About Atheism

The following definition of Atheism was given to the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Murray v. Curlett, 374 U.S. 203, 83 S. Ct. 1560, 10 L.Ed.2d (MD, 1963), to remove reverential Bible reading and oral unison recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the public schools.

“Your petitioners are Atheists and they define their beliefs as follows. An Atheist loves his fellow man instead of god. An Atheist believes that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth for all men together to enjoy.

An Atheist believes that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction, and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue it and enjoy it.

An Atheist believes that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment.

He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An Atheist believes that a deed must be done instead of a prayer said. An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man.

He wants an ethical way of life. He believes that we cannot rely on a god or channel action into prayer nor hope for an end of troubles in a hereafter.

He believes that we are our brother's keepers; and are keepers of our own lives; that we are responsible persons and the job is here and the time is now.”

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Atheism seems to be a sometimes difficult concept for some people of faith to grasp.  They sometimes target atheists and try to convince them that they are in fact only agnostics. ¹

An atheist is someone who does not believe in a god.

An agnostic is someone who has decided there is not enough information to make a judgement and therefore is essentially undecided.

When someone claims to be an atheist and to not believe in god, it is often for the same reason that a person does not believe in fairies, unicorns, or Russel's Teapot.  They find no supporting scientific evidence for it, so they conclude there is no rational reason to believe in it.

An atheist's ethics typically arise from their faculties of logic, reason, or moral intuition, rather than scripture. There is no reason to think that atheists are any less moral or ethical than a person of faith. Secular ethics are not derived from fear of eternal damnation, but from rational thought.

For some more information you can see our FAQs handout.

There are many books, websites, and films about atheism, agnosticism, and freethought.  For more information, please contact our organization with any questions you have and we will be more than happy to recommend some for you. Our email address is: atheists@ualberta.ca

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