The various stages of atheism

I've noticed from my own, personal experience, the experiences of those who've posted on Boards throughout the past few years, and the experiences of my friends, that there are several manifest stages of atheism. Becoming an atheist is a progression through several degrees of unbelief, with each degree being characterised in its own, particular way.

Epiphanic atheism:

The explosive epiphany that often occurs when the fetters of faith are finally and triumphantly thrown off; the feeling that accompanies the sudden, ineffable, indescribable, indefinable realisation of the absurdity of religion; a feeling of awakening after a long slumber. This stage is characterised by frenzied research and frantic reading, with the insatiable itch to exclaim to the entire Earth that you've discovered something wonderful, something that must be seen by all — you've found the Truth. You feel as an explorer, having discovered a great new sea; you don't comprehend that this sea has been sailed many times before. You sail on ...

Pretentious atheism:

You've realised what you believe to be the Truth, and you feel as if you came to this Truth by your own intellect. You feel prideful: you've been liberated, emancipated — the fruits of your own intellectual labour. A sense of superiority pervades your thoughts. "Look at all of these fools, asleep — blind to reality; watching shadows dance on a parapet. But not I, for I have seen the light." A man among children; a philosopher among men.

Jocular atheism:

Amusing pictures inspired by religion disport you. Making a mockery of religion is now enjoyable — humour, satire and parody allow you to portray your feelings towards religion. Humour is the best form of criticism when it comes to critiquing the absurd. It resonates with you, describing what you cannot.

Derisive (or perhaps belligerent) atheism:

You feel anger — if not active, then at least passive. Religion and theism annoy you, they disturb you, and they agitate you. Why can't the world wake up? Why waste time, precious time, devoting yourself to falsities and falsehoods? The countless lives that have been lost; the innumerable abuses carried out; the myriad children abused; the great minds subjugated; the progress retarded; the stifling nature of it all.

Despondent atheism:

For the more philosophically inclined; for those who spare a thought for metaphysics, for ontology. A vast universe, incomprehensible in scale, infinite in possibilities, and here you are, standing on a speck suspended in a sunbeam, an insignificant, inconsequential, unimportant, paltry bag of meat and bones, cells and atoms — a product of chance. No, there's no teleological reason for your being; you just are. No hope. Death is the end, the end for all; your life is all you have. The absurdity of life strikes you like a punch in the stomach. You feel sick. Two paths in the woods confront you at this stage: you can revert to the comforting embrace of religion, curing you from your sickness; or you continue on, realising that the absurdity and inconsequentiality of life and living, of your life, sets you free — truly free.

Apathetic atheism:

After the roller-coaster of realisation, the journey from epiphany to despondency, apathy sets in. Elements of the other stages still partially remain: the anger doesn't desert you; religious humour still amuses you, and you continue to satirise and parody religious beliefs; you still have a sense of perspective, of how tiny you are, and perhaps a certain, if not displeasing, but awakening, hopelessness — a rightful respect for your minuteness, for the absurdity of your situation, and, as a consequence of this, how truly great it is to be alive. You no longer feel the urge to proclaim to the people of the planet that you've seen the Truth; your sense of superiority has fled. The new-car smell fades, as it were. Apathy and indifference sink in. You've lost your faith, and have had your awakening, and now get on with your life, continuing to live with the knowledge of your insignificance in the grand scheme of things. Somehow this sets you free, more free than you've ever been before.

Have you gone through a similar process? From epiphany to pride, from anger to apathy?


Now, to drink more Glenfiddich. Scotch makes me want to write.

Bannasidhe

Let me poor you another wee dram. No, No. My pleasure.

Ickle Magoo

I didn't go on any kind of a journey so I suppose I'd have to add eternally bemused to your list...

Put the glenfiddich away and try a laphroaig... :cool:

Calibos

Em, that actually pretty accurately describes my journey. Bravo Sir, you insightful so and so

None of the above.......



.....but then I'm drinking Fuller's Bengal Lancer. :cool:

Jellicoe

What stage is Dawkins at ?

Improbable

I never had any faith to begin with so there was definitely no epiphanic stage for me at least. I've gone through pretentious, jocular and derisive. I haven't gone through despondent but whether that's an indication that I simply haven't reached that stage or whether it's a result of my never having had previous religious faith remains to be seen. I'd like to think that I'll never go through despondent or apathetic. At least not in the sense that you describe it. I fully understand that death is the end and that someday I will reach that point and at one point I will cease to exist, but that is not a depressing thought for me. I disagree that life is inconsequential. In the grand scale of the universe, of course it is. What happens on a random planet in a random solar system in a random galaxy is inconsequential to the wider existence of the universe. But for those of us here on Earth right now, our lives are the most important thing we do. The continued existence and advancement of our species. The possibility that one day, humans will spread to other celestial systems. The impact that each of our lives will have on the future rather than the fact that we may not personally be there to witness that impact. That's why I will continue to rebel against the forces of religion because the impact on the future is extremely important.

Freiheit

none of the above although I have experienced some of what you describe,just not as stages.

My atheism was very gradual,taking a decade to go from a committed gay catholic to active disbelief in any God or afterlife. I dithered in agnosticism for a long time',near death experiences etc,there might be a spiritual realm or reincarnation etc even if no God.'...

Mickeroo

Pretty bang on for me gvn, though I can't decide if it was stage 2 or 4 where I managed to earn my one and only first hand experience of the ban-hammer on boards.ie. I was a petulent little fecker back then.