http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_atheism
Although the term atheism originated in the 16th
century, based on
Ancient
Greek godless,
denying the gods, ungodly"[1]
and open admission to positive atheism in modern times was not made
earlier than in the late 18th
century, atheistic ideas
and beliefs, as well as their political influence, have a more
expansive history.
The spontaneous proposition that
there may be no gods after all is likely as old as theism
itself (and the proposition that
there may be no God as
old as the beginnings of monotheism
or henotheism). Philosophical atheist thought appears from the
6th or 5th century BCE, both in Europe and in Asia.
------------
Atheism in the 20th century found
recognition in a wide variety of other, broader philosophies, such
as existentialism, objectivism, secular
humanism, nihilism, logical
positivism, Marxism, feminism,[19]
and the general scientific and rationalist
movement. Neopositivism and analytical
philosophy discarded
classical rationalism and metaphysics in favor of strict empiricism
and epistemological nominalism. Proponents such as Bertrand
Russell emphatically
rejected belief in God. In his early work, Ludwig
Wittgenstein attempted to
separate metaphysical and supernatural language from rational
discourse.
A. J. Ayer
asserted the unverifiability and
meaninglessness of religious statements, citing his adherence to
the empirical sciences. The structuralism of Lévi-Strauss sourced religious language to the human
subconscious, denying its transcendental meaning. J. N.
Findlay and J. J. C.
Smart argued that the
existence of God is not logically necessary. Naturalists and materialists
such as John Dewey
considered the natural world to be
the basis of everything, denying the existence of God or
immortality.[20][21]
The 20th century also saw the
political advancement of atheism, spurred on by interpretation of
the works of Marx
and Engels. State support of
atheism and opposition to
organized religion was made policy in all communist
states, including
the People's
Republic of China[22]
and the former Soviet
Union. In theory and in
practice these states were secular. The justifications given for
the social and political sidelining of religious organizations
addressed, on one hand, the "irrationality" of religious belief,
and on the other the "parasitical" nature of the relationship
between the church and the population. Churches were sometimes
tolerated, but subject to strict control - church officials had to
be vetted by the state, while attendance of church functions could
endanger one's career. Very often, the state's opposition to
religion took more violent forms; Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn documents
widespread persecution, imprisonments and torture of believers, in
his seminal work The Gulag
Archipelago. Consequently,
religious organizations, such as the Catholic
Church, were among the
most stringent opponents of communist regimes. In some cases, the
initial strict measures of control and opposition to religious
activity were gradually relaxed in communist states. On the other
hand, Albania under Enver Hoxha
became, in 1967,
the first (and to date only) formally declared atheist
state.[23]
Hoxha went far beyond what most other countries had attempted and
completely prohibited religious observance, systematically
repressing and persecuting adherents. The right to religious
practice was restored in 1991.
In India, E. V.
Ramasami Naicker (Periyar), a prominent atheist leader, fought
against Hinduism
and the Brahmins
for discriminating and dividing
people in the name of caste and religion.[24]
This was highlighted in 1956 when he made the Hindu god
Rama wear a garland made of slippers and made
antitheistic statements.[25]
During the Cold
War, the United
States often characterized
its opponents as "Godless Communists,"[26]
which tended to reinforce the view that atheists were
unreliable and unpatriotic. Against this background, the words
"under God" were inserted into the pledge of
allegiance in
1954,[27]
and the national motto was changed from E Pluribus
Unum to In God We
Trust in 1956.
The early 21st
century has continued to
see secularism
and atheism promoted in the Western
world. This has been assisted by the Brights
movement, as well as a plethora of
accessible antitheist
and secularist literature.[28]
Authors of such books have included: Sam
Harris, David
Mills, Daniel
Dennett, Ibn
Warraq, Ayaan Hirsi
Ali, Richard
Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Victor J.
Stenger, and
Anthony C.
Grayling. Currently among
16-29 year olds in the USA,
atheism is rising at higher levels than ever before
recorded