The Necessity of Atheism

Going One God Further
Atheism

Key Concepts

* Atheism
* Agnosticism
* Antitheism
* FAQ for the Newly Deconverted

Articles to not believe in

* The Atheist Experience
* Agnosticism
* Rationalism vs. Religious Instruction in the Public Schools
* Atheism

Notable heathens

* Adam Carolla
* B. R. Ambedkar
* Mikhail Gorbachev
* Paulo Bittencourt (Deutsch)

v \- t \- e

If ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, knowledge of nature is made for their destruction.

'The Necessity of Atheism' is an 1811 essay in English by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. It became an instant academic scandal. Written during his time at Oxford, its publication predictably led to his temporary suspension once he confessed authorship. The essay itself, a surprisingly direct argument, delves into life, consciousness, and perception to assert that God is merely a superstition to be dismissed. To back his point, Shelley even cited influential ancient Roman authors who apparently didn't give a fuck about conventional theology either. This early brush with controversy foreshadowed the career of one of the Romantic era's most influential poets, known for later works such as "Ozymandias."

## Quote:[edit]

“”Hence it is evident that, having no proofs from either of the three sources of conviction, the mind cannot believe the existence of a creative God: it is also evident that, as belief is a passion of the mind, no degree of criminality is attachable to disbelief; and that they only are reprehensible who neglect to remove the false medium through which their mind views any subject of discussion. Every reflecting mind must acknowledge that there is no proof of the existence of a Deity.

God is an hypothesis, and, as such, stands in need of proof: the onus probandi rests on the theist. Sir Isaac Newton says: Hypotheses non fingo, quicquid enim ex phaenomenis non deducitur hypothesis, vocanda est, et hypothesis vel metaphysicae, vel physicae, vel qualitatum occultarum, seu mechanicae, in philosophia locum non habent. To all proofs of the existence of a creative God apply this valuable rule.

## Source[edit]

* The Necessity of Atheism on Wikisource

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