Problems associated with atheism

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See also Atheism

Because God, or the gods, do not exist does not mean nothing is sacred nor that the accumulated wisdom of revelation and worship is not a precious resource.

Atheism is a trivial and blindingly obvious position, but does not, in itself, offer any solution to the issues and concerns addressed by spirituality and religion. Applied as a bare rejection of religion, it fails to provide solutions to the fundamental human problems religion grapples with, such as how to relate to one another, how to deal with events like birth, marriage, and death, and how to make peace with existence.

These matters are addressed by philosophy, but such inquiries do not generally provide cultural solutions usable by the mass of humanity. To the extent they are addressed by popular culture, solutions offered are often ridiculously inappropriate. "If it feels good, do it" is one notorious example.

Atheism is often advanced by individuals who engage in some activity forbidden by religion, serving as a rationalization for rejection of conventional morality, or, indeed, of any restriction on their personal freedom. Such representations are not about God, but about opposition to social control, both appropriate and inappropriate.

Religious authorities are not helpful with respect to the problem of atheism, as almost all reject disbelief in God or other absurdities such as the Virgin Birth or the Resurrection of Christ, instead insisting that faith, belief in the absence, or in opposition to, evidence, is a virtue.

Further reading

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