Expert: Austin Cline - 11/2/2006

Question
I have a few questions regarding atheism, and I hope you can clear some of them up for me. I'm also curious about your life; what made you become an atheist, etc.

First, what exactly does it mean to be an atheist? I know it means you believe that there is no God, but beyond that, what do you believe about moral and ethical standards? Are there any?

What "advantages" would you say there are to being an atheist? Do you see any disadvantages?

Now, if you'll indulge me, a few questions about you:

About what age did you decide or "discover" you were an atheist? Have you always believed (or disbieleved) what you do now? If not, what experiences led you to the realization?

I apologize for my long windedness, I look forward to hearing your answers.  

Answer
First, it's not correct that atheism means believing that there is no God. Atheism is simply the absence of belief in gods - an atheist is anyone who isn't a theist. Atheism doesn't teach any single set of ethical standards. Atheists who are Jews, Buddhists, Humanists, Objectivists, etc. have different philosophies and beliefs about morality. The same is true of theists, of course.

http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutatheism/p/atheism101.htm

Neither atheism nor theism come with any inherent advantages:

http://atheism.about.com/od/atheismquestions/a/advantages.htm

You can find more information about me here:

http://atheism.about.com/od/atheismquestions/a/whyatheist.htm