Religion vs. Atheism Contrast, Essay Example

No other sociocultural force has impacted human history probably as much as religions have. Religions continue to be a major driving force behind global politics because a significant majority of the world population still adheres to one or more of the numerous religions in existence. But for the face time, religions as a group are facing organized opposition from non-believers who call themselves agnostics and/or atheists. Atheism is not a novel concept but in the past, religious institutions in most states were inseparable from the state and the degrees of freedom of speech were nowhere near the levels it exists in most developed countries today. Religions and atheism are not only different in how they deal with different questions but they also do not seem to agree as to which questions are relevant and which are not.

The central idea behind most religions is that the life on earth is an exam and we will be rewarded after death according to our deeds. The primary purpose of worldly life is to worship god/s and follow his/their orders. Religions also discount the importance of worldly life in comparison with ‘after-death’ life which is eternal where as worldly life is temporary. Religions preach that we are on the earth for a purpose. In contrast, atheists believe that there is no purpose behind our existence on earth and worldly life is the only life we are going to have. Atheists believe there is no god and our existence on earth is mere a random event with no noble or evil purpose. Atheists believe that there is no such thing as virtue or vice and what we call good or evil are merely the values of the society and sometimes change over time.

Most religions believe that a god/gods created the universe and the earth and produced conditions on the earth, necessary for life. Some followers of the religions say that universe is too perfect to have come in existence by chance and life as we know it would not have exist if there were even slight variations in few physical laws that govern the universe. Religions claim that universe is too complex and science will never be able to fully explain the workings of the universe. The solution religious individuals come up with is ‘faith’ that the all powerful god/s is capable of everything. Atheists believe that the universe is the outcome of big bang and no god was necessary for the universe to come into existence. Atheists say that there are billions of stars, planets, and solar systems and thus, it is not surprising if living conditions developed on earth. Atheists claim that the role of chance is often understated. Atheists say that just because we do not understand something about the universe doesn’t mean we will not understand it tomorrow. According to atheists, claiming ignorance is a better alternative to faith because proof is an essential requirement for establishing a fact.

Followers of religions say that if there was no incentive of heaven or fear of hell, the human societies will be lawless and ungovernable. Followers of religions claim that communist and fascist leaders such as Hitler and Stalin were evil because they didn’t believe in judgment day. Atheists claim that the incentive of reward or fear of punishment is not necessary for humans to act ethically and justly. Atheists claim that even without the incentive of reward or fear of punishment, humans have the capacity to act ethically and do good things because they derive psychological satisfaction from good deeds. Atheists point out that religions do more harm than good and are responsible for divisions and never ending conflicts such as India-Pakistan, Israel-Palestine, and Al-Qaeda.

The debate between religions and atheism shows no signs of slowing down. Because religions address some of the most personal questions for lot of people, the debate between religion and atheism will continue to be passionate. Atheists are gaining numbers in certain developed states particularly, those of Western Europe and it has already alarmed religious organizations such as the Vatican City. It is very unlikely that atheists will outnumber religious followers anytime soon but one thing is for sure; the conflict between religions and atheism is not going to end anytime soon.