The purpose of this study in the psychology of religion is to explore the process of an individual’s shift in orienting system, from a religious to an atheistic. The materials used are autobiographical accounts obtained from two books. One that has been used as a primary source and one as a secondary. By using Rambo’s process oriented theory of religious conversion relevant themes and categories were chosen and later subjected to further analysis using Pargament’s theory of religion and coping. In the first stage analysis themes and categories were chosen according to Rambo’s seven stages of conversion. In the second stage Pargament’s theory enabled an analysis of how the person’s means in different circumstances changed to reach certain important goals, significance. Results showed that the individual went through several of the stages and conversion motifs described by Rambo. In this process of conversion Pargament’s theory contributed to further explain the psychological transformation of the individual in each of these stages. Further research describing the process of an individual’s journey to atheism needs to be done and this paper might contribute to the understanding of this phenomena.

Thesis (doctoral)--Université de Nice, 1976. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 871-910).

This Thesis is an experiment. Within its pages a number of stories will be told, the foci of which will apply a particular methodology—what I call ‘Ethnographic Criticism’—to the examination of a specific concept: modern Atheist identity. First, it will introduce Ethnographic Criticism as a new and significant style of literary analysis aimed at reading fictional texts in order to generate anthropological insights about how particular identities are formed. Second, it will use this new means of criticism to discuss and evaluate how Atheist identity might be perceived as being constructed within a dialectic between seemingly exclusive forms of Theism and Atheism. Ethnographic Criticism exists at the nexus between fiction and ethnography, and its genesis derives from three foundational pillars: ethnographic construction, Ethical Criticism, and discourse analysis. In the three Chapters of Part One, each of these pillars will be established, both exegetically and critically. This examination will play a key role in explicating how the ‘made-up’ qualities of fiction might be converted into the ‘made-from’ qualities of ethnography. Additionally, these Chapters will reveal the roots of Ethnographic Criticism through an analysis of discourses dealing with the ‘literary turn’ in the theory of anthropology, how Ethical Criticism associates fictional character development with identity construction, and the anthropological benefits of discourse analysis. As a case study, I will apply Ethnographic Criticism to an analysis of Atheist identity construction. Due to the combination of a relative absence of existing ethnographic sources on the subject, an ambiguous academic discourse on the definition of the term, and a paucity of cultural units or ‘tribes’ of Atheists in which to observe, my use of Ethnographic Criticism will attempt to fill a methodological lacuna concerning the study of Atheist identity. Thus, in Part Two, I will focus on two fictional texts by the contemporary English novelist Ian McEwan: Black Dogs (1992) and Enduring Love (1997). In this analysis, not only will McEwan’s fictional characters be treated as if they are ‘real,’ historical individuals, they will be evaluated through an anthropological lens in order to isolate within their interactional validations a means to understand how Atheists define themselves via dialectical communication. In this way, and in both explicating and reflecting upon this approach, my experimental analysis will identify a number of dynamic, yet no less precarious, outcomes that might surface from reading fictional texts as if they were authoritatively equal to ethnographic ones.

In this manuscript, the speaker’s engagement with the father-lover-God figure forces a confrontation with larger existential questions. There is tension between the material and the non-material, between observation and intuition (what is knowledge?), and between seeking and being. The mind/thought walks the line between tangible and intangible, so thought—language, our definitions—is a central theme in Thorn. The mind can build its own reality, meaning it is either fragile or powerful. Everything to which we seem to have access is a construct and therefore everything is ultimately meaningless—now what?

