Will Atheism Become More Prominent Than Religion? (Essay Sample)

Name Tutor Course Date Will Atheism Become More Prominent Than Religion? Atheism and theism are two beliefs that have always represented contrasting values and viewpoints. Atheism is the belief that a deity does not exist while theism is the belief in the existence of a deity. Both creeds have the tendency to engender strong prejudice and discrimination from their followers, especially when their founding principles are questioned. Often, atheists are criticized for being too close-minded while theists are excoriated for backing their claims with conjectural evidence (Geivett and Sweetman 21-24). While theists justify their beliefs based on faith, atheists justify theirs through reason. Although theism has always been the more prominent belief, atheism has over the years gained more prominence and threatens to dominate the religious spectrum in the future. Atheists tend to fancy themselves as an intellectually liberated lot. A review of the some sixty-three studies that have been conducted in the past concerning the prominence of atheism shows that atheists are more intelligent than theists are. The deductions inferred from the studies that date back to 1928, revealed that people who shared naturalistic views of the world were more likely to be intellectually enlightened than those who based their beliefs on supernatural entities (Zuckerman 12). Atheists are more inclined towards non-conformity, always finding meaning via analytical, logical or scientific reasoning. Lynn, Harvey and Nyborg (13) emphasize this by stating that rather than relying on religious dogma, atheists will quench their thirst for knowledge by gravitating towards factual or scientific explanations, and artistic sensations. Religiosity tends to eliminate ambiguity and uncertainty, which are attributes that atheists show tolerance for. Therefore, it would appeal more to people who are closed minded than it would to those who deem themselves as open minded. Atheism is more prominent in developed countries in comparison to underdeveloped countries. A 2007 meta-analytic study indicated that the belief in a supreme deity declined more in developed regions, while maintaining or continuing to acquire more popularity in underdeveloped regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Many explanations have been offered as to why this is so. One of the most commonly accepted reason is that religion serves to explain the unexplainable. People will tend to turn to religion as a salve for the uncertainties and difficulties in their lives (Barber 72). However, this tendency is less common in developed social democracies such as European nations. The people in these nations feel more secure and less vulnerable to the hostile forces of nature and, therefore, show a less desire for believing in a supernatural power. Overall, better government safety nets, improved science, and smaller families are factors that contribute to theism losing its dominance in the religious spectrum as people become less afraid of uncertainties in their lives. They view themselves as liberated from the subservience of conforming to unscientific beliefs. The total proportion of people against organized religion, including agnostics continues to increase drastically. Several past studies that were conducted using indices of social dysfunction such as divorce, incarceration, homicide, and poverty among others revealed that the least religious societies are the most successful (Norenzayan and Gervais 23). Predominantly, these societies have fewer crime rates and tend to be more peaceful. Sociologists involved in the studies attributed this correlation to the ability of religion to invoke prejudice and intolerance, debunking the allegation that religion is the most important warrant of morality. Therefore, the premise that religion is significant to fostering a harmonious society is not held as a fact in these societies. Atheism and religion are two distinct faiths that have their followers in contradictory te...