Thesis (M.A. in history)--Washington State University, May 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 8, 2009). "Department of History." Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-147).

There is very little research that is empirically-based about atheism in Canada; this thesis seeks to contribute foundational knowledge in this area. It begins with a historical and contemporary overview of atheism in Canada by examining its appearance in government, law, and media. It then addresses the question: “How do atheists construct their identities in the context of a religiously diverse Canada?” through an analysis of data collected from participant-observation with an atheist university club, the Atheist Community of the University of Ottawa (ACUO), followed by an analysis of five significant themes which arose from forty life history interviews (twenty with ACUO members; twenty with Ottawa-area atheists who did not belong to an atheist community that met in person). These themes are: loss of religious identity and/or development of atheist identity; group belonging; perceptions of media and public understanding of atheism; the use of the United States for narrative or comparative purposes; and the frequency of receiving a negative reaction simply for being an atheist. This study found that most interviewees perceived the Canadian public and the media as not understanding atheism because the subject is not commonly reported on or discussed, and many said that (ir)religiosity rarely came up in conversations with strangers, acquaintances, or co-workers. These notions were often seen as resulting from a Canadian social etiquette which dictates that controversial subjects should be avoided in order to minimize the risk of causing offense. Moreover, members of the ACUO often said that they joined an atheist community because they wanted a safe space to meet like-minded people with whom they could freely discuss religion without causing offense to religious others. Unlike in findings from the United States, interviewees did not speak of their atheist identities as being considered ‘un-Canadian’ or as excluding them from their conception(s) of Canadian society. While interviewees often said they were selective with whom they decided to express their atheism, most felt quite positive about living as an atheist in Canada, especially compared to the plight of atheists living in other countries, and atheism came across as being ‘just’ another ‘idea’ in a mosaic of cultural ideas.

