Atheism – Advantages and Disadvantages
Introduction:Atheism questions the evidence of the existence of God and hence shuns everything religious. They simply do not believe in God. While this is seen as a normal point of view of individuals who have the right to choose what they want to believe in and what not, there are many countries where atheism is criminalized.
A certain news report claims that there are around 13 countries in the world that have laws which enable them to impose death penalty on atheists. While this is a crying shame, it should be noted that atheists do face many other disadvantages in secular countries too. Accepting them is something that society is not very keen about and most of times atheists are even afraid to admit their dead faith.
Even though these are not written rules, extremists have always tortured atheists claiming that their lack of faith is a dangerous thing for the world and its people. Atheism is not a modern concept as some believe it to be but has certainly become more popular in current times.
Advantages:1. Non conflicting ideas: Being an atheists often comes with contradictory ideologies that the society thrusts upon people but on the inside, atheists are free of conflicting ideas. They do not need to debate almost every time some stranger comments or offends any religion for they not believe in religion. They do not ever get into heated debates about which religion is better than the other.
2. Satisfied with their own theories: They believe in scientific explanations and do not dwell on mythologies that are most of the time impossible to believe in unless you are a blind follower. Their reasons and concepts are clear and they are happy about whatever they believe to be true. Satisfaction at heart is the most important thing people seek and atheism brings it in the most literary and non-mythical way.
3. Free of controversial facts: Every religion has some facts included in their sacred books that lead to controversy unless the person gives up reasoning and accepts just what the book has to say. Atheists are free of these confusions. They do not have to fight their own religious concepts to make them accept that theirs is the most supreme form of religion in the whole world. No gory details of what would happen if you don’t pray is one of best advantages that atheists get to live with.
4. Not forced to follow traditions: If you don’t believe in what religion has to say, you are eventually free of being coerced to follow traditions that are totally weird and lack any explanation. You no longer need to explain why you do not want to partake in certain traditions that may be outdated or include customary practices that are not right from your point of view. You can go to occasions that you like while totally avoid those that you despise.
5. You are not being judged: I have heard from atheists that they find it really blissful for not having to worry about your privacy being invaded by an invisible someone who keeps an eye on whatever you are doing and thinking and totally judging you for it. Keeping morals intact, you are totally free to do whatever you want to do without having to worry about two little fellows writing your books of good deeds and sins. Added advantage indeed.
6. More logical: Religion is more about accepting morals without questioning their validity or updating knowledge according to new changes and information. Atheism is all about logical explanations and theists find it easier for them to adapt to new information, knowledge or facts that comes with research through time. Theists, on the other hand, reject updated information when it comes to religion shunning logic completely.
Disadvantages:1. No fear of God: Atheists reject morality that is based on the ground of punishment for evil deeds and rewards for good deeds. They do not fear being answerable to anyone for the unintentional hurt they could cause to anyone. There is no guilt or repentance for they believe in moving on and then restarting afresh even if the transgression they pulled out could have hurt someone’s emotional being.
2. They don’t look for meanings: Atheists are sometimes so satisfied with their logical explanations that they tend to overlook meaningful but indistinct signs of nature. They lack inspiration towards good causes that are usually bound by the idea of sowing good and reaping good. They do not consider the idea of looking beyond the facts and faces towards what lies beneath them. This makes them insensitive to deeper meanings of life which is not always accepted by the society.
3. Hopelessness for afterlife: If you are not a believer, you have to be hopeless about life after death. Losing your dear ones to a tragic event is usually coped by people when they get hope for seeing them one day, afterlife maybe or in a different world. Atheists are left hopeless when they lose a dear one. It feels like the end of togetherness for them. Whatever relation they shared with the gone person seems to meet a dead end at that very moment. Hope is what keeps people going which makes it understandable why atheists could find this a big disadvantage.
4. Condemned: Religious groups, extremists mostly, condemn atheists and detest them as if they are a plague to the society. They are harshly judged for a complete lack of morality and are thought to be evildoers with no sense of guilt to make them repent and find enlightenment or redeeming qualities. While these might not be true, yet atheists are made to face the atrocities of religious groups in most of the countries.
Conclusion:To be an atheist or a theist, a believer or a humanitarian, is the complete choice of an individual. They have every right to be an atheist if they want to be and unless their deeds prove otherwise, society or people should not judge them or treat them as aliens.
Countries that criminalize atheism are seriously backward in times and terms of enlightenment. People must and they do mostly come forth to support freedom of religion, to follow any religion of their choice or to not believe in the existence of God at all.
