From Conservapedia

There are a number of causes of atheism:

1. Mankind's sinful nature: The history of the atheist community and various studies concerning the atheist community point to moral decline being a causal factor for atheism.[2]

See: Atheist population and immorality and Atheism and morality

The Christian Post reports about the Christian philosopher James S. Spiegel's book The Making of an Atheist:

“ Spiegel, who converted to Christianity in 1980, has witnessed the pattern among several of his friends. Their path from Christianity to atheism involved: moral slippage (such as infidelity, resentment or unforgiveness); followed by withdrawal from contact with fellow believers; followed by growing doubts about their faith, accompanied by continued indulgence in the respective sin; and culminating in a conscious rejection of God.[3] ”

See also: Atheism and unforgiveness

In addition, there is the historical matter of deceit being used in a major way to propagate atheism from the time of Charles Darwin onward (see: Atheism and deception and Atheism and historical revisionism).

The Bible indicates that atheists are morally depraved. The psalmist David declared: "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." — Psalms 14:1 (KJV). The prophet Jeremiah wrote: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) See also: Atheism and foolishness

Francis Thompson wrote: "Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman."

Moral depravity is certainly one of the prime causes of atheism.

See also: Atheism and morality and Atheism and moral intelligence and Atheism and hedonism and Atheist hypocrisy

2. Hatred towards God. Angry and bitter and attacks on Christianity and Christians by atheists are most often due to hatred towards Jesus Christ and the Bible.[4][5] See also: Atheism and hatred of God

3. Atheistic upbringing. However, in 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that in the United States only about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household remain atheists as adults.[6] A notable example, of a person raised in an atheistic household who later became a Christian is William J. Murray. Mr. Murray was raised by Madalyn Murray O'Hair who founded the organization American Atheists.

In addition, Christianity is experiencing rapid growth in atheistic communist China and has experienced rapid growth in former communist countries.[7][8][9]

See also: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals

4. Atheistic society/environment. See also: Atheism and groupthink and Atheism and open-mindedness

5. Pride/Rebellion: Atheism stems from a choice to ignore the reality of God's existence.[10][11][12]

The atheist Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: "But now God is dead. You superior men, this God was your greatest danger. Only since he is in the grave, have you risen again. Only now comes the great noontide; only now the superior man will be – Lord!".[13]

Atheists have also given themselves pretentious monikers such as freethinker and rationalist (see also: Atheists and pretentious monikers).

The Christian apologist Tom Gilson, after citing cases where atheists hold to views without sufficient evidence, quotes the prominent atheist Thomas Nagel who declared:

“ I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that.[14] ”

For more information, please see: Atheism and arrogance and Atheism and evidence

6. Narcissism. See: Atheism and narcissism

7. Immaturity.[15][16][17][18] In 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that only about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household in the United States remain atheists as adults.[19] A 2012 study by the General Social Survey of the social science research organization NORC at the University of Chicago found that belief in God rises with age, even in atheistic nations.[20] See: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals and Atheism and immaturity

In the United States, the ages 14–17 are very influential in terms of an individual adopting atheism.[23] Of those who do embrace unbelief in the United States, many do so in their high school years.[24]

Vox Day writes about immaturity being a causal factor for atheism: "the age at which most people become atheists indicates that it is almost never an intellectual decision, but an emotional one. (This is why most self-identified atheists are angry, bitter, and immature. The anger, bitterness, and immaturity are usually the cause of the atheism, they are not, as many Christians erroneously suppose, the effects).[25]

8. Anger and bitterness. (see: Atheism and bitterness)[26] See also: Atheism and anger

Various studies found that traumatic events in people's lives has a positive correlation with "emotional atheism".[27] See also: Atheism and the problem of evil and Atheism and suffering and Militant atheism

9. Hedonism.[28] The Apostle Paul wrote that in the end times, men would be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4). See also: Atheism and hedonism and Atheism and lust

The infamous pornographers Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt are both atheists.[29][30][31]

Engaging in overseas evangelism/outreaches in poor countries often requires significant hardships/persecution and western atheists by in large have been unwilling to endure such hardships in order to spread atheistic ideology - especially when compared to Christianity (see: Western atheists have not done a significant amount of outreach to poor countries).

