Tenets of AtheismNot all atheists believe the same when concerning subject like how the universe came into existence, evolution and other scientific matters.
They do all believe however, that the universe or the cosmos is all that exist, and there is no creator or spiritual entity.
Something that is very funny about atheists is that they affirm the existence of evil but still denied the existence of God. To me this belief seems a little bit inconsistent with reality, how could there be evil if there is no moral standards set by other than man?
When it comes to the human being atheists differ in some aspects. Some believe that the human being has a soul but that soul dies when the body dies. Others believe that there is no such thing as a soul and it conscious thought is only a chemical reaction within the mind.
Now when you get into the matter of ethics you run into problems with definition. Some believe that there is no moral absolutes, and some believe that moral absolutes have derived from trial and error. Some morals and ethics become a personal choice, what feels goods to me must be moral and ethical.
All atheists believe there is nothing after death. With this in mind they must make the best of the time they have alive. I don't know if they fill that they have any duty to improve society for the present and future generations after they have met their demise. If you think about it it would be hard to understand, if man is nothing but physical matter, he could ever have a duty of any kind.
One of the problems and believing in evolution and also believing there is no creator you have to contradict yourself. Atheists will argue correctly, that God could not create himself because to do this he would have to exist to make that creation. At the same time they claim that the universe is self-created, where nothing has become everything from nowhere to eternity. Leaving this a leave the argument that nothing cannot cause something.
The Usefulness Of Atheism To ChristiansChristians should look at atheist as a way to help them in their studies of their religion and God. The atheist should be looked at as the loyal opposition to be treated respectively and without contempt. You get a chance to debate an atheist is wise to be armed with some basic principles of science because you will see that they have to abandon these principles to make their arguments for their own existence. But the more interesting debates you can have with atheist are those debates concerning ethics and morality. When it comes to ethnics and morality you will see that they do have a God who sets moral limits, and that God is man himself.
With all respect to the loyal opposition, JB Horn