by Michael Mikolajczyk

Created on: March 10, 2009

Asking what an atheist means is, in many ways, a loaded and incorrect question to ask. Not only are all atheists not the same, but it is akin to asking "What do theists believe in?" Just as "theist" does not specify a religion, and therefore leaves the spectrum open from polytheistic Hinduism to monotheistic Islam, saying "atheism" attempts to pigeonhole all atheists into a comfortable box.

To clarify, Atheism is not a religion. I repeat, Atheism is not a religion. Despite what many people think, saying that someone is atheist tells you nothing more than the fact that they do not believe in a supreme being. It tells you what they do not believe, but nothing of what they do.

In fact, atheism can be a part of another religion, as in the case of some members of the United Unitarian church. It is merely one "doctrine," so to speak, in the vast ocean of beliefs.

Nevertheless, what many people intend to learn when this question is asked is something more akin to "What do you believe about morality, the afterlife, justice, etc.?" In some ways, this is a very valid question; it was a common internal question that I had many times during the period in which I was religious.

Still, it is a question that would have to be asked to each and every individual atheist to be completely true. As with so many things in the world, for every face, there is a different belief. Often, however, there are a few universal atheist beliefs, of which I will share three:

First, there is the belief in the value of life - not only human life, but rather all life. The lack of a belief in a soul tends to put many atheists in a place of perspective towards all other life. After all, with no soul, we are not "special," we are merely another animal in the vast and inspiring biosphere. This is not to say that atheists are vegetarian or vegan
some may be, but many are not. It is more a realization that we should not attempt to dominate life nor to "strip-mine" this planet we call home of all of its natural beauty, resources, and diversity of organisms for human gain.

Second, there is the value of reason. To many, faith is a virtue; but to atheists, faith is a disease. Why is the concept that believing in something in the face of contradictory or at least negligible evidence something to be praised? Is not reason, the foundation of science, logic, philosophy, and life itself the true virtue?

Finally, there is the desire of freedom. True, the longing for freedom is universal and not confined to the annals of atheism. The freedom I speak of, however, is not physical ability to live, but rather the emotional ability to think. In too many cultures throughout our world and throughout history have valued oppression over free thought; dogma over doubt. Most atheists will agree that when presented with rational evidence and allowed to think for themselves, human beings will, for the most part, react in a rational way.

I do not speak of the belief or lack of belief in an afterlife, nor things such as extraterrestrial life or the basis of morality because those, unlike the three outlined, are very personal and unique. Asking what an atheist believes may be the incorrect question, but the valuable thing is to continue asking something. Never stop wondering. Never stop questioning. Never cease to partake in that oldest of educational methods the act of asking "Why?"

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