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Atheistic Philosophies
Many belief systems look upon the world as all there is. These include atheism, materialism and more.
Here a man is beset with doubts about life and the Gods, yet all the while they are nearby, guiding his path
toward the certainty that comes of personal spiritual experience.
In this section we examine the beliefs of four philosophies or world views that exclude God: materialism,
Communism, existentialism, and secular humanism. Of course, there are many smaller isms that could be listed here,
but these are among the most prevalent. Their ideas and teachings have great influence throughout the world,
especially in Western universities and the Western news media.
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Materialism
Materialism is the view that "nothing exists except matter and its movements
and modifications." In practice it is "devotion to material needs or desires to
the neglect of spiritual matters; a way of life, opinion or tendency based
entirely upon material interests" (Oxford Engligh Dictionary). There is a
vast range of philosophies based on materialism, often embracing the philosophy
of Western science, including determinism, or predetermination, the view that
events occur by natural law and the results can be the only one's possible.
MATERIALIST BELIEFS
- I believe that all religious endeavor is a waste of time and energy, that
there is no God, and all so-called paranormal or psychic phenomena are
quackery and superstition.
- I believe that there is no such thing as the soul; death of the body is
death of the mind, and there is no reincarnation or afterlife.
- I believe that the material universe, governed by natural laws and chance,
is the ultimate and only reality and that all apparently nonmaterial
substances, such as mind, are explicable as modifications of matter.
- I believe that science is the means of understanding all the secrets of
the universe, for all phenomena are the result of material processes which are
governed by predictable, natural laws.
- I believe that free will is an illusion; that each event, being a
fortuitous combination of particles and forces, can only happen in one way and
is thus predetermined (deterministic materialism).
- I believe that there is no objective "higher purpose" in life, no absolute
basis for ethics or morality and no retribution for sin or reward for virtue.
Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain are the only two goals rational men will
pursue -- what pleases me is good, what pains me is bad (hedonistic
materialism).
- I believe that all novel qualities of existence can be derived from
changing material conditions -- that men's mental and spiritual life, their
ideas and aims, reflect their material conditions of existence (dialectical
materialism).
- I believe that though not all things consist of matter or its
modifications, whatever exists can be satisfactorily explained in natural
terms (modified or naturalistic materialism).
- I believe that man, the highest and most complex of the evolutionary
process prevailing throughout the universe, may continue to evolve into an
even more perfect being or higher species (utopian materialism).
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Communism
Communism emerged around the turn of the 20th century in present-day Russia
as "a hypothetical stage of socialism, as formulated by Marx, Engels, Lenin and
others, to be characterized by a utopian classless and stateless society and the
equal distribution of economic goods and to be achieved by revolutionary and
dictatorial, rather than gradualistic, means" (Webster's New World
Dictionary). Communism is proudly atheistic and seeks to liberate mankind
from superstition and "spiritual bondage."
COMMUNIST BELIEFS
- I believe there is no God and no knowable providential order, that this
physical world is the only reality, physical beings are the only real beings,
and reason is man's highest faculty.
- I believe religion is "the opiate of the people," an exploiters' tool of
oppression that should be eliminated and its resources redirected to improving
world conditions to lift mankind from misery.
- I believe mysticism and religion are primitive and fraught with error,
prejudice and superstition, and that modern science, based on materialism and
empirical evidence, is the only respectable avenue to useful knowledge.
- I believe that each person has but a single life and that death is final.
Therefore, in this life we are to attain all that is deemed worthwhile and
express our finer qualities in service to the greater social good.
- I believe that as in the case of nature, history evolves in a continuous
line from lower to higher forms, from tribalism, feudalism and capitalism to
its final maturity in socialism, and that the collapse of capitalism and the
establishment of socialism will usher in an age of peace and plenty, when
state control will no longer be needed.
- I believe that all men are created equal and are inherently good, and that
distinctive attitudes, personalities and experiences are determined solely by
one's environment; therefore, to uplift mankind, improve the environment.
- I believe that the views expressed by our great Marxist revolutionaries
represent the one and only correct world outlook, and that it is imperative to
overthrow the capitalist regimes, through violent revolution if necessary, to
usher in a new order.