This study examines secular mommy bloggers, a group of women who blog about the difficulties of being a nonbeliever parent in a predominantly religious society. In this study, I explore the rhetorical dimensions of four separate blogs by investigating how each mother builds identity within her personal blog and how her sense of identity enables her to construct individual ethos. Furthermore, I illustrate how the individual ethos of each blogger contributes to a group ethos representing the entire secular parenting community. Ultimately, I show how these mothers rhetorically set themselves apart from other nonbeliever/secular groups. / Master of Arts

This thesis defends two arguments. First, it is argued that new atheism and Protestant fundamentalism in Britain and America share a common historical root in the English Reformation and its aftermath. This common historical root gave rise to two presuppositions instrumental in their genesis: a literal, univocal, and perspicuous understanding of Scripture, and a disruptive and substitutionary conception of divine activity in nature. Second, it is argued that these two presuppositions continue to structure both forms of thought, and support a range of shared biblical, hermeneutical, and theological beliefs. In advancing these arguments, a number of substantive conclusions regarding atheism, Protestant fundamentalism, and the lineage of Protestant thought in Britain and America are reached. First, it is argued that, while lacking detail, popular comparisons between new atheism and Protestant fundamentalism are cogent. Second, it is argued that atheism in Britain and America grew out of intellectual and social problems within Protestantism. Third, it is argued that Protestant fundamentalism was itself a response to the same train of problems that gave rise to atheism. Fourth, it is argued that new atheism is not an areligious movement but an atheological one, which finds it necessary to engage in the task of theology in order to reject the existence of God and the truth of the Christian faith. Fifth, this study casts doubt on the self-understanding of both Protestant fundamentalism and new atheism, showing that Protestant fundamentalism is not truly biblical, nor new atheism scientific, but that both are indebted to presuppositions that neither can properly justify, and which render both self-contradictory.

No description available.

This master's thesis in religious studies titled An Introduction to movement of New Atheism: definitions and metatheses aims to present an introduction to very basic problems New Atheism (NAT). The NAT is commonly associated to four people, namely Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens are considered the fathers of this set of ideas about religion. The object of this dissertation is not primarily the theses sustained by these intellectuals, but to understand the NAT itself. Regarding the research methodology is conceptual in nature, not empirical, but draws on historical and sociological research on the subject. After noting that there is great divergence in the literature and in the media of how to understand the NAT established in the first chapter a minimum concept of 'atheism' and the second 'New Atheism'. In the last chapter, the third, we discuss some metatheses, general claims about the NAT. We conclude that atheism should be understood among other properties such as the absence of belief in God or the gods. The NAT even if not defined, it can be understood as a group of theses with family resemblance. Finally, in relation to metatheses, partially agree with Zenk that NAT is a media construction; LeDrew also with a social movement that is fundamentally an ideology. However, we disagree with Paine and Nall that such a move is a fundamentalism as defined by both authors. We hope that this work is a contribution to the study of atheism in our country. / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo apresentar uma introdução a problemas muito básicos do neoateísmo (NAT). O NAT está associado comumente a quatro intelectuais, a saber, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett e Christopher Hitchens, que são considerados os genitores desse conjunto de ideias a respeito da religião. O objeto desta dissertação não é primariamente examinar as teses sustentadas por esses autores, mas compreender o próprio NAT. Em relação à metodologia da pesquisa, é de índole conceitual, não empírica, porém se vale de pesquisas históricas e sociológicas a respeito do tema. Após observar que há grande divergência na literatura e na mídia sobre como entender o NAT, estabelecemos no primeiro capítulo um conceito mínimo de “ateísmo” e no segundo um de “neoateísmo”. No último capítulo, o terceiro, discutimos algumas metateses – alegações gerais a respeito do NAT. Concluímos que o ateísmo deve ser entendido como apresentando, entre outras características, a ausência da crença em Deus ou nos deuses. Podemos compreender o NAT, mesmo que não o definindo, como um grupo de teses com semelhança de família. Por fim, em relação às metateses, concordamos parcialmente com Zenk que o NAT é uma construção da mídia; igualmente com LeDrew, quando este autor postula que é um movimento social, fundamentalmente uma ideologia. Porém, discordamos de Paine e Nall, de que tal movimento seja um fundamentalismo, como definido por ambos os autores. Esperamos que este trabalho contribua para os estudos sobre o ateísmo em nosso país. / São Cristóvão, SE

