Is atheism the new way to go?

This debate between religion and science has raged on for far too long to recall, with some claiming that religion is the only way for a human to have morals and be prevented from harming another person. They very often state that when a person feels that they're being watched by a higher power, they feel it's necessary to be nice or they could burn in hell in their afterlife. 

On the other hand, we have atheism. Atheism, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the disbelief or lack of belief in a god or gods. They believe that in order to have morale, a person does not need to believe in God. As human beings, we have a sense of right from wrong, and any person who thinks murder is wrong just because God says so, well, let's just say that it's scary. Also, believing in an invisible higher entity is not everyone's cup of tea. Below, we're going to study in depth both the sides and their arguments.

Religion

This conversation about religion is very complex as, at this very second, there are many religions known in this world that are very faithfully practiced. Almost every religion preaches or pretends that their religion only offers love and acceptance, which is far from the truth. The one religion that claims that their religion only preaches love is Christianity. It does, until and unless you're gay, an atheist, or someone who does not agree. On the other hand, is Islam, whose religious text suggests killing anyone who leaves their faith. 

I'm not in any way implying that all religion has offered us is the worse. There are some good parts, such as:

1. There are many charities that are run by religious people for the upliftment of our society and our economy.

2. Some people's morals and values are entirely dependent on their religion.

3. When you feel that some higher power is looking out for you, it's comforting.

4. It can give you a purpose in life.

There are two sides to each coin. Religion's negative effects on society

1. A huge number of religious people kick out their son or daughter if they come out as homosexual. Because they believe that it is against our design and that their children would lead them towards the depths of hell. As a result, they are being forced to live on the streets.

2. Many of the scriptures present can be seen as sexist . According to this, a woman's value is only when she gets married, has children, and works in the kitchen all day. Women are not supposed to work and support themselves.

3. Similar to the third point, purity culture has been a serious issue that many young women have suffered through and still suffer. It suggests that a woman who's a virgin is pure and a woman who's not is dirty and not worth marrying. The same is never said for a man.

 4. The issue of abortion has been a major issue in politics and religion. Many religious people gather outside of Planned Parenthood to humiliate the workers and women who may seek their services.

 

Atheism

As mentioned before, an atheist is a person who lacks or doesn't believe in God. It is more common than you may think. As an atheist, you believe that in order to have basic morals, empathy, and values, you do not need a religion.

The majority of questions that were once answered by religious texts are now answered by science.There was every religion in the world saying that homosexuality is unnatural, but science proved it's completely natural as it is witnessed in 400+ species, because of which today many churches have started accepting it as normal. So thanks for that.

Why do people choose atheism?

There are many reasons why one may feel inclined towards atheism:

1. Many, if not the majority, of atheists come from religious families and once believed in the existence of God.While at it, they witnessed some hypocracy or just could not convince themselves of a god anymore.

2. Many left religion after getting educated and having a critical view of the world surrounding us. They started questioning things and could not find an answer. As a result, they had to turn their backs on religion. 

3. Atheism is generally accepted by everyone and does not pass quick judgment. The establishment of the Satanic temple can be taken as an example. They are an atheist-based organisation that accepts everyone equally. They support LGBT rights, women's rights, etc. The state of Texas in the United States of America passed a bill, namely the "heartbeat bill" in 2021. This bill prohibits a woman from getting an abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions given to rape and incest. In most cases, a woman doesn't even find out that she's pregnant until 6 weeks. The Satanic church protested against it and stood for the woman's right to choose. 

 

So the conclusion of the entire topic of atheism according to me is, yeah, it can be a new way to go. I, for one, have been an atheist for the past 3 years. No matter what you are, you should try and keep it to yourself and not force it on others, including your children.

Many of you won't agree with me, and I am 100% okay with that. We're all entitled to our opinion.