Atheists and Ethics

Thanks to Daylight Atheism for posting this article ~ Atheists Put Their Faith In Ethical Behavior

In a nutshell, atheists believe in reason alone, in those things that can be arrived at through intellect and the scientific method. Concrete evidence for God, they argue, simply doesn't exist. They don't cotton to leaps of faith or anything that involves a supernatural being reaching into human lives. They believe you can live a happy, respectable life based on human ethics that were derived not from God handing down a tablet but from a code of rules that emerged naturally through an evolutionary process in which humans learned how to live together successfully.

Atheists as a group do not believe anything as a matter of course. The only thing, by definition, that they have in common, is a lack of belief in god/gods. An atheist can assert an individual position about politics, culture, economics etc, but cannot accurately state that atheists all share the same concept. Therefore there are capitalist atheists, socialist atheists, fiscally conservative atheists, leftwing atheists and rightwing atheists etc etc. I am spelling all this out because for some reason, theists have a very inaccurate view of what an atheist is. There is no doctrine, dogma or tenets of belief associated with being an atheist. There is only the definition of what an atheist is and there are enough atheists who will argue which dictionary definition to use and which one is accurate.

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Having said this, many atheists but not all, are secular humanists. Secular humanism does describe a world view, and secular humanists do believe in certain elements and principles. For example, I am atheist. My position as an atheist is that I have a lack of belief in god/gods/goddesses etc. Or, simply put, if a theist has a belief in god (normally a specific god or definition), ~~ I don't. A theist is someone WITH god belief, and an atheist is someone WITHOUT god belief. I am also an atheist who is a secular humanist, and it is as a secular humanist that I am specifically defined.

From ~ What Is Secular Humanism? Secular humanism describes a world view with the following elements and principles:

• Need to test beliefs - A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
• Reason, evidence, scientific method - Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific
  methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
• Fulfillment, growth, creativity - A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual
  and humankind in general.
• Search for truth - A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience
  constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
• This life - A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of
  ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
• Ethics - A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
• Building a better world - A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

So, it is more precise to say ~

"SECULAR HUMANISTS believe in those things that can be arrived at through intellect and the scientific method. They don't cotton to leaps of faith or anything that involves a supernatural being reaching into human lives. They believe you can live a happy, respectable life based on human ethics that were derived not from God handing down a tablet but from a code of rules that emerged naturally through an evolutionary process in which humans learned how to live together successfully."

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For further information on Secular Humanism please read ~ A Secular Humanist Declaration Issued In 1980 By The Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism (now the Council for Secular Humanism)