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Religious functions in society
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Recommended: Religious functions in society
Informative Speech
Atheism
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Atheism, why it important as well as the fundamental elements of being a part of it. I will discuss what Atheism is, how it originated, and the number of people who practice this religion.
Central Idea: What is Atheism? Who? When? Where? And Why!?
Organizational Pattern: Topical
Introduction
Forrester Church once said, “Religion is the human response to being alive and having to die.” In Christianity when one dies, a glorious heaven awaits them, where they will be adorned with beautiful wings, a shining halo, and all of their loved ones will be with them. Atheism, on the other hand, leaves the question of afterlife open, which can be a frightening thought to not know what happens after you die. But the Atheists desire for immorality diminishes as they recognize that survival and day to day living is more important.
Last semester, I decided to attend a church service at Northern’s Newman Center with my Mom who plays piano there. This was the first time I had been to any sort of religious service in over five years. It was a big step for me to go out of my box because when I was freshman in High School, I became an Atheist. For years, my family and I were members of a local Methodist church. I was baptized and confirmed at this church. However, when I began high school, getting up early on Sundays wasn’t something I looked forward to. I stopped going to church, my faith diminished and I made the decision to become an Atheist.
In this speech, I will elaborate on why this religion is so important to recognize as well as the fundamental elements of being a part of it. First, I will discuss what Atheism is, how it originated, and the number ...
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...ry, and world, it is a necessity to have some shared views about mortality. Otherwise it is hard to imagine our existence would last long.”
Works Cited
“Religion Quotes.” Wisdom Quotes. 1995 – 2009 Jone Johnson Lewis. Web. 19 October 2009. .
McGinnis, Bill. “The Religion of Atheism.” LoveAllPeople.org – “Love Alll People as Yourself” 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2009.
Craig, William Lane, and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist (Point/Counterpoint Series (Oxford, England).). New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. Print.
Blackie, John Stuart. The Natural History of Atheism. New York: General Books Llc, 2009. Print.
TIME Magazine cover online. 8 Apr 1966. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
Mortality, the subject of death, has been a curious topic to scholars, writers, and the common man. Each with their own opinion and beliefs. My personal belief is that one should accept mortality for what it is and not go against it.
8- McDermid, Douglas. "God's Existence." PHIL 1000H-B Lecture 9. Trent University, Peterborough. 21 Nov. 2013. Lecture.
Smith, J. Becoming an Atheist in America: Constructing Identity and Meaning from the Rejection of Theism. Sociology of Religion [serial online]. Summer 2011; 72(2):215-237. Accessed April 20, 2014.
Peterson, Michael - Hasker, Reichenbach and Basinger. Philosophy of Religion - Selected Readings, Fourth Edition. 2010. Oxford University Press, NY.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
"RELIGION, A BRIDGE OF HOPE: Why Religion Is so Important." World around Us. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://aneelbaqar.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/religion-a-bridge-of-hope-why-religion-is-so-important/.
Atheists are seen as the least trustworthy group in America, with associations of cynicism, no-conformity, scepticism, and joylessness, but also a lack of morality or the a sense of awe. However why would someone become an Atheist when the “norm” is to have religion in your life as well as the negative stereotypes and discrimination atheists face? (Smith) The reasons vary from person to person on why they left theism, either for a personal or ideological reason. Based on research done there are several reasons for atheism such as it not making logical sense, or it not complying with science, negative personal experiences, the hypocrisy of the religion/church, God not meeting expectations (Caldwell-Harris), theodicy or the problem...
Theology is an intentionally reflective endeavor. Every day we reflect upon the real, vital, and true experience of the benevolent God that exists. We as humans tend to be social beings, and being so we communicate our beliefs with one another in order to validate ourselves. Furthermore atheism has many forms, three of the most popular atheistic beliefs include: scientific atheism, humanistic atheism and the most popular one being protest atheism. Scientific atheism is the idea that science is the answer for everything and god is not existent. The humanistic approach states that society is self-sufficient; therefore God is not needed for survival. Therefore how could he exist? The position that I will argue in this paper is the pessimistic idea of protest atheism.
5. Smith, J. M. (2011). Becoming an atheist in America: Constructing Identity and Meaning from
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Barbour, Ian G. Religion in an Age of Science. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990. Print. (BL 240.2 .B368 1990)
1) Oxford Readings in Philosophy. The Concept of God. New York: Oxford University press 1987
“Agnosticism is the philosophical position that it is impossible to know about the nature or existence of God.” The term was invented in 1869 by Thomas H Huxley from the Greek “agnostos”. So one can define the difference between an Atheist and an Agnostic is simply as the Atheist emphasizes that there is no God, whereas the Agnostic maintains only that he does not know. Agnosticism is not a position one can take like theism or atheism, rather it’s more like an rational process.
Let’s start off by explaining what atheism is, it’s when you don’t believe in any form of an “Intelligent Creator” or God, as usually referred to as. The word atheism comes from the root word “theism”, which is when you believe in a God, or numerous Gods depending on the religion, and the prefix “a”, which means “not”. There are no set practices of atheism, or a set list of beliefs. To be an atheist you must believe what you would like and simply live your life without constraints based on what you believe is good or bad, not what you are told is good or bad. There is a constant debate against atheism from the theist side, because both sides’ arguments are polar opposites and each believes their side of the argument is 100% valid. I will state my view on some arguments, and clarify some common atheist stereotypes.
6. Bohdan R. Bociurkiw and John W. Strong, Religion and Atheism in the U.S.S.R. and