Portal:Nontheism

The Nontheism Portal

Nontheism covers a range of concepts regarding spirituality and religion which do not include the idea of a theistic God or gods. It can be applied to atheism (both strong and weak), agnosticism, ignosticism and apatheism, to certain Eastern religions including Taoism, Buddhism and some Hindu traditions, and to some Wiccan other Neopagan traditions. Nontheism is an integral part of Humanism and Unitarian-Universalism.

Selected article

The History of atheism spans several millennia, although the term atheism originated in the 16th century, based on Ancient Greek αθεος "godless, denying the gods, ungodly" and open admission to positive atheism in modern times was not made earlier than in the late 18th century.

The spontaneous proposition that there may be no gods after all is likely as old as theism itself (and the proposition that there may be no God as old as the beginnings of monotheism or henotheism). Psalm 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God" is one reference to the sentiment, expressed in the mid 1st millennium BC. Philosophical atheist thought appears from the 6th or 5th century BC, both in Europe and in Asia. (Read more...)

Selected biography

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American novelist known for works blending satire, black comedy, and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat's Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions. Vonnegut served in World War II until he was captured by German troops during the Battle of the Bulge. While a prisoner of war, Vonnegut witnessed the aftermath of the bombing of Dresden, Germany, which destroyed much of the city. This experience formed the core of his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-Five and is a theme in at least six other books.

Vonnegut came from a line of freethinkers, and he himself was a Humanist. He was Honorary President of the American Humanist Association, replacing Isaac Asimov. Vonnegut was a lifetime member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and was deeply influenced by early socialist labor leaders. (Read more...)

"And if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say, ‘Kurt is up in heaven now.’ That's my favorite joke." —A Man Without a Country

Did you know...

Portal:Nontheism/Did you know/35, 2010

Nontheism topics

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Shown here is the percentage in each country which responded that "they believe there is a god".

While it is difficult to quantify the prevalence of nontheism in the world, it is clear that the percentage of people in Europe who believe in god is significantly lower than most of the rest of the world. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, former and present Communist states, and to a lesser extent, the United States also show higher levels of atheism and nontheism. A 1995 survey attributed to the Encyclopedia Britannica indicates that the non-religious make up about 14.7% of the world's population, and atheists around 3.8%. (Read more...)

Nontheism Op/Ed

• A Dissent: The Case Against Faith Sam Harris
• THANK GOODNESS! Daniel C. Dennett
• What's Good About Atheism Frederick Turner
• The Church of the Non-Believers Gary Wolf

Categories

• Atheism: Atheists - Arguments against the existence of God
• Agnosticism: Agnostics
• Criticism of religion: Disengagement from religion - Anti-Islam sentiment - Scientology controversy - Mormonism-related controversies - Books critical of religion
• Humanism: Humanists - Humanist associations - Ethical Culture - Humanist Party - Transhumanism
• Objectivism: Objectivists - Critics of Objectivism - Books by Ayn Rand
• Buddhism: Buddhism and current Issues - History of Buddhism - Buddhist philosophical concepts - Buddhist practices - Buddhist texts
• Taoism
• Neopaganism

Selected quote

Portal:Nontheism/Quotes/3

Featured articles

Selected Featured articles about Nontheism:

• Bernard Williams

Selected Good articles about Nontheism:

• Flying Spaghetti Monster
• Bertrand Russell

Things you can do

• Join up and contribute.
• Organize and update the Categories list when necessary to include all related categories.
• Updated the Featured articles box as new Featured or Good articles are upgraded.
• Create more Did You Know.
• Assign quotes to days.
• Suggest new feature articles, bios, and pictures.
• Assist with WikiProject Atheism

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