Ch 11 Atheism Inquizitive

Which of the following were among the fifteen points of A Humanist Manifesto (1933)?

"Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process." "Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created." "The distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained."

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the state of atheism in ancient Greece and Rome?

Accusations of godlessness were more common in ancient Greece and Rome than actual atheists

It is hard to measure the total number of atheists in the world. Which of the following is NOT a factor that makes it hard for researchers to accurately determine the number of atheists?

Atheists are less likely to be honest than people who believe in God.

Which BEST describes the main contribution of Rene Descartes and John Locke to the history of atheism?

Both philosophers advocated a form of radical doubt that prioritized reason over faith.

Why is Buddhism frequently discussed in arguments about whether or not atheism is a religion?

Buddhism challenges our definition of religion because it is relatively disinterested in gods.

Which of the following statements BEST summarizes Karl Marx's critique of Christianity?

Capitalism alienates us from our true humanity and Christianity simply serves to mask that alienation by turning the untold suffering capitalism causes into something the working class should and could endure.

___ did not deny God. They just denied that God had anything to do with them. From their perspective, God was like a watchmaker who created the world and then wound it up tight and observed its operations without interfering.

Deists

Which of the following was NOT a factor that contributed to "the rise of the nones."

In the 1960s, the Supreme Court ruled it illegal to pray or discuss God in public schools.

Order the following religions from most adherents to fewest, according to the findings of the 2020 World Religions Database.

Islam, Agnosticism, Atheism, Judaism

Which of the following statements about African American skeptics and freethinkers is MOST accurate?

It is a stereotype that African Americans are especially religious.

Which of the following can be considered religions of "non-theism" that either do postulate the existence of gods or else do not give them a place of central significance?

Jainism Confucianism Buddhism

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the religious views of Thomas Jefferson?

Jefferson's views were complicated and defy easy categorization.

One of the factors that led to the rise of New Atheism was the collapse of a gentlemen's agreement in which religious beliefs were not be debated in the public square. Several presidents contributed to this collapse. Match the president to the statement or action regarding religion in the public square.

Jimmy Carter repeatedly invoked God and quoted from the Bible Correct label: repeatedly invoked God and quoted from the Bible George W. Bush invoked Jesus as his favorite political philosopher Correct label: invoked Jesus as his favorite political philosopher Dwight D. Eisenhower stated this country makes "no sense unless it is founded in a deeply held religious faith, and I don't care what it is" Correct label: stated this country makes "no sense unless it is founded in a deeply held religious faith, and I don't care what it is"

Who was the MOST politically influential atheist of the nineteenth century?

Karl Marx

Place the items in chronological order from furthest in the past to most recent.

Karl Marx describes religion as the opium of the people. Charles Darwin authors The Origin of Species. Nietzsche, in The Gay Science, declares God is dead. The Russian Revolution prompts church seizures, seminary closures, murders of priest and bishops and bans on religious books.

Select the original "Four Horsemen" of atheism.

Ludwig Feuerbach Karl Marx Friedrich Nietzsche Sigmund Freud

Which of the following statements BEST describes Niccolò Machiavelli's attitude toward Christianity?

Machiavelli saw Christianity as an important tool for achieving political goals.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, female atheists were seen as uniquely threatening by their Christian opponents. Who was described as "the most hated woman in America?"

Madalyn Murray O'Hair

Which of the following statements BEST summarizes Sigmund Freud's The Future of an Illusion?

Religious teachings are false, but they reflect the oldest and most urgent wishes of human beings.

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the attitudes of French revolutionaries toward religion?

The French Revolution de-Christianized France but replaced Christianity with civil religions.

Select the features that made the "New Atheism" of the twenty-first century distinct from its predecessors.

The New Atheists rejected the idea that religion can be a force for good, even if its claims are false. New Atheists sharply criticized Islam. New Atheists questioned the value of religious tolerance.

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the significance of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" of 1925?

The trial was an embarrassment for religious fundamentalists, who withdrew from national politics until the 1970s.

Which statement BEST summarizes the position of the Muslim philosopher Averroes (1126-1198)?

The universe is eternal and has always existed. Therefore, reason dictates that God could not have created it.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote the following about Protestant Reformer John Calvin: "He was indeed an Atheist . . . If ever man worshipped a false god, he did." What does this quotation reveal about how the word "atheist" has been used?

The word atheism has often stood in for an accusation of heresy rather than an identity.

How did medieval theologians such as Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus indirectly contribute to the rise of religious skepticism?

