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Atheism For Dummies® Published by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. 6045 Freemont Blvd. Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 6045 Freemont Blvd., Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. For authorization to photocopy items for corporate, personal, or educational use, please contact in writing The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For more information, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free, 1-800-893-5777. 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For general information on John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., including all books published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., please call our distribution centre at 1-800-567-4797. For reseller information, including discounts and premium sales, please call our sales department at 416-646-7992. For press review copies, author interviews, or other publicity information, please contact our publicity department, Tel. 416-646-4582, Fax 416-236-4448. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data McGowan, Dale Atheism for dummies / Dale McGowan. Includes index. 1. Atheism. I. Title. BL2747.3.M354 2013 211’.8 C2012-906678-8 ISBN 978-1-11850920-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-50921-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-50922-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118- 50924-1 (ebk) Printed in the United States About the Author Dale McGowan, PhD, conducted orchestras, earned a doctorate in music composition, and spent 15 years as a college professor before chucking it all to become a writer. Editor and co-author of Parenting Beyond Belief (“A compelling read”—Newsweek) and Raising Freethinkers, the two top-selling books for nonreligious parents, Dale also offers secular parenting workshops in cities across North America and writes a popular blog for nonreligious parents called “The Meming of Life” (www.parentingbeyondbelief.com\\blog). Dale edited the historical anthology Voices of Unbelief: Documents by Atheists and Agnostics, and reviewers have called his satirical novel Calling Bernadette’s Bluff “an undoubted triumph of satire” and “a riot.” He was named 2008 Harvard Humanist of the Year for his work in nonreligious parenting. In addition to writing and speaking, he is the founding executive director of Foundation Beyond Belief, a nonprofit charitable foundation focusing and encouraging humanist generosity and compassion. Dale lives near Atlanta with his wife and three kids. To learn more or to contact Dale, visit DaleMcGowan.com. Dedication This book is dedicated to my parents, Dave and Carol McGowan, who raised me to be curious about the real world and never told me there was a thought I couldn’t think. To my kids, Connor, Erin, and Delaney, to whom I return the favor. And to Becca, the perfect partner for a great adventure. Author’s Acknowledgments Thanks first of all to the great and friendly atheist Hemant Mehta, the first person to think I’d be a good person to write this book. I’m deeply indebted to Ed Buckner and Amanda Metskas, two giants of the freethought world who took the time to read this book while it was in progress and whose rod and staff guided me when I went astray. Greta Christina and Jennifer Michael Hecht are the two great writers and thinkers on whose work I’ve drawn more than any others for this project. Immense thanks to the staff and interns at Foundation Beyond Belief who kept things humming while I wrote: Airan Wright, Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, Claire Vinyard, Kelly Wright, Walker Bristol, Joshua Brose, Cathleen O’Grady, Andrew Geary, Sam Shore, Sarah Hamilton, Kate Donovan, Chana Messinger, Corey Glasscock, Lauren Lane . . . and special praise for the dynamic duo of Noelle George and AJ Chalom. A hat tip to my blog readers at The Meming of Life who helped plumb the depths of several big questions. Many thanks to the professional and supportive team at John Wiley & Sons, Inc., especially Anam Ahmed and Chad Sievers, and my splendid agent Dr. Uwe Stender. Finally, all thanks and love to my wife, Becca, who also read and improved every page, and our three spectacular kids, Connor, Erin, and Delaney. You make it all worthwhile. Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at 877-762-2974, outside the United States at 317- 572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions and Editorial Associate Acquisitions Editor: Anam Ahmed Production Editor: Lindsay Humphreys Project Editor: Chad R. Sievers Copy Editor: Chad R. Sievers Editorial Assistant: Kathy Deady Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Cover photo: © Kasiam / iStock Composition Services Senior Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Creasey, Joyce Haughey Proofreaders: Susan Moritz, Wordsmith Editorial Indexer: Ty Koontz John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Deborah Barton, Vice President and Director of Operations Jennifer Smith, Vice-President and Publisher, Professional Development Alison Maclean, Managing Editor Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher David Palmer, Associate Publisher Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Atheism For Dummies® Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/atheism to view this book's cheat sheet. Table of Contents Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Part I: Understanding What Atheism Is Part II: Following Atheism through the Ages Part III: Reading the Great Works of Atheism Part IV: Living a Full Life without Belief in God Part V: The Part of Tens Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here Part I: Understanding What Atheism Is Chapter 1: Meeting Atheism Getting a Grip on Atheism Seeing the many forms and faces of religious disbelief Examining what nonbelievers believe and don’t believe — and why Seeing the Progression of Atheism In the distant past and in different cultures The 19th century The 20th century Atheism today Examining Atheism in the Written Word Understanding What Atheism Means in Everyday Life Chapter 2: Unweaving the Rainbow of Disbelief Tomato, Tomahto? The Wonderful, Maddening World of Atheist Labels Defining atheism: Implicit versus explicit Coming to terms: A quick look at labels Answering the capital question: Is it Atheist or atheist? Believing and Disbelieving by Degrees Roberts’s rule: “We are both atheists” Russell’s labels: Why most atheists are agnostics and vice versa Dawkins’s degrees: The seven-point belief scale Emphasizing Doubt: Agnostics Aren’t Sure (and Neither Are You) Discovering Humanism: The Thousand Steps That Follow Looking at the world in a different way Coming to terms with terms: Humanist or secular humanist? Seeing the humanist heart of atheism Forcing a Square Peg into a Round Hole: The Unpigeonholeables Believing in a different kind of creator: Deists Seeing nature as God: Pantheists Being religious without a god: Religious atheists Moving beyond labels: The rise of the Nones Chapter 3: Recognizing What Atheists Do and Don’t Believe — and Why Understanding Why Atheists Don’t Believe in God Crossing from the will to believe to “the will to find out” Getting a handle on confirmation bias Asking new questions Comparing religions Reading the Bible Admitting the weakness of the arguments and evidence Solving the complexity problem Noticing the steady retreat of religious answers Getting humble about humanness Coming (really, really) late to the party Grasping the size of the universe Seeing that the universe is just as you would expect it to be without a God Knowing What Most Atheists Actually Do Believe Seeing the natural universe as all there is — and enough Accepting that this is our one and only life Valuing ethical behavior Taking responsibility for ourselves and each other Asserting that God is actually “that kind of question” Addressing the negative consequences of religious belief Discovering meaning and purpose Realizing that a universe without God can be even more wonderful and inspiring Setting Aside Misconceptions: Things That Few (If Any) Atheists Believe That there is no right and wrong That life arose and evolved by chance That all religion is the same That religion has made no positive contributions Answering the Question: Is Science Incompatible with Belief in God? Part II: Following Atheism through the Ages Chapter 4: Finding Atheism in the Ancient World Uncovering What the Ancients Believed (Or Didn’t) Leaping Forward: The Axial Age Inferring Unbelief in Ancient Judea Finding Unbelief in Ancient China Understanding the concept of t’ien (heaven . . . but not quite) Getting to the roots of Confucianism Visiting ancient India: 320 million gods and none at all Whispering doubts in Ancient Greece and Rome Chapter 5: Going Medieval Continuing to Doubt in Medieval India Putting atheist Hinduism front and center Calling out “foolish men” — Jinasena Sweeping Out the Superstitions in China