See also: Atheism and uncharitableness

10. Naiveté/Gullibility: Many atheists have embraced a number of far fetched, unworkable, and errant notions and ideologies such as communism, abiogenesis, and evolution despite abundant evidence of their falsity. It is often said, "A man who won’t believe in God will believe in anything."[32] See: Atheism and naiveté/gullibility and Rebuttals to atheist arguments and Causes of evolutionary belief and Atheist cults

11. Irrational thinking: A comprehensive study by Baylor University found that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians.[33] Also, as noted above, a 1980 study published in the magazine Skeptical Inquirer found irreligious college students to be by far the most likely to embrace paranormal beliefs, while born again Christian college students were found to be the least likely.[34] See: Atheism and irrationality and Atheism and logic

12. Superficiality: Noted ex-atheist and psychologist Dr. Paul Vitz has stated that he had superficial reasons for becoming an atheist such as the desire to be accepted by his Stanford University professors who were united in disbelief regarding God.[35]

13. Error: Some argue that atheism partly stems from a failure to fairly and judiciously consider the facts [38]

14. State churches: In regards to the causes of atheism, rates of atheism are much higher in countries with a state sanctioned religion (such as many European countries), and lower in states without a sanctioned religion (such as the United States). Some argue this is because state churches become bloated, corrupt, and/or out of touch with the religious intuitions of the population, while churches independent of the state are leaner and more adaptable. It is important to distinguish "state-sanctioned churches," where participation is voluntary, from "state-mandated churches" (such as Saudi Arabia) with much lower atheism rates because publicly admitted atheism is punishable by death.[39]

15. Decline of family in a culture - Mary Eberstadt, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, found the decline of family values leads to a rise in secularization.[40]

16. Socialism/Communism [41][42] See also: Atheism and communism and Atheism and socialism and Atheism and politics

According to the University of Cambridge, historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power."[43] Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg, a Soviet physicist, wrote that the "Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists."[44]

Communist China has the largest atheism population in the world and a significant percentage of Chinese are atheists (see: China and atheism). Most atheists in the world are likely East Asians (See: Asian atheism). However, as noted above, China is seeing an explosive growth of Christianity (see: Growth of Christianity in China).

However, prior to this, the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution established an atheist state, with the official ideology being the Cult of Reason; during this time thousands of believers were suppressed and executed by the guillotine.[45][46][47]

The atheism in communist regimes has been and continues to be militant atheism and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.[48]

The Acton Institute states concerning atheism and socialism:

“ ...a growing body of research reveals that as the welfare state grows, the church shrinks. Adam Kay of Duke University discovered that church and state have a “hydraulic relationship”: Events “that lower faith in one of these external systems (e.g., the government) lead to subsequent increases in faith in the other (e.g., God).” Another study found that increased welfare spending “in a specific year predicted lower religiosity one to two years later.” It concluded, “The power and order emanating from God can be outsourced to the government.”... ...faith in the transcendent gets crowded out by faith in socialism’s utopian promise of equality-of-outcome on earth. This path transformed Michael Harrington from a daily communicant volunteering in the Catholic Worker movement to the atheistic founder of the Democratic Socialists of America.[49] ”

Eric Kaufmann, an academic who specializes in demography as it relates to religion/politics, wrote:

“ Worldwide, the march of religion can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware secularism. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence... Secularism's greatest triumphs owe less to science than to popular social movements like nationalism, socialism and 1960s anarchist-liberalism. Ironically, secularism's demographic deficit means that it will probably only succeed in the twenty-first century if it can create a secular form of 'religious' enthusiasm."[50] ”

17. Simplistic view of science combined with secular leftist utopianism.[51]

James W. Jones wrote at the Oxford University Press's website:

“ Many of today’s “New Atheists” reprise a nineteenth century argument about the “warfare of science with theology” (to use the title of one of the most well-known books of this genre by A.D. White published in the 1870s). There is a great deal of evidence that this cliché has little historical validity. For example, R. L. Numbers & K. Kampourakis question the idea that religion has obstructed scientific progress: many of the early pioneers of natural science were deeply religious;... Stephen LeDrew’s The Evolution of Atheism shows that atheism is not just the denial of belief in God but is itself a system of belief in a “secular ideology” with a particular cultural and political agenda, an agenda powered by a simplistic view of science and a rationalistic utopianism that “exhibits some totalitarian tendencies with respect to the use of power.” If religion no longer binds society together and undergirds morality, state power must take over. [52] ”