Syftet med studien var att jämföra grad av coping samt grad av livstillfredsställelse mellan religiösa personer och de som anser sig vara icke troende. För att testa skillnaderna mellan religiösa och ateister gjordes stickprov med data från 30 religiösa och 103 ateister. Mätinstrumentet REI skapades för att mäta graden av tro eller icke tro i avseende att jämföra resultatet mot den trosuppfattning som deltagarna själva hade angivit. Ett Mann–Whitney U test visade att det inte fanns en signifikant skillnad mellan deltagarnas självskattning av tro och resultatet från REI. Resultat från oberoende t-test avseende livstillfredsställelse visar att religiösa och ateister inte signifikant skilde sig åt. Signfikanta skillnader återfanns i oberoende t-test avseende emotionsbaserad, problemfokuserad och dysfunktionell coping. De religiösa och ateistiska grupperna skiljde sig mest i emotionsbaserad coping som hade högst effektstyrka enligt Cohens d (d = 1,39) i jämförelse med effektstyrkan för problemfokuserad och dysfunktionell coping. / The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of coping and the level of life satisfaction between religious people and those who consider themselves non-believers. To test the differences atheists, two sets of data from 30 religious and 103 atheists were used. The instrument REI was created to measure the degree of belief or non-belief in order to compare the results against the belief that the participants themselves had stated. A Mann–Whitney U test confirmed that there is no significant difference between participants' self-assessment of belief and the results from REI. Results from independent t-tests on the life satisfaction show that the religious and the atheists do not significantly differ. Significant differences were however found in independent t-test for emotion-based, problem-based and dysfunctional coping. The religious and atheist groups differed the most on the emotion-based coping with the highest effect size of Cohen's d (d = 1.39) in comparison with the effect size of problem-based and dysfunctional coping.

Dans ses écrits, Freud a employé une seule fois le terme athéisme. Pour autant, il est devenu un des plus illustres contempteurs de la religion et l’opinion commune a facilement retenu le caractère athée de la psychanalyse. Des psychanalystes de toutes obédiences se sont eux-mêmes volontiers qualifiés d’athées. Ils ont évoqué le problème de l’athéisme et se sont appropriés les références philosophiques, politiques et théologiques portant sur cette question. Cette appropriation a-t-elle aboutit à la formation d’une notion restreinte et psychanalytique d’athéisme ? Pour répondre à cette question, nous avons recensé les usages du terme athéisme dans les écrits psychanalytiques. Nous nous sommes penchée sur la manière dont les psychanalystes ont constitué des savoirs à propos de l’athéisme.Notre lecture précise des publications nous a permis de mettre en évidence l’absence d’une acception proprement psychanalytique de l’athéisme. Toutefois, nous avons pu extraire au moins deux acceptions principales. La première concerne la pensée athée. Les psychanalystes ont couramment pointé ses incohérences et l’ont analysé comme résultant de conflits psychiques. La seconde acception se réfère à la perspective athée de la psychanalyse, c’est-à-dire à la séparation inaugurale entre la psychanalyse et le théisme. / In his writings, Freud used the term atheism only once. However, he became one of the most illustrious despisers of religion and this has fuelled the common opinion that psychoaknalysis has an atheistic character. Psychoanalysts of all persuasions have gladly described themselves as atheists. They have approached the problem of atheism and have appropriated the philosophic, political and theological references concerning this question. Has this appropriation ended in the formation of a restricted and psychoanalytical notion of atheism? To answer this question, we identified the uses of the term atheism in the psychoanalytic literature. We looked at how psychoanalysts have contributed to knowledge about atheism. Our precise reading of the publications has allowed us to highlight the absence of a properly psychoanalytic sense of atheism. However, we were able to extract at least two main senses. The first one concerns atheistic thought. Psychoanalysts have frequently pointed out its incoherence and analyzed it as resulting from psychic conflicts. The second meaning refers to the atheist perspective of psychoanalysis, that is to say the inaugural separation between psychoanalysis and theism.