Austin Cline presents a list of the steps one takes to become an atheist.
Step One: don’t believe in any gods.
And… that’s about it.
Short and snappy.
I like it. Just like the God FAQ.
What do you *not* have to do?
- You don’t have to deny the existence of any gods.
- You don’t have to assert that no gods exist.
- You don’t have to be certain that no gods exist.
- You don’t have to join the Communist Party.
- You don’t have to be rebelling against your family.
- You don’t have to stop celebrating Christmas.
- You don’t have to burn a picture of Jesus.
- You don’t have to eat Christian babies in satanic rituals.
- You don’t have to care about religion, theism, or gods.
You may not have to care, but I’d say just about every atheist I know cares quite a bit about that last item…
It might seem like getting over God is the hardest step, but personally, the next part is even tougher:
You will have to decide whether you inform others about this and, if so, how you present it. Many people may start treating you differently simply because you don’t believe in their gods anymore. You may have to be concerned about whether knowledge of your atheism will lead to discrimination against you at work, for example.
Advice on when and how to tell other people you new stance on God is much more useful.
What advice would you give people trying to achieve “Step 2”?
[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]
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