18. Scientism: Science has in many ways become a new god.[53][54][55] Scientism is self-refuting. William Lane Craig wrote: "Scientism tells us that we should not believe any proposition that cannot be scientifically proven. But what about that very proposition itself? It cannot itself be scientifically proven."[56] See also: Atheism, scientism and the limitations of science and Atheism and naturalistic intelligence

19. Self-deception[57]

20. Satanic deception [58] (see also: Atheism and satanic deception )

21. Division in religion: According to Sir Francis Bacon, atheism is caused by "divisions in religion, if they be many; for any one main division addeth zeal to both sides, but many divisions introduce atheism."[59]

22. Ignorance.

The ex-atheist C.S. Lewis wrote: "In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere--"Bibles laid open, millions of surprises," as Herbert says, "fine nets and stratgems." Sir Francis Bacon wrote: "A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." See also: Christian apologetics

Individuals such as Calvin Smith of Creation Ministries International have reported leaving atheism after finding out the falsehood of evolutionary pseudoscience and the evidence for biblical creation.[60]

The ex-atheist Lee Strobel in his book "The Case for Christ" indicates how he used his journalist skills and legal training to discover the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. See also: Christian legal apologetics

For more information see: Atheism and education

23. Indoctrination and ease of life: Francis Bacon argued that atheism was partly caused by:"Learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men’s minds to religion."[61] See: Atheism and economic prosperity In addition, see please see: Atheist indoctrination and Atheism and historical revisionism and Atheism/Christianity and economic diversity and Atheism and economics

In addition, Jewish columnist Dennis Prager has stated that a causal factor of atheism is the "secular indoctrination of a generation."[62] Prager stated that "From elementary school through graduate school, only one way of looking at the world – the secular – is presented. The typical individual in the Western world receives as secular an indoctrination as the typical European received a religious one in the Middle Ages." [63] In 2013, an study found that academia was less likely to hire evangelical Christians due to discriminatory attitudes.[64]

Atheists have focused considerable efforts on the public schools in order to indoctrinate young people into atheistic beliefs.[65][66] In addition, in communist countries (such as the former Soviet Union) atheistic indoctrination occurred in the educational system through such venues as schools, atheist museums, and clubs.[67][68] Atheists and secularists rarely point out that universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, and many others were founded by Christians.[69][70]

Although the United States with its tradition of religious freedom and a strong work ethic has experienced high levels of prosperity and religiosity, often prosperity is inversely proportional to religious belief due to men's arrogance when they become wealthier.[71][72] Vox Day has pointed out that arrogant and godless nations have often eventually experienced significant hardships.[73] See also: Atheism and lower economic productivity

See also: Does atheism thrive on economic prosperity and religion prosper when people are desperate and ignorant?

24. Apathy. See: Atheism and apathy

25. Negative experiences with theists

26. Materialist pseudoscience. (See: Evolution and Abiogenesis). Countries with higher rates of Darwinism also have higher rates of atheism.[74][75] Biblical creationists, such as advocates of the Question evolution! campaign, assert that evolutionism is an ideological "air supply of atheism" and that reducing Darwinism will reduce the prevalence of atheism.[76] See: Atheism and science

27. Ingratitude towards the Creator. See: Atheism and gratitude

28. Pursuit of prestige within secular circles.[77] See also: Atheists and the National Academy of Sciences

29. Intellectual cowardice. See: Atheism and cowardice

30. In cultures not receptive to atheism, atheists appear to be more likely to be social outcasts (see: Atheism and social outcasts). In short, in certain cases, namely where atheists are already social outcasts, they have less negative social consequences by becoming atheists.

According to an international study done by William Bainbridge, atheism is common among people whose interpersonal social obligations are weak and is also connected to lower fertility rates in advanced industrial nations (See also: Atheism and fertility rates).[78]

31. Rigid and limited thinking. See: Atheism is an unnecessarily limiting view of the world

32. Denialism (See: Atheists and the fallacy of exclusion and Atheism and historical revisionism).

33. Atheists often have a poor understanding of the various types of evidence to determine the validity of various matters and how to weigh evidence (see: Atheism and evidence).

