Definitions and Concepts of Atheism
Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities, the position that there are no deities, or the absence of belief that any deities exist.
Atheists cite a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Rationales for not believing in any deity include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. In general, atheists regard the arguments for the existence of God as unconvincing or flawed.
Agnostic atheists contend that there are insufficient grounds for strong atheism, the position that no deities exist, but still reject theistic claims.
Ignostics propose that every other theological position (including agnosticism and atheism) assumes too much about the concept of God and that the question of the existence of God is meaningless.
Read more about this topic: Criticism Of Atheism
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