They used reason to argue for the existence of God. But in doing so, they showed that the idea of a personal God described in the Bible cannot be proved through reason.

People disagree as to whether or not atheism should be considered a religion. Which of the positions below is the MOST defensible?

This question depends on the facts of any given case because what atheists believe and do varies from person to person and from group to group.

Who described the Bible as "the word of a demon" in his book The Age of Reason?

Thomas Paine

___ says, "I don't know whether God exists," while ___ makes a bolder claim: "Whether God exists is not knowable."

Weak agnosticism, strong agnosticism

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes atheist attitudes toward ritual?

While some atheist see no need for rituals, others argie that rituals are a basic human need and that atheists should be free to create rituals for weddings, funerals, and other life events.

The Greek philosopher Protagoras wrote, "Concerning the gods I am unable to discover whether they exist or not, or what they are like in form; for there are many hindrances to knowledge, the obscurity of the subject and the brevity of human life." Protagoras's ideas are BEST characterized as ___.

agnosticism

Latoya does not believe in God or anything supernatural and is angered that millions of people live their lives in fear that they will go to hell. She feels that raising children to be religious is actually a form of child abuse because it indoctrinates them into views that are harmful and dangerous. Latoya is BEST described as a(n) ___.

anti-theist

Which image BEST embodies atheist views on human origins?

evolution

Carl believes ordinary people are amazing. He wants everyone to live a life of happiness and dignity and is confident that people are intelligent, courageous, and resourceful enough to create a better world for everyone. Carl is BEST described as a(n) ___.

humanist

In atheism, the problem is ___ and the solution is ___. Techniques for reaching the solution include ___ and exemplars include ___.

ignorance, knowledge, critical inquiry, freethinkers

Carol does not affirm belief in God because she does not like to affirm belief in things for which she currently has no evidence. Carol is BEST characterized as a(n) ___.

negative atheist

Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated from his synagogue for doubting biblical revelation and the immortality of the soul. Spinoza claimed there was no distinction between God and nature and that there is only one substance in the universe, which he called Deus sive natura ("God or nature"). Which label BEST characterizes Spinoza?

pantheist

Bob has considered the philosophical arguments for God's existence and believes they are logically flawed. Although he is certain God does not exist, he does not feel the need to discuss his views with religious people. Bob is BEST characterized as a(n) ___.

positive atheist

Atheists and agnostics typically point to ___ instead of ___ to explain the universe's creation.

scientific theories, God

According the 2016 Pew survey, 25 percent of U.S. adults identify as having no religion. This increase in "nones" would seem to give evidence to the ___. However, a problem with this conclusion is that many "nones" describe themselves as ___.

secularization theory, spiritual but not religious

What sacred text did the Lokayatas describe as "the prattling of knaves, characterized by the three faults of untruthfulness, internal contradiction, and useless repetition?"

the Vedas

Select factors that worked to undercut the traditional authority of religion in Western society during the nineteenth century.

urbanization evolutionary theory immigration biblical criticism

The idea that there is no God is a relatively recent creation in the history of religious thought.

False

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the contributions of Ludwig Feuerbach's The Essence of Christianity?

Feuerbach argued that God is actually a way of talking about human dignity and what is best in humanity.

___ is a tradition of critical inquiry that calls religious truth claims into question by subjecting them to the light of reason.

Freethought

Arrange these events in chronological order from furthest in the past to most recent.

Freud authors the Future of an illusion. American Atheists is founded and the U.S. Supreme Court rules against school-sponsored prayer and devotional Bible reading in public schools. Time magazine covers ask Is God Dead? The End of Faith by Sam Harris announces the arrival of the New Atheism. The Public Religion Research Institute reports that 25 percent of America's adults are religiously unaffiliated.

Who wrote the lines, "'—Whither is God?' he cried; 'I will tell you. We have killed him&emdash; you and I. All of us are his murderers. . . . God is dead'"?

Friedrich Nietzsche

Britain's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not allow hats or other head coverings in driver's license photos. However, they make exceptions for members of religious minorities like Sikh men or Muslim women. They do not allow Pastafarians to wear pasta strainers on their heads. What is this man hoping to accomplish by protesting outside the DVLA?

He wants to the government to stop making exceptions for minority religions.

Which of the following statements BEST describes Jennifer Hecht's ideas about suicide?

Hecht believes there are historical and philosophical reasons not to commit suicide.

Atheists reject the idea of people of shared beliefs gathering in a congregation.

False

Just as 25 percent of adults in the United States identify as religiously unaffiliated, 25 percent of elected officials in the U.S. federal government identify as atheist.

False