34. Nick Spencer, author of Atheists: The Origin of the Species, wrote: "modern atheism was primarily a political and social cause, its development in Europe having rather more to do with the (ab)use of theologically legitimized political authority than it does with developments in science or philosophy".[79]

35. Genetics

Urbanization and separation from nature as a causal factor for atheism

See also: Atheism and wonder

An Eastern Orthodox website indicates:

“ As a mass phenomenon, atheism has come to existence over the last two hundred years. It is the result of separation of humans from direct contact with nature, which occurred when significant amounts of population started to move from countryside to towns...In the past people used to be closer to nature, and an atheist was a rare bird. It is a common knowledge that since pre-historic times the idea of a supreme being has been widely spread among people at all stages of development. "Look at the face of the earth," wrote Plutarch (1st century AD), — and you will see townships without fortification, sciences or hierarchy, you will see people without permanent dwelling, not knowing money, having no idea of the fine arts, but you will not find any one human community without a belief in a Divinity."[80] ”

Professor Rabbi Justin Jaron Lewis at the University of Manitoba states:

“ Light pollution is the cause of the increase in atheism. This is my conclusion after spending some time this summer at cottages and cabins far from city lights. The sight of the Milky Way and all the stars around, filling the sky with daubs of light, filled my heart with wonder – as they would anyone. That kind of wonder has often been expressed in religious feelings and prayers. The Bible tells us that in ancient times the stars themselves were worshipped. In Judaism, the common term for idolaters is ovdei kokhavim, “worshippers of the stars.” Even in Jewish tradition, the stars are seen as alive – as the bodies of angels. They are the “hosts of heaven” – hosts meaning “armies” or “multitudes” – who praise the Creator and do God’s will. The Christian author C.S. Lewis embraced this vision as well. In one of his stories about the magical world Narnia, the children meet a majestic old man who is introduced to them as a star from the sky. A skeptical child says, “A star is a huge ball of flaming gas!” and the old man replies, “Even in your world, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of.” Of course, it is possible to think of the stars strictly in accordance with modern science, and still be overwhelmed with awe and delight on seeing them.[81] ”

Rural Americans tend to be more religious. Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation indicates: "It’s still lonely being an atheist in rural America."[82] See also: Atheism and loneliness

Prominent historical figures, parental loss and atheism

See also: Psychology of atheism and Atheism and poor relationships with parents

The atheist philosopher Michael Martin declared in the Cambridge Companion to Atheism:

“ Continuity and discontinuity in any identity may be a function of interpersonal networks, especially involving intimate relations. Apostasy and conversion can both be seen as a rejection of parental identity and parental beliefs. It “might well be symptomatic of familial strain and dissociation... apostasy is to be viewed as a form of rebellion against parents” (Caplovitz and Sherrow, 1977:50).[83] ”

In 2012, a Georgetown University study was published indicating that only about 30 percent of those who grow up in an atheist household remain atheists as adults.[84] See also: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals and Atheism and marriage

A troubled/non-existent relationship with a father is theorized to influence a person to become an atheist.[85]

The Daily Mail reported that a study conducted by Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with the Religion News Service found that "children raised by divorced parents are more likely than children whose parents are married to be non-religious as adults."[86]

Dr. Paul Vitz wrote a book entitled Faith of the Fatherless in which he points out that after studying the lives of more than a dozen leading atheists he found that a large majority of them had a father who was present but weak, present but abusive, or absent.[87][88] Dr. Vitz also examined the lives of prominent theists who were contemporaneous to their atheist counterparts and from the same culture and in every instance these prominent theists had a good relationship with his father.[89] Dr. Vitz has also stated other common factors he observed in the leading atheists he profiled: they were all intelligent and arrogant.[90]

Vitz argues that the defective/absent father theory as a cause of atheism best fits cases where people are militant/intense atheists and that his theory applies in at least 50% of these instances (Vitz does believe in free will and therefore a person with a defective father is not necessarily going to become an atheist).[91][92][93]

The book Atheist Persona: Causes and Consequences by John J. Pasquini, Th.D. indicates that many of the prominent atheists (and prominent practical atheists) who had dysfunctional/absent fathers that he lists in his book also had dysfunctional/absent mothers.[94] See also: Atheism and poor relationships with parents and Irreligion and domestic violence

The General Social Survey (GSS) data on atheism uses a broad definition of atheism which can include agnostics.[95]

The abstract for journal article An Assessment of the Role of Early Parental Loss in the Adoption of Atheism or Irreligion by Frank L. Pasquale indicates:

