Unattractiveness of atheism

Eric Kaufmann, a professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, using a wealth of demographic studies, argues that there will be a significant decline of global atheism in the 21st century which will impact the Western World.[1][2][3][4]

The American Christian Todd Strandberg said of atheism: "The ranks of atheists have always been small... The key problem with atheism is that it lacks a strong 'selling point'".[5] (See also: Atheism and apathy)

Throughout mankind's history, most people have found atheism to be uninteresting and ungratifying (See: Atheism and inspiration).

Christians maintain that the benefits of Christianity totally outweigh the benefits of atheism.[6] For example, Bible believing Christians point out that the atheist population is more depressed (See also: Hopelessness of atheism and Atheism and meaninglessness).[6]

Furthermore, while atheism lacks any proof and evidence that it is true, Christianity offers a wealth of evidence confirming its veracity (see: Evidence for Christianity).

In addition, the significant amount of unpleasant personalities within the atheist population and the resulting amount of atheist infighting has made atheist community unattractive to many people who are looking for a sense of community and/or a common cause (see: Atheist factions and Atheism and social skills).[7][8] Also, besides having a poor sense of community within atheism, atheists give less to others outside their community than religious groups (see: Atheism and uncharitableness).

The imbalance between men and women involved in the atheist community (men are significantly more likely to be atheists) and the impoliteness of many atheist men towards atheist women is also unattractive to many individuals (see: Atheism and women and Elevatorgate and Atheism and rape).

Another unappealing aspect of atheism is its bloody history which has surpassed all other worldviews in terms of loss of life (see: Atheism and mass murder).

Furthermore, the ultimate destination for unrepentant atheists is Hell (See: Atheism and Hell).

See also: Atheism and social outcasts

## Contents

* 1 Statistics on atheism reflect its unattractiveness as a worldview
* 2 World interest in atheism has declined since 2000
* 3 Atheism and loneliness
* 4 Atheism and alcoholism
* 4.1 Secular countries/regions and alcoholism
* 5 Atheism and illegal drug use and drug addition
* 6 Atheism and its lack of holidays
* 6.1 Atheism and Christmas
* 7 Janan Ganesh on the reluctance of irreligious/nonreligious to embrace the tenets of materialism/atheism
* 8 See also
* 9 Notes

## Statistics on atheism reflect its unattractiveness as a worldview[edit]

See also: Atheism statistics

The article Atheism statistics provides a large collection of statistics which help further demonstrate the unattractiveness of atheism as a worldview.

## World interest in atheism has declined since 2000[edit]

See also: Desecularization and Growth of global desecularization and Decline of global atheism

Currently, global atheism is shrinking and demographic research indicates that the shrinking of global atheism will continue and affect Western atheism (see: Decline of atheism and Growth of global desecularization).[9]

Global atheism has been on the decline since 2000.[10]

The British academic Eric Kaufmann told a secular audience in Australia: "The trends that are happening worldwide inevitably in an age of globalization are going to affect us."[11]

The 2004 to 2007 publicity campaign for atheism in the Western World, offering a militant form of atheism (called the New Atheism) was not sustainable.[12] The level of public interest in atheism is not coming back in the West and global atheism shrinking will make subsequent publicity attempts more likely to be unsuccessful.[12]

## Atheism and loneliness[edit]

Secular societies commonly have significant levels of loneliness. See: Atheism and loneliness

See also: Atheism and loneliness

Loneliness has been linked to many physical and mental health problems.[13]

Compared to deeply religious cultures where an extended family and a sense of community often exists, secular countries are often lonelier societies. In addition, numerous studies and other data indicate that atheists often have lower emotional intelligence and lower social skills (see: Atheism and emotional intelligence and Atheism and social skills).

For more information, please see:

* Atheism and loneliness

* Secular Europe and loneliness

* Irreligious Australia and loneliness

* Atheistic China and loneliness

## Atheism and alcoholism[edit]

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe, "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.[14]

See also: Atheism and alcoholism

Atheists and atheistic cultures often have significant problems with excess alcohol usage (For more information please see: Atheism and alcoholism).

### Secular countries/regions and alcoholism[edit]

Secular Europe:

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) regional office in Europe, "The WHO European Region has the highest proportion in the world of total ill health and premature death due to alcohol.[14]

* Secular Europe and alcoholism

Australia:

An Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) report indicated that 20% of Australians drink at levels putting them at risk of lifetime harm.[15]

For more information, please see: Irreligious Australia and alcoholism

Asian countries:

See: Irreligious Asian countries and alcoholism

Godless communism and alcoholism:

* Soviet Union and alcoholism

* Communist East Germany and alcoholism

## Atheism and illegal drug use and drug addition[edit]

See also: Atheism and drug addiction

Studies indicate that religious individuals are less likely to engage in illegal drug use than atheists/nonreligious.[16][17][18]