- I believe that the world's wealth should be shared equally, and that
unequal distribution caused by class distinctions, is the root of all social
evils, driving men to greed, selfishness and exploitation. Economic necessity
is the basic moving force in society.
- I believe there is no knowable providential order, that death is
permanent, that God does not exist and that the highest life is one of intense
consciousness.
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Existentialism
Existentialism arose in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. It teaches that
God does not exist, or cannot be known, and affirms individuality and freedom.
Stress is on transcendence of the mundane world through exaltation of will, the
meaninglessness of existence and the absence of a substratum upon which to base
truths or values. Man simply exists, free to create his own meaning in life. It
is, however, important to bear in mind that there is a vital strain of
religious, or quasi-religious, existentialism as well.
EXISTENTIALIST BELIEFS
- I believe that there is no knowable providential order in nature or in the
larger realm of existence or cosmos.
- I believe that the being of man is ultimately meaningless, which is to say
that man knows not why he exists and cannot rise to the knowledge of his
destiny.
- I believe that each man is an individual and should break his dependence
on society and rely solely upon his own individual life, spirit, personality
and thought.
- I believe that immortality is not a condition of man. Death is quite
realistically seen as an ultimate end and radical fact which cannot be
overcome. Man should not tolerate even an anguished hope of personal survival.
- I believe that harmony and security in human relationships are impossible
to achieve, and the only satisfactory attitude toward others is based upon
explicit recognition of this fact.
- I believe that "Evil is not an illusion. It is not the effect of passions
which might be cured, or a fear which might be overcome. It is not an
ignorance which might be enlightened. Evil cannot be redeemed" (Sartre).
- I believe that God does not exist.
- I believe that the highest and best life is lived in the intensity of
being fully conscious of the life experience. This experience necessarily
contains problems, struggle, suffering and conflict. This is man's unalterable
reality within which his free, creative action and choice gives birth to the
fullness of consciousness which would otherwise be deadened by security and
contentment.
- I believe that the soul of man is not whole without such unpleasant things
as death, anxiety, guilt, fear and trembling, and despair. It would be the
final error of reason to deny that these emotions exist, or to strive to
manipulate them out of existence. Therefore, it can be said that nothing can
be accomplished by denying that man is essentially a troubled being, except to
make more trouble.
More on Existentialism
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Secular Humanism
Humanism is "a modern, nontheistic, rationalist movement that holds that man
is capable of self-fulfillment, ethical conduct, etc., without recourse to
supernaturalism" (Webster's New World Dictionary). By the term
secular this stream distinguishes itself from theistic (Christian)
humanism. Secular humanism evolved out of 18th-century rejection of revealed
Christianity and the emergence of modern science and free thought. Modern
secular humanists condemn and refute all assertions of divine or paranormal
phenomena.
SECULAR HUMANIST BELIEFS
- I believe in nontheism, as there is no rational proof for the existence of
God, and do not delude myself with thoughts of a Supreme Being.
- I believe that traditional religions and faiths preach false doctrines,
are oppressive and lead their followers toward ignorance, bigotry and
dogmatism, and that it is my duty to be actively skeptical of and challenge
the illusions of orthodox religions and all attempts to explain the world in
supernatural terms.
- I believe in the preservation and enhancement of the human species as my
ultimate concern, and in the global human family, which must preserve the
Earth for future generations through developing a secular, planetary morality
and system of law.
- I believe that living a good, moral life is the best means for individual
and collective happiness and that morality has a rational, secular basis.
- I believe in expanding human rights and intellectual and moral freedom,
and in secular democracy, with strict separation of church and state, as the
means of eliminating discrimination and attaining equality and justice for
all.
- I believe in the development of the creative human potential through
education in the arts and sciences and in the paramount importance of free
inquiry in an open, pluralistic, universalist society.
- I believe in the application and development of reason and modern science
as the highest means to understanding the universe, solving human problems and
enabling each individual to realize his greatest potential.
- I believe in striving for fulfillment and happiness in this life and
reject all notions of reincarnation and afterlife as false and baseless,
seeking my fullest capacity as a human being here and now, serving others and
creating a better, more just world.
- I believe in Darwin's theory of evolution as scientific fact, and in
naturalism, holding that the known world is all that exists, and that it has
no supernatural or spiritual creation, control or significance.
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