National Ask An Atheist Day

This is an annual opportunity for secular groups across the country in order to dispel bad opinions about atheism and to encourage fair, transparent discussion among believers and non-believers.

History of National Ask an Atheist Day

National Ask an Atheist Day is often arranged to celebrate by some particular secular groups in order to dispel stereotypes about atheism, student groups are typical examples. It is a day that encourages active dialogue between believers and non-believers, and is designed as a day for religious people or anyone to go to atheists and ask them questions about their beliefs and secular life. Student groups, especially members of the World Union of Students, often reserve tables on campus during the day, to help facilitate dialogue. Anyone can participate in the day, non-atheists can participate by asking atheists questions.

The first celebration of National Atheism Day was in 2011 with over 75 different participants. In February 2011, Secular Student Union (SSA) at the University of Illinois set up a table with a sign that read, "Ask an atheist. It was their hope to turn what they were doing into a national event or the next day an article appeared in Friendly Atheist Written by "Guest Contributor", apparently SSA, the article refers to how the Illinois group wanted to celebrate their Independence Day and said, "SSA is here to help." It then proposed a National Ask an Atheist Day. It was held in April every year and is now also held in September.

For those interested in the holiday, it would be beneficial to know a little about atheism. Here's some background information. Atheists believe that there is no god, while theists believe that some kind of god exists. The alphabet "a" in their name means "without". There is no fixed ideology in atheism. Atheists include some people such as humanists, rationalists, Universalists, postmodernists contemporary, secularists, among other things.

Greek and Roman philosophers and writers including Epicurus, Democritus, and Lucretius were influential in atheism. Until the sixteenth century, a time when liberal thought and skepticism began to take root. During the Age of Enlightenment, some people were firstly identified as atheists. The supremacy of human reason was an aspect of the French Revolution, and it was during this time that atheism was first used in politics. Science also brought some bad effects to religion during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Atheists have a lot of reasons why they view religion as bad. They may think people who believe in a higher power are not thinking clearly and are not in control. Many people believe that religion divides people and causes things like war. They consider the anti-democratic structure of most religions to be incompatible with human rights and oppose the way women and gays are treated differently by many religious groups. They may also believe that religion hinders scientific research.

There are many reasons and explanations why people are atheists:

• They may believe that they can live by moral codes without divine help. They often live by the same moral codes as those who are religious but have no god, believing him to be unnecessary.
• They may believe that science can explain existence better than god can. This belief did not emerge until only a few centuries before scientific discoveries began to be made. In particular, atheists see evolution as offering explanations about life forms and the earth, rendering divinity unnecessary.
• They may believe that religion is based on emotions and that it enables people to deal with fears they may have, such as life without meaning and purpose, or existence without a purpose after death.
• They found there was a lack of empirical evidence to support any religion or deity in existence. They consider arguments for god to be unconvincing.
• They follow the "problem of evil", the question of how evil can exist when a loving, understanding, and powerful god exists.
• They follow the "argument for inconsistent revelations", which states that given the existence of so many conflicting belief systems, it is unlikely that gods exist.
• They see a contradiction between the existence of a god and a world where many people do not believe in the existence of a god. This is called "argument from distrust."
• They obey the "law of parsimony." This law says that when solving a problem, one should choose the one with the fewest assumptions. In this case, atheism makes fewer assumptions than belief in religion. This means that the burden of proof should be on the believer, not the disbeliever. Those who think that gods exist should do proof.
• They were born or grow in a society without religion. Communist China is an example of such a place. Every person has a certain religion; however, their faith will be loosed over time.
• It is difficult to estimate how many atheists there are in the world. A 2015 poll said about 11% of the world's population was atheist, and a 2012 poll stated the figure was 13%. These are all WIN/Gallup International polls. A BBC poll from 2004 put the figure at 8%. Europe and Asia are the places where have the largest number of atheists. In 2015, 61% of Chinese citizens identified as atheists.

How to celebrate National Ask an Atheist Day

If you are an atheist, there are many different ways you can celebrate this day. You can reserve a table on campus or at another location, if you are not a student, where believers and others can come to you and ask you questions about atheism, your secular lifestyle and beliefs. You can also wear labels and post flyers on campus (flyers can also be posted ahead of time). You could host an "asks an atheist" conference event or go on the radio and have a "asks an atheist" segment where listeners can call and ask you questions about the topic atheistic. Do not forget sharing your thoughts on social media by using the hashtag #askanatheist. If you're not an atheist, you can celebrate this day by asking an atheist about their beliefs! This day is meant to be filled with respectful dialogue, so make sure to engage in such a way, regardless of whether you're an atheist or a questioner.