do atheists exist?

I asked a friend of mine if he had any suggestions for a new blog post for me. “He said why don’t you write about; why the sky is blue, or perhaps do atheists exist?” If you want to find out why the sky is blue you can go to http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html, but I decided I would write about the second question. Do atheists really exist?

Now I thought about this for a bit, because obviously there are people who call themselves atheists and therefore they must exist?

But in order to answer the question properly we have to look at counter arguments and define atheism. Let’s start with the definition.

“Atheism can be either the rejection of theism,[1] or the position that deities do not exist.[2] In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities.[3].
The term atheism originated from the Greek ἄθεος (atheos), meaning "without gods"”
So this clearly shows that the word indicates that an atheist is a person who does not believe in “gods”.

Is it as simple as that there are no gods and therefore I am an atheist? Or is there more to it?

Some people choose to argue that there is no such thing as an atheist and people who call themselves atheists don’t understand what they are saying.

It took me a while to think about this post because as a Christian I had to separate myself from my own beliefs in order to make a valid argument, unfortunately, I fear I have not done that, but you can be the judge and ridicule me afterwards.

Now taking away the idea of one specific religion, it could be said that if someone worshiped something that something must be a god to that person, for example the sun to the Incas or the ancestors to some African cultures and altars made of gold or possibly the cow in the Indian culture. (I don’t know enough about African cultures to include them all).

Can we agree on the idea that if something is worshiped it is perceived as a god. We all know the sun for example is not a god, however if it went out one day we may start praying for it. But for the point of this argument let us agree that this is the case.

Now if it is the case that if something is worshipped, it could be perceived as a god then it makes it very difficult to decide does atheism really exists. As we all worship something. Are you saying to yourself I don’t worship anything . But the reality is worship can take many forms. It doesn’t have to be bowing on your knees or clapping hands in a church. Worship is simply doing a task with the idea of praising something or someone or for the purpose of achieving a goal that will show appreciation to the person or thing.

Most Christians will try and display a certain type of lovingness and live a righteous life in order to praise God. This is the case in most religions. As this is the case it could be said that your smallest actions can be praising or worshiping something. Are you starting to see where I am going with this? What have you been worshiping lately?

Do you have a “god” that you worship in your life, everyone has something. For most people, here are a few of the more regularly worshipped gods: Sex, or the opposite sex. How much time do you spend trying to get the opposite sex to like you and want to sleep with you? Money, how much time do you “spend” thinking about money, talking about money or trying to make money? Food, is food your god, are you feeling the pounds pack on you while spending your day waiting for your next meal? There are many more but I think my point has been made.

Now we have to ask the question how can you be an atheist if you are constantly worshiping the ‘gods’ stated above. If you follow a specific religion, are you falling into the same traps? Most Christian’s I know have worshipped the above mentioned ‘gods’ .I definitely have worshipped the above mentioned ‘gods’ on many occasion.

My point is we all put our faith in something, whether it be God or something material. People put their faith in the things they worship.

Everyone has to put faith into something because we aren't omniscient. We only have a finite amount of senses and ability to process things and think about them. What you choose to focus your attention on is your choice but a least be aware that you have a choice and that does not mean you don’t follow a god it just means you don’t believe in a formal religion.

There are more arguments stating that atheism does not exist this is one of them. http://www.mwillett.org/atheism/do_atheists_exist.htm
I choose not to copy paste this as it is not my writing but also has no bearing on my own personal belief however here you go.
As for the rest well you decide.

I will ask all the readers of this blog to please post a comment, I am looking for fresh ideas to write about whether it is long lines in a bank or the tooth fairy, but I would like my readers to decide. Also if you have views on the subject yourself don’t hesitate and please feel free to click the follow this blog button.