Yes, atheists are indeed people. They're moral, upstanding, happy folk, the same as anyone else. No, they don't worship (or believe in) Satan, or any gods, demons, or angels. They just try to live their lives, like any other person; they simply don't allow religion into the picture.

Why would anyone be an atheist? The answer varies. For some, they can't accept the idea of an invisible God. It just raises too many questions, from the metaphysical to the historical: If God created the universe, who or what created God? If God "just exists," then why can't the universe just exist? Of the thousands and thousands of different gods that have been claimed to exist throughout human history, what are the odds that it's one particular God? Isn't it more likely that gods were invented to explain the mysteries of the world before we developed rational methods of looking at it?

These questions and many more have been debated for millennia -- there's not going to be any agreement on them any time soon. But the fact remains that atheists, though they've concluded that there's no good reason to believe that gods exist, are happy, productive members of society just the same. I honestly believe that the world would be a better place without organized religion.

If you're an atheist, I encourage you to link to this page as often as you can, or to put up your own page explaining how you feel about religion and why you're an atheist. I think it's important that atheists, as a definite minority in both the United States and the world, let people know that they exist and why.

Atheism FAQ.

Here are some common questions and answers I get about atheism.

What is an atheist?

An atheist is someone who does not hold a belief in any God or gods. "Gods" includes traditional deities like Jehovah or Allah, as well as "demons" and "devils" like Satan, or other supernatural spirits. Atheists don't believe that any of these things exist.

But... how can you not believe in God?

There's a lot of reasons someone wouldn't believe in God. The most common is that they don't see any real solid evidence for the existence of God, and they apply the general principle of "I won't believe anything exists unless there's some pretty strong evidence for it."

How can you be happy without God?

Atheists can take happiness in many things; family, friends, knowledge, entertainment, and more. Belief in God is not the only way to be happy.

If you don't believe in God, how do you think all this *got* here?

I don't know. It's not particularly important to me that I know. Sure, it would be nice to find out, but am I going to let my life hinge on it? No. There's no reason to.

What about morals? If you don't accept God's morality, what's keeping you from raping and murdering?

My own sense of morals and ethics. There certainly is a lot in common between my morals and "Christian" morals. I generally believe that it's wrong to harm others, that people deserve freedom, that everyone should be given fair treatment, and so on. And I believe these things despite the fact that I don't fear any kind of eternal punishment.