In early modern times, the first explicit atheist known by name was the German-languaged Danish critic of religion Matthias Knutzen (1646–after 1674), who published three atheist writings in 1674.
The first known explicit atheist was the German critic of religion Matthias Knutzen in his three writings of 1674.
Thomas Hobbes, 'Father of Atheists'
The 5th-century BCE Greek philosopher Diagoras is known as the "first atheist", and strongly criticized religion and mysticism. Epicurus was an early philosopher to dispute many religious beliefs, including the existence of an afterlife or a personal deity.
“There are growing numbers of atheists/agnostics in countries across the world,” said Dr Lanman. “Our recently completed 'Understanding Unbelief' programme looked beyond the stereotypes and helped to document some of the world's rich diversity in atheism and agnosticism.
Atheism is one thing: A lack of belief in gods.
Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system.
According to sociologist Phil Zuckerman, broad estimates of those who have an absence of belief in a deity range from 500 to 750 million people worldwide. Other estimates state that there are 200 million to 240 million self-identified atheists worldwide, with China and Russia being major contributors to those figures.
Although some atheists are raised outside of a formal religion; many of them are raised with some informal belief in a god that they later ,reject, anq'. most atheists are raised inside a formal religion and later "convert" to atheism (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1997).
The Real Face of Atheism systematically examines atheistic positions on human nature, the meaning of life, morality, the "First Cause," death, and more. Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020) was president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and host of the radio program Let My People Think.
Broadly speaking, atheists can come in three varieties: the nonreligious, the nonbelievers, and the agnostic.
The Chinese government is wary of religion for several reasons. China is officially an atheist state and Communist Party members are banned from believing in or practicing any faith; there is concern that religion can function as an alternative to Communism and thus undermine loyalty to the government.
Modern growth. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. In 1990, 1.1 billion people were Muslims, while in 2010, 1.6 billion people were Muslims.
Adherents hold that Hinduism—one of the principal faiths in the modern world, with about one billion followers—is the world's oldest religion, with complete scriptural texts dating back 3,000 years.
"We don't share it much, but we're really religious," she went on to explain. "We start our day with a group chat with a Bible verse from my mom, and everyone chimes in on the meaning of it. We are very Christian — and our work ethic and our discipline comes from so many years at Catholic school."
In both samples, the study showed that those with documented religious affiliations lived an average of 9.45 and 5.64 years longer respectively than those who did not.
An agnostic theist believes in the existence of one or more gods, but regards the basis of this proposition as unknown or inherently unknowable. The agnostic theist may also or alternatively be agnostic regarding the properties of the god or gods that they believe in.
Generally atheism is a denial of God or of the gods, and if religion is defined in terms of belief in spiritual beings, then atheism is the rejection of all religious belief.
Church attendance has rebounded recently but remains slightly below pre-pandemic levels. A 2021 Gallup poll revealed another grim number for Christians: church membership in the US has fallen below 50% for the first time.
For atheists, holiday celebrations can range from nonexistent to the full family affair. Some folks have started celebrating “Newtonmas,” named in honor of English scientist Isaac Newton, who was born December 25 by the Julian calendar in use in England at the time.
ag·nos·tic ag-ˈnä-stik. əg- Synonyms of agnostic. : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as God) is unknown and probably unknowable. broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god.
Ps 53:1, “The fool has said in his heart that God does not punish him.” Accordingly, the atheists of the Bible are those who believe God takes no notice of human behavior, either to reward or to punish.