The thesis examines the atheistic development visible in the Swedish Human-Ethical Society’s (HEF) journal 1979 to 1999. It argues that HEF:s atheism from a diachronic perspective is best understood with the regards both to its religious criticisms, as well as to the specific outlook on life that the organisation developed over time as a secular alternative to religious belief-systems. The thesis further stresses the importance of comprehending atheism as a pluralistic system of thought that throughout history – as well as in present day – have taken a variety of different formations. Hence, atheism is not seen as possessing one single overall essence. The result of the study show that several developmental patterns can be made visible in HEF:s atheism throughout the period. The organisations religious criticism changed regarding its objects, contents and rhetoric. From initially having its focus directed towards Christianity (Swedish Christianity in particular), HEF later to a larger extent directed their critical gaze towards what they regarded as fundamentalist ideological values. Over time the organisation also started to highlight atheism in a, according to their phrasing, more “positive” light. With this, HEF:s human-ethical life stance was given a more instrumental role in the organisations message to the public. The thesis argues that this development should be understood as a successive shift in the basis for HEF:s atheism. On a general analytic level this process is characterized as a move from scientific atheism to humanist atheism.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study comprises a survey of the atheist solution to the problem of evil that has occasionally in the past been suggested by philosophers, but has largely been neglected in the philosophy of religion. Against this background, the study has two main objectives. It focusses in the first place on the reasons upon which philosophers like Mackie and McCloskey regard the giving up of one or more of the attributes of God in theism as an adequate solution to the problem of evil, considered to be the strongest argument against the rationality of theistic belief. What the study however would like to add to this objective, is to point to the existence of an even more fundamental reason upon which it can be claimed that the problem of evil can be solved along this way and that the emotional pressure so typical of this problem can be relieved without any serious implications for the belief in God. Concerning the more negative orientated of these reasons, it is shown that the latter revolves around the concept of the logical inconsistency of the theistic theory that can truly be regarded as the rationale of the atheistic argument known as the problem of evil. Furthermore, this concept also represents the cornerstone of the rejection of theistic solutions to this problem by Mackie and others as inadequate. In focussing on the origins of these reasons, it is shown that although the roots of the problem of evil is to be found in pre-Christian times and it continued to be a point of discussion throughout the whole of the Apostolic Age and the Middle Ages, it was the period of the Enlightenment and in particular the legacy of David Hume that became the strongest inspiration of the atheist rejection of theism in modern times. Concerning the more positive orientated of these reasons, the focus is on the efforts of philosophers that have been following the suggestions of Hume and that have against the background of the deficiencies of the theistic solutions to the problem of evil, started to experiment with solutions wherein at least one of the constituting propositions of the problem of evil is rejected. It is also argued that the way to these experiments has been paved by the contributions of Mill and Geach and that the latter encouraged philosophers to also belabour the problem of evil from an atheistic point of view. Against this background, the final focus is on the second objective of the study, namely to show that there exists an even more fundamental reason upon which it can be claimed that the problem of evil can be solved along this way and that the emotional pressure so typical of this problem can be relieved without any serious implications for the belief in God. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie behels 'n ondersoek na die ateïstiese oplossing vir die probleem van die kwaad wat weliswaar in die verlede al by geleentheid deur filosowe gesuggereer is, maar wat nietemin nog nie veel aandag in die godsdiensfilosofiese debat oor hierdie problematiek geniet het nie. Binne hierdie raamwerk het die studie twee oogmerke. Dit wil in die eerste plek fokus op al daardie redes op grond waarvan filosowe soos Mackie en McCloskey meen dat die skrapping van een of meer van die Goddelike attribute in die teïsme tot 'n toereikende oplossing van die probleem van die kwaad as sterkste argument teen die rasionele houdbaarheid van hierdie teorie kan lei. Wat die studie in die tweede plek egter hieraan wil toevoeg, is om aan te toon dat daar 'n nog meer fundamentele rede bestaan op grond waarvan daar aangevoer kan word dat die probleem van die kwaad inderdaad langs hierdie weg en ook sonder ernstige implikasies vir die geloof in God opgelos en die emosionele druk so eie aan hierdie problematiek verlig kan word. Wat die meer negatief gerigte van hierdie redes aan betref, word daar verduidelik dat laasgenoemde rondom die konsep van die logiese inkonsistensie van die teïstiese teorie sentreer. Laasgenoemde kan met reg as die spil van die ateïstiese argument bekend as die probleem van die kwaad beskryf kan word en verteenwoordig die rasionaal van die argumente op grond waarvan Mackie en andere die teïstiese oplossings vir die probleem van die kwaad as ontoereikend afwys. In 'n nadere omskrywing van die oorspronge van hierdie redes, word daarop gewys dat alhoewel die probleem van die kwaad sy wortels in die voor-Christelike tyd het en dit ook dwarsdeur die Patristiek en die Middeleeue In onderwerp van drukke bespreking gebly het, dit egter die denkklimaat van die Verligting en in die besonder die nalatenskap van David Hume was wat sedertdien die belangrikste inspirasie van ateïstiese afwysings van die teïsme geword het. Wat die meer positief gerigte redes betref, word daar gefokus op ateïsties georiënteerde filosowe se pogings om op voetspoor van die onderskeidings van Hume en teen die agtergrond van die leemtes van teïsties georiënteerde oplossings vir die probleem, met daardie oplossings te eksperimenteer waarin daar van ten minste van een van die proposisies wat die probleem van die kwaad konstitueer, afstand gedoen word. Daar word aangevoer dat die weg tot eksperimentering met hierdie oplossings reeds deur onder meer die opvattings van Mill en Geach gebaan is en dat dit aan filosowe oënskynlik genoegsame rede gebied het om die probleem van die kwaad ook vanuit 'n ateïstiese gesigspunt te bearbei. Teen hierdie agtergrond word daar ten slotte op die tweede oogmerk van die studie gefokus, naamlik om aan te toon dat daar 'n nog meer fundamentele rede bestaan op grond waarvan daar aangevoer kan word dat die probleem van die kwaad inderdaad langs hierdie weg en ook sonder ernstige implikasies vir die geloof in God opgelos en die emosionele druk so eie aan hierdie problematiek verlig kan word. / wa201509

<p>While the field of religious studies increasingly turns toward material culture as a counterbalance to understandings of religion that privilege questions of individual belief, theology, and text, influential histories of atheism in the West remain largely confined to the mode of intellectual history. This is understandable when atheism is commonly understood first-and-foremost as an idea about the nonexistence of God. But like religion, atheism is not a purely intellectual position; it is rooted in interpersonal emotional exchanges, material objects and media, and historically-contextual social communities. This dissertation uses tools from the materialist turns in both religious studies and media studies to explore the history of American atheism and its reliance on non-intellectual and non-rational forces. Drawing on theories of affect, visual culture, and aesthetics, it argues that atheism in America has always been more than an idea. In particular, it uses different media forms as lenses to examine the material bases of evolving forms of American disbelief from the 19th century to today. Using archival records of nineteenth-century print media and political cartoons, transcripts and audio-recordings of radio broadcasts during the mid-twentieth-century, and digital ethnography and discourse analysis on contemporary Internet platforms, this dissertation argues that American irreligion has often eschewed the rational in favor of emotional and material strategies for defining a collective identity. Each chapter highlights different metaphors that have been enabled by print, broadcast, and digital media – metaphors that American unbelievers have used to complicate the understanding of atheism as simply a set of beliefs about the nature of reality.</p> / Dissertation

