Atheism: Believe it or not

The creed that dare not speak its name Atheism, despite being a widely held belief (or lack thereof), has never been popular. While surveys show that nearly 20% of the world’s population doesn’t believe in a deity, it’s not a position many advertise. In the US, there are almost three times as many people who say they don’t believe in God (9%) than [identify as atheists]( (3%). Another 4% say they are agnostics. In part, that’s because for most, disbelief is a passive exercise, not an affirmative action. [Jonathan Miller](, who hosted a BBC series on the history of atheism, says he describes himself as one only reluctantly. “It hardly seems worthwhile having a name for something which scarcely enters my thoughts at all,” he said.But it could also be because in the US, atheists are deeply unpopular. Prejudice against atheism is one of the last socially acceptable biases. The Boy Scouts of America, for example now admit gay and trans troops but maintains [a ban on atheists](. Nearly [half of all Americans]( say they would be unhappy if their son or daughter married an atheist. According [to one poll](, it would be easier for a Muslim or gay person to be elected president than an atheist.Let’s investigate. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Atheism August 25, 2021 The creed that dare not speak its name --------------------------------------------------------------- Atheism, despite being a widely held belief (or lack thereof), has never been popular. While surveys show that nearly 20% of the world’s population doesn’t believe in a deity, it’s not a position many advertise. In the US, there are almost three times as many people who say they don’t believe in God (9%) than [identify as atheists]( (3%). Another 4% say they are agnostics. In part, that’s because for most, disbelief is a passive exercise, not an affirmative action. [Jonathan Miller](, who hosted a BBC series on the history of atheism, says he describes himself as one only reluctantly. “It hardly seems worthwhile having a name for something which scarcely enters my thoughts at all,” he said.But it could also be because in the US, atheists are deeply unpopular. Prejudice against atheism is one of the last socially acceptable biases. The Boy Scouts of America, for example now admit gay and trans troops but maintains [a ban on atheists](. Nearly [half of all Americans]( say they would be unhappy if their son or daughter married an atheist. According [to one poll](, it would be easier for a Muslim or gay person to be elected president than an atheist.Let’s investigate. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [17.8%:]( Share of the world’s population that said it didn’t believe in God, according to the 2017-2020 World Values Survey of 80 countries [82.6%:]( Share of respondents from China who said they didn’t believe in God, the most of any country [0.1%:]( Share of respondents from Tajikistan who said they didn’t believe in God, the least of any country [$1000:]( Sum awarded to US representative Pete Stark, a Democrat from California, by the American Humanist Association, for publicly declaring he didn’t believe in a supreme being, the only member of Congress to do so [16:]( Months Mubarak Bala, a self-described atheist in Nigeria, has been detained without trial on allegations of blasphemy REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Explain it like I’m five! An atheist, an agnostic, and a secular humanist walk into a bar --------------------------------------------------------------- There’s no universally agreed upon definition of atheism. For some, it means an absence of belief in deities. For others, it is the affirmative belief there are no deities. Confusing matters further are other terms non-believers use to describe their attitudes toward religion, or god(s). They include: - Agnosticism. Agnostics do not know if gods exist, either because they are personally unsure, or because they maintain it is ultimately unknowable. - Secular humanism. A philosophy that advocates a morality based on reason and empathy and rejects superstition and religious dogma. - Ethical culture. A movement developed in the 19th century that advances secular humanism, and in some cases constructs [ritualized congregational experiences]( that can mirror religious gatherings. - Brights. [Members of a movement]( that embraces a “naturalistic worldview” and rejects superstition and mysticism. - Nones. A [demographic term]( used for those who select “none” on surveys of religious preferences. Some nones are atheists, while others claim unspecified spiritual beliefs or are simply indifferent to religion. Giphy This one weird trick One nation, under pasta --------------------------------------------------------------- In 2005, Bobby Henderson, a graduate student in physics, wrote a letter to protest the teaching of intelligent design in Kansas schools. If intelligent design—an untested theory which holds that a deity is responsible for creation—can be taught, then why not his belief that the universe was created by a flying spaghetti monster?Thus was born the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), or pastafarianism, a flexible and absurdist religion-slash-satire which exists mainly to expose the contradictions inherent in organized religion and challenge state support of them. Adherents, for example, have fought for the right to wear [pasta colanders on their head in drivers license photos](, reasoning if a turban or hijab is allowed, then a spaghetti