## Atheism and its lack of holidays[edit]

The Jewish comedian Henny Youngman joked about atheism, "I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up . . . they have no holidays."[19] See also: Atheism quotes

### Atheism and Christmas[edit]

See also: Atheism and Christmas

In December 2003, the University of Warwick reported:

“  |  Dr. Stephen Joseph, from the University of Warwick, said: "Religious people seem to have a greater purpose in life, which is why they are happier. Looking at the research evidence, it seems that those who celebrate the Christian meaning of Christmas are on the whole likely to be happier.[20] |  ”

|
|

## Janan Ganesh on the reluctance of irreligious/nonreligious to embrace the tenets of materialism/atheism[edit]

See also: Atheism and spirituality and Atheism and beliefs and Atheist worldview and Atheism and life after death

Many atheists became upset with Oprah Winfrey when she declared that you can't be an atheist if you believe in the awe and wonder of the world.[21] See: Atheism and wonder

Janan Ganesh wrote in the Financial Times:

“  |  What stands out even more is the constant groping for profundity by people who stop well short of any religion or organised belief system themselves. There has been a vein of lifestyle spiritualism in the west, and especially the US, for a long time now. Deepak Chopra, the Martin Luther of this stuff, is in his seventies, and Oprah Winfrey not far behind. But unless I am being singled out for special treatment, it appears to have become inescapable over the past decade in particular.

This is not the place, nor am I the writer, for a disquisition on the existence or otherwise of God. The question, rather, is why people who plainly do not have any such faith are so reluctant to own the fact. Why is the materialist view of things still so hard to embrace, even for those who share all or most of its tenets?[22]

|  ”

|
|

Many atheists became upset with Oprah Winfrey when she declared that you can't be an atheist if you believe in the awe and wonder of the world.[21] See: Atheism and wonder

## See also[edit]

* Disadvantages of atheism

* Atheism and its retention rate in individuals

* Atheism, agnosticism and pessimism

* Atheism and health

* Atheist population and immorality

* Atheism and deception

* Christianity and social stability

* Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian

* Christian joy, atheist despair and the good news of Christianity

* Atheists and physical attractiveness

## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann, Belfer Center, Harvard University/Birkbeck College, University of London
2. ↑ Eric Kaufmann: Shall The Religious Inherit The Earth?
3. ↑ Eric Kaufmann's Atheist Demographic series
4. ↑ Eric Kaufmann: Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
5. ↑ Atheism: The cult of death
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 And the benefits of atheism are what again?
7. ↑ Brendan O'Neill, The Telegraph, How atheists became the most colossally smug and annoying people on the planet, August 14th, 2013
8. ↑ Atheism cannot replace religion
9. ↑ Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann, Belfer Center, Harvard University/Birkbeck College, University of London
* Eric Kaufmann: Shall The Religious Inherit The Earth?*Eric Kaufmann's Atheist Demographic series
* Eric Kaufmann: Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
10. ↑ Global data upend usual picture of Christianity trends
11. ↑ Shall the religious inherit the earth - Festival of Dangerous Ideas - Eric Kaufmann
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The 2004 to 2007 publicity campaign for atheism was not sustainable. Level of public interest is not coming back
13. ↑ Multiple references:
* Gammon, Katherine (March 2, 2012). "Why loneliness can be deadly". Live Science website.
* Booth, Robert (October 12, 2014). "Number of severely lonely men over 50 set to rise to 1m in 15 years", The Guardian.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Data and statistics" (September 2014 or bef.). Health topics/Disease prevention/Alcohol use. World Health Organization (WHO)/Regional office for Europe
15. ↑ Mower, Jane (November 19, 2013). "One in eight deaths of young Australians attributable to alcohol: National Council on Drugs report". Australian Broadcasting Company website/News.
16. ↑ Believers Consume Fewer Drugs Than Atheists, Christian Post, By Jim Denison, Christian Post Columnist, October 9, 2013|9:47 am
17. ↑ Believers consume fewer drugs than atheists, Science Daily, Date:October 3, 2013, Source: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Foerderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung
18. ↑ Multiple references:
* McCullough, Michael E. and Willoughby, Brian L. B. (January 2009). "Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: associations, explanations, and implications" Psychological Bulletin, vol. 135, no. 1, pp. 69-93. Retrieved from University of Miami department of psychology website on September 10, 2014.
* Alternate source of abstract: "Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: associations, explanations, and implications" [abstract]. Retrieved from PubMed.gov on September 10, 2014.
19. ↑ Youngman, Henny (1980 or bef.). Earliest attestation. Retrieved from GoogleBooks.
20. ↑ http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/A/20037338.html
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Oprah: You Can’t Be an Atheist If You ‘Believe in the Awe and Wonder’ of the World  by Josh Feldman, Mediaite, October 14th, 2013
22. ↑ Instagram atheists need to drop the hokum by Janan Ganesh. Financial Times, 2018