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / What can a study of non-theism tell us about the transformation of religious life in America? Non-theism, as an alternative religion, challenges the traditional theological and theoretical boundaries traditionally drawn between the sacred and the profane, religion and science, God and humanity. The advent of American non-theism, characterized by a worldview that does not rely on God, gods, or supernaturalism to answer humanity's "ultimate concerns," does not indicate a shift from belief to unbelief, nor religion to non-religion, but rather a shift from one form of religion to another. Once we recognize that non-theism denotes a change in the form of religion, rather than a decline in religiosity, we can forego the secularization thesis and focus instead on a crucial shift from unquestioned belief to critical inquiry. This change in religious life is not only indicative of non-theism; it is a key characteristic of the post-traditional American religious landscape. / 2031-01-01

<p>Denna undersökning handlar om ifall kristendom kan ge upphov till ökad empati. Det bygger kring tanken att kristendom uppmanar till tolerans och förståelse, men frågan är om det verkligen stämmer. I undersökningen användes enkäter med en svensk översättning av C. D. Batsons (1994) empatiskala tillsammans med en berättelse i två versioner där huvudpersonen antingen framstod som elak eller snäll. I resultatet framkom det att kristna har en tendens till mer empati än ateister/agnostiker och att båda grupperna kände mer empati för den snälla personen än den elaka. Det framkom också, något oväntat, att kristna kände starkare än ateister/agnostiker för alla känslor i enkäten. Det kristna budskapet verkar ha en viss påverkan på känslor, men det görs skillnad mellan personer.</p>

Denna undersökning handlar om ifall kristendom kan ge upphov till ökad empati. Det bygger kring tanken att kristendom uppmanar till tolerans och förståelse, men frågan är om det verkligen stämmer. I undersökningen användes enkäter med en svensk översättning av C. D. Batsons (1994) empatiskala tillsammans med en berättelse i två versioner där huvudpersonen antingen framstod som elak eller snäll. I resultatet framkom det att kristna har en tendens till mer empati än ateister/agnostiker och att båda grupperna kände mer empati för den snälla personen än den elaka. Det framkom också, något oväntat, att kristna kände starkare än ateister/agnostiker för alla känslor i enkäten. Det kristna budskapet verkar ha en viss påverkan på känslor, men det görs skillnad mellan personer.

The guarded mind-set with which this study was initially constructed , was influenced by the notion that all that could have been said on the subject of vicarious redemption within the Judeo-Christian belief system, has been produced through scholarly research on the theories, doctrinal positions, and systems of belief, around the constructs of redemption and vicarious redemption within the Judeo-Christian worldview. However this study is premised on the view that there is a noticeable gap in the body of scholarship around the critique of the Christian belief system, and in particular, one of its doctrinal pillars, that of vicarious redemption. This thesis argues that this gap is being confronted by the resurgence of new challenges to the proposition of redemption, as raised from within the New Atheist movement, in which the late British-American author and public figure, Christopher Hitchens became the central and leading figure. A theological critique of the construct and doctrine of vicarious redemption, as undertaken by Christopher Hitchens, forms the core academic focus of this study; which is conducted within a post-structural theoretical framework. The study, whilst examining the archaeology and architecture of the idea of vicarious redemption within the theological superstructure of Christendom and its founding doctrinal formations and theories, does represents an intentional step outside of the conventional trajectory of theological scholarship and analysis. In this latter regard, and alongside conventional literary resources on the subject, this study, has been inspired and informed by the convergence of, online New Media as a rich set of resource platforms for new research on this important subject. Given these new opportunities for research, alongside conventional research methods, this study captures the outright rejection, by Christopher Hitchens, of the doctrine of vicarious redemption; in what could be argued to represent a Kairos moment in biblical interpretation and criticism on the idea of redemption; a crucial and opportune moment in scholarly theological reflection, to which the special insights, hermeneutics and life and work of Christopher Hitchens has made an indelible contribution. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Viktor Lennstrand was the first person in Sweden to establish an organization completely devoted to atheist activism: Utilistiska samfundet. This in itself makes him an important figure in Swedish history; however, he is also significant in another way. Lennstrand had a personal connection to the leaders of the three groups which had the most influence on Sweden's long-term secularization: the Swedish Free Church movement, freethinkers, and the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party. This master's thesis is a brief examination of Lennstrand's life. It will use the secularization paradigm to explain Lennstrand's place in the history of the secularization of Sweden. Specifically, it will show that Lennstrand's philosophy and activism should be seen as the product of the secularization process rather than a significant cause for its further evolution. It will also show that the reason for Lennstrand's failure to become a major influence on the secularization of Sweden was his inability to connect the Utilistiska samfund to a larger educational or political movement. This, in turn, was largely due to his personal animosity towards the SAP's leaders, the change in his personality which occurred after leaving prison, and, of course, his short life.