religious believer one must NOT THINK. (Hang on! I will prove that statement later.) The believers must let someone else do their thinking for them. The religious person must always believe and accept what is taught by their religious authorities. Otherwise, why are you not a member of ALL the religions? Or, a different one? One must only seek to PROVE those things, which their religion teaches. Those who are religious must always defend and prove their belief. They must rate belief in their religious authorities higher than they rate the facts and the truth of the matter. The believer, who seeks only to "prove" his belief, ignores the only HONEST question he could ask. That question is:
"IS MY BELIEF TRUE, OR IS MY BELIEF FALSE?"
There is a word I would like to see added to the name Atheists (or Clear Thinkers) have given to themselves. In the title, "Free Thinker" should be placed the word "HONEST". Thus, "Honest Free Thinker" would describe the total philosophy of Atheism. It would acquaint the world and religious believers with the fact, so called, Atheists are really FREE to THINK. They are free to think honestly, because they do not have to end up agreeing with some predetermined conclusion. They do not have to agree with some prescribed belief. They do not have to agree with some religious authority. They have only to honestly agree with the known facts. HONEST ATHEISTS (CLEAR THINKERS) are FREE to hunt for the TRUTH of the matter. How sweet it is - to be honest! How sweet it is to be an Atheist!
We will have many details of these things and more in the "HONEST MAN'S PHILOSOPHY". If you are a believer, this might be the first time in your life you have the opportunity to THINK freely and honestly. Use the opportunity wisely.
GOOD GODS APPROVE OF HONEST THOUGHT.
Now, let's define the Atheist philosophy which religion has falsely called Atheism. There is no legal, specific or agreed upon definition, which I have ever read, or heard, which clearly defines it. Of course, that is the way it is with a censored philosophy. Almost all of the dictionaries define Atheism as: "The doctrine that there is no God; disbelief in the existence of God." Again, that is the Christian definition of this philosophy. IT IS FALSE!
The definition of Atheism, as given in the dictionaries, is like defining tuberculosis as a fever and cough. The fever is a result of tuberculosis. Fever and cough are only two symptoms or conclusions of tuberculosis. Likewise, to describe Atheism as the doctrine that there is no God is not to describe Atheism at all. Rather, it is to describe ONE of the many CONCLUSIONS of this philosophy.
The absence of the Hindu Gods as described by the Hindu Holy Books is a conclusion, which comes as a result of honestly following the known facts. This "no-God" conclusion is not a belief or a doctrine. It is a product of the facts, just as four is the product of two plus two. Atheism could have just as easily been described in the dictionaries as: The doctrine that there is no Santa Claus, disbelief in the existence of Santa Claus. They could have called it "Asantaism".
Falsely describing something is called, CENSORSHIP! It is also called lying and hypocrisy.
It does amaze me that no Atheist has ever been asked to define Atheism for the dictionaries, reference books or encyclopedias. Now think about that for a moment. Think of the power of censorship involved. Think about the political power it takes in order to define a powerful and true philosophy falsely in the major reference books in this country.
What if some group had the power to officially define Christianity as, "The doctrine that by following the teachings of a condemned Jewish criminal and believing in some magic words a person will never die?"
That IS the definition of Christianity given in the eight century by a Turkish scholar of the Islamic faith. That definition demonstrates censorship power in action.
You, however, will not have to suffer through life being ignorant of the definition of Atheism and the Atheist philosophy (falsely called Atheism). I shall give you one of my definitions of this philosophy (and later more in the HONEST MAN'S PHILOSOPHY). Here it is. Read it several times and try to put it in your own words.
Atheism is the philosophy of life that shapes its morality, its conclusions and its approach to life, from an honest, logical analyzation of the known and proven facts. It is the honest, logical, scientific approach to the problems and conflicts of morality, religion and the concepts of life.
Notice nothing was said about God in this definition. You will also notice nothing was said about demons, devils, angels or tuberculosis. Nothing was said about faith, belief or miracles. The reason these things were not mentioned is, they have absolutely nothing to do with the PHILOSOPHY of ATHEISM. Those things are only SUBJECTS to be explored for the facts in the same way we explore and study politics, law, mathematics or economics.
On the other hand, any definition of a religion MUST, of necessity, include the terms faith, belief, God, Christ, Jesus, Mohammed, Allah, etc. The point is, the Atheist philosophy, falsely called Atheism, is NOT A FAITH OR BELIEF. Religion, to the contrary, is just that, A FAITH OR A BELIEF. Here is a second definition.
Atheism is the scientific method of examining the facts of a matter and logically determining the truth of the matter. It is the art of conducting one's life in the light of, and on the basis of, the facts and conclusions of that truth.
Religion is BELIEF. It is accepting on faith something, which is taught by an AUTHORITY. Atheism is exactly the opposite of religion. Honest people do not accept something just because it is being taught by an authority, nor do they accept any teaching on faith. Atheists study the facts.
Religion wants you to believe and obey your authorities. It wants you to become child-like. Religion demands BELIEF and OBEDIENCE. "Except you become as little children you can not inherit the kingdom of God."
Atheism (or Clear Thinking) is hard, honest, mature, adult work. It demands that you logically and honestly analyze every important claim put before you. Atheism and honest Clear Thinking demands that you check for the facts of these religious, political, economical or personal claims.
Religion to the contrary, is taught as a passive and easy FAITH or BELIEF, requiring nothing but consent, surrender and obedience. Believe and obey!
Clear Thinking is an active and sweaty philosophy of life, which demands:
HONEST THINKING AND MORAL CONFORMITY TO TRUTH.
Religious believers are afraid to think honestly. They must only BELIEVE and OBEY. To be honest means to examine BOTH the pros and cons of the matter, and that is called THINKING. Real honest thinking BEGINS with Honest Doubt. But, to the religious believers, doubt is the worst SIN. Honest Atheists are afraid NOT to think. Honest Logical Thinking is the life's blood of the Atheist philosophy. Belief is poison to the Honest Thinker. Honest Thinking is poison to the believers. Believe and obey are the sovereign commands of ALL religions.
You can begin to see now, the Atheist philosophy is badly misnamed when it is called Atheism by religion. Next in the HONEST MAN'S PHILOSOPHY, you will see some of the reasons why religion felt it necessary to mislead its followers concerning this philosophy.
I am not making fun of any religion. I am trying to make sense for you. I am asking you to think. Does thinking scare you? Belief and not thinking scares me.
THINK ABOUT IT!