Definition of
Atheism
In order to understand the meaning of the term atheism, it is necessary, first of all, to determine its etymological origin. In this sense, it must be said that it emanates from the Greek, specifically it is the result of the sum of three components:
• The prefix “a-“, which is equivalent to “without”.
• The noun “theos”, which can be translated as “God”.
• The suffix “-ism”, which is synonymous with “doctrine”.
Therefore, we can say that the meaning of this word is “doctrine that does not believe in God.”
Atheism is the condition of those who they do not believe in God. He atheisttherefore, is a person who disbelieves in any type of divinity or supernatural entity. It can be said that atheism is the opposite of theismthe doctrine of those who maintain the existence of one or more divinities.
Many people clearly confess to being atheists because they consider, for example, that if a God really existed, not only would he not allow the evils that devastate the population, but he would also prevent innocent human beings from suffering all kinds of pain, damage, and miserable situations.
Sometimes atheism is confused with agnosticism. Agnostics, however, do not reject the possibility that there is a God, but consider that the divine is beyond human comprehension and, therefore, they ignore its eventual existence. Atheists, on the other hand, do not believe in divinities (or, in other words, they believe that God does not exist).
Another common confusion arises between atheism and those who oppose all religion. Atheism, in essence, consists of disbelieving in the existence of God. This is not contrary to certain religious creeds or practices: the buddhismfor example, does not contemplate the presence of gods, so it can be said that it is an atheist religion.
Numerous are the figures that, throughout history and up to the present day, have openly stated that they are atheists. Thus, for example, in Spain we can highlight filmmakers like Alejandro Amenábar, thinkers like Fernando Savater, actors like Fernando Guillén or illustrious writers like Pío Baroja.
It is difficult to quantify the number of people who advocate atheism. However, the studies carried out have established that where there are the greatest number of them is in the European continent and in Australia, compared to the United States where it is minimal.
Among the European countries with the highest percentage of atheists are Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Czech Republic or the Netherlands. On the contrary, where atheism has less presence is in Poland, Ireland, Romania or Turkey, among others.
Within atheism itself there are different conceptions or trends. The so-called strong atheism rejects the existence of any kind of divinity and maintains that there are explanations of various kinds to rationally justify what theists attribute to God.
He weak atheismcloser to agnosticism, does not rely on refuting the existence of God: instead, he limits himself to stating that he does not believe in Him and that, in fact, the idea of “existence” cannot be applied to something impossible to verify from the experience.