“ Early parental loss or trauma has been proposed by some as a significant factor in the adoption of atheist, non-theist, or irreligious worldviews. Relevant empirical data, however, have been limited, impressionistic, methodologically questionable, or limited to historically prominent figures. Survey data from the GSS and a study of affirmatively non-theistic and irreligious secular group affiliates in the U.S. do not provide evidence of disproportionately high rates of early parental loss among individuals who describe themselves as “atheist(ic)” or “anti-religious,” reject belief in God, or express strong anger about religion. Loss of a parent or other loved may play a role in turns toward, as well as away from, God and religion for some. There is also evidence of comparatively high rates of parental loss in the lives of historically prominent figures, both religious and non-religious. Present results, however, do not support the hypothesis that early loss is a disproportionately frequent experience in the lives of (“ordinary”) atheistic or irreligious people.[96] ”

As far as Pasquale's study and his conclusions, as noted above, Vitz indicates that his defective/absent father theory best fits intense atheists and that his theory is not universally applicable to all atheists.

Errant notion that atheism is the result of higher intelligence

See also: Atheism and intelligence and Atheism and education and Rebuttals to atheist arguments

A common errant notions among atheists is the mistaken belief that atheism is the result of higher intelligence. This belief often the result of excessive pride, the foolish nature of atheists and self-deception. For more information, please see: Atheism and intelligence.

Also, due the lack of evidence for atheism and the great amount of evidence for Christianity, atheism is not a respectable intellectual position. For example, God's creation plainly points to the existence of God [97] (see also: Atheism and its retention rate in individuals).

Brain researchers and social scientists have conducted a number of studies focusing on the differences between atheist/theists within Western World countries (See: Atheism and the brain). Nevertheless, the decision to follow God is ultimately a moral/spiritual concern.

Sigmund Freud's view of religion

See also: Sigmund Freud's view of religion and Atheism and health

Psychologist Sigmund Freud was a proponent of atheism who argued that theism was detrimental to mental health.[98] Oxford Professor Alister McGrath, author of the book The Twilight of Atheism, stated the following regarding Freud:

“ One of the most important criticisms that Sigmund Freud directed against religion was that it encourages unhealthy and dysfunctional outlooks on life. Having dismissed religion as an illusion, Freud went on to argue that it is a negative factor in personal development. At times, Freud's influence has been such that the elimination of a person's religious beliefs has been seen as a precondition for mental health. Freud is now a fallen idol, the fall having been all the heavier for its postponement. There is now growing awareness of the importance of spirituality in health care, both as a positive factor in relation to well-being and as an issue to which patients have a right. The "Spirituality and Healing in Medicine" conference sponsored by Harvard Medical School in 1998 brought reports that 86 percent of Americans as a whole, 99 percent of family physicians, and 94 percent of HMO professionals believe that prayer, meditation, and other spiritual and religious practices exercise a major positive role within the healing process.[98] ”

Freud remains popular among postmodern literary academics, who use his anti-Christian pseudoscience as a basis for their own anti-Christianity and moral relativism, even though his theories were disproved decades ago.

Factors which impede the spread of atheism

See also: Causes of desecularization

Atheism is in decline worldwide, with the number of atheists falling from 4.5% of the world's population in 1970 to 2.0% in 2010 and projected to drop to 1.8% by 2020.[99]

On December 23, 2012, Professor Eric Kaufmann who teaches at Birbeck College, University of London wrote: "I argue that 97% of the world's population growth is taking place in the developing world, where 95% of people are religious".[100]

There are a number of factors which impede the spread of atheism and are causing a global resurgence of religion (see: Causes of desecularization).

Quote

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - Brennan Manning[101][102][103]

See also

Other articles relating to atheism:

Books on the causes of atheism

See also: Books on the causes of atheism

Atheist Persona: Causes and Consequences by John J. Pasquini, Th.D, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Published: April 15, 2014, ISBN 0761863311; ISBN 978-0761863311 [1]

The Psychology of Atheism by R. C Sproul, Bethany Fellowship; 1st edition (1974), ISBN-10: 0871234599

Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism by Paul Vitz (Spence Publishing Company, 1999)

Immorality and pride, the great causes of atheism a sermon preach'd at the cathedral-church of St. Paul, January the 8th 1697/8 : the first of the lecture for that year, founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by John Harris, Publisher: BiblioBazaar, 2011 ISBN 1240832273, 9781240832279 [2]

The Irrational atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens by Vox Day, Benbella Books, Dallas, TX, 2008 , ISBN 1933771364; ISBN 978-1933771366