strainer should be.Pastafarianism has met some setbacks, including a federal judge who [ruled against an inmate’s petition to hold FSM services](. While the judge ruled FSM was not a religion, he didn’t dismiss it out of hand, either. FSM, he wrote in his order, “is intended to advance an argument about science, the evolution of life, and the place of religion in public education. Those are important issues, and FSMism contains a serious argument.” Quotable “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Yet his shadow still looms!” —[Friedrich Nietzche, “Parable of the Madman”]( (1882) Giphy Pop quiz Which organization doesn’t work to advance the US separation between church and state? National Secular SocietyAmerican Humanist AssociationFree SocietyCenter for Inquiry Correct. Free Society is, among other things, a bathing suit company. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. LISTED In most of the world, being an atheist might result in some awkward conversations around the holidays. But in others, it can mean social ostracization, loss of work opportunities, arrest, or even death. [In these 11 countries](, atheism is punishable by death, either for the crimes of apostasy or blasphemy. 🇦🇫 Afghanistan🇮🇷 Iran🇲🇾 Malaysia🇲🇻 Maldives🇲🇷 Mauritania🇳🇬 Nigeria🇵🇰 Pakistan🇶🇦 Qatar🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates🇾🇪 YemenWhile in practice the laws rarely result in executions—[although it does happen](— they stifle free speech and open inquiry, and force non-believers to lie in order to evade arrest. Brief history [~415 BCE:]( Diagoras of Melos, a Greek poet and playwright is tried in absentia in Athens for impiety. [~815:]( ​​Ibn Al-Rawandi, a Muslim scholar who embraced atheism later in his life, mocking the Quran and comparing prophets to magicians, is born. [1644:]( Roger Williams, the puritan founder of Rhode Island, makes the then-radical claim that “antichristians” are as qualified to hold office as Christians. [1770:]( Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d’Holbach, a French enlightenment writer and critic of religion, publishes The System of Nature, sometimes called the Bible of atheism. [1811:]( Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from Oxford for co-authoring a pamphlet on The Necessity of Atheism. [1843:]( Karl Marx writes “religion is the opiate of the masses” in the introduction of a book of philosophy. The quote is virtually unknown until the 1930s, when Marxism becomes widely studied. [1876:]( Felix Adler founds the New York Society for Ethical Culture to advance the belief that morality is independent of theology. [1880:]( Charles Bradlaugh is elected to the UK parliament but is not seated because he refuses to take a religious oath. [1961:]( The US Supreme Court strikes down a Maryland law requiring state office holders to declare “their belief in God” in Torcaso v. Watkins. [1966:]( Time magazine’s cover asks “Is God Dead?” Giphy take me down this 🐰 hole! The etymology of atheism --------------------------------------------------------------- To the untrained eye, the linguistic origins of “atheism” are obvious, as it appears to follow the [ancient Greek use of “a-” as a negating agent](: a-theism, or without theism (religion). But the word atheism actually predates the word theism, and is believed to be derived from the french, athéisme, which in turn comes from the Greek, [atheos, or “against deities](.” The -ism suffix renders it as “teaching against the gods,” or a doctrine of godlessness. Why does it matter? Some modern atheists prefer a less confrontational definition of atheism, as simply being without religion, as opposed to a definition based on the affirmative argument that there is no god, goddess, or other deity.As philosopher and one-time atheist [Antony Flew wrote]( “I want the word to be understood not positively but negatively… in this interpretation an atheist becomes: not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God; but someone who is simply not a theist.” TED Watch this! Philosopher Alain de Botton argues for an atheism 2.0 that takes the formal belief system of gods and deities out of religion, while preserving the social connections and rituals that sustain and comfort us. Giphy Poll Do you believe in God? [Click here to vote]( Yes!No!Let me get back to you on that. 💬let's talk! In our last poll on [Chromebooks](, 45% of you said you’re not ready to give up your more powerful computing devices, 31% of you are Chromebook curious, and 24% of you read the Obsession on your Chromebook. ✉️ Brandy wrote in to point out that also, there have been no known ransomware attacks on Chromebooks. A couple of you also corrected us for not being consistent on whether you can or can’t do things offline on Chromebooks. You can, you can also download Android and Linux apps, and they do have a small hard drive for some storage purposes. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20Atheism&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) 🎲 [Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Oliver Staley](, edited by [Annaliese Griffin](, and produced by [Jordan Weinstock](. [facebook]([twitter]([external-link]( The correct answer to the quiz is Free Society. Enjoying the Quartz Weekly Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! Want to advertise in the Quartz Weekly Obsession? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. Not enjoying it? No worries. [Click here]( to unsubscribe. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States