What About Atheist And Theist...

The question of whether an omnipotent power exists has been a heated debate for centuries and has evolved into different cultures around the globe. Almost every culture has adapted to the idea that divine power exists to some extent into different religions. Webster dictionary defines religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (Webster). Religion has not only influenced how people behave but also the way they live their lives as long as they are alive in this mortal world. With the evolution of humankind and science, a significant portion of society still questions the existence of gods. This has not only spawned a stratum of the population that not only believes in religion but condemns other people for practicing any religion. In the end, society is divided into two distinctive groups; people who believe in at least one god, who are referred to as the Theist, and people who do not believe in god at all or Atheist.

An atheist is defined as “a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods: one who subscribes to or advocates atheism” (Merriam-Webster). People may choose to identify themselves as atheists due to all kinds of reasons, such as being born in a non-religious culture, lost faith in the religion they once had, or simply not having interest in the aspect of religion at all. Fernando Pessoa, the author of The Book of Disquiet, describes atheists as those who tend to advocate naturalistic beliefs instead of supernatural ones, strongly driven by the desire to master themselves, and seeking for involvement in intense and pleasurable activities (Pessoa). Atheism is simply a personal belief that some individuals choose to practice and follow.

The opposite of atheists, theists, categorizes every individual who have faith in at least one religion or god. The term “theists” include believers from Christianity to Muslims, Hindu to Buddhism. The majority of theists were influenced by the family they were born in and the culture they grew up with. For example, some individuals might come across with situations where something miraculous occurred in their lives that cannot be scientifically explained, resulting them to believe in the existence of omnipotent power.

The similarities between theists and atheists are not obvious since they are representing extremely contrasting ideas; however, they do share similar traits. First of all, both of them are personal beliefs that individuals choose to hold upon that are respected and embraced by the society. Although both terms represent an ideology about religion, neither of these two are by definition considered a religion. Atheism and theism discuss whether god actually exists, but none of them are being practiced as religions. The point is, everyone has the freedom of choosing the belief that they are capable of relating. Both beliefs are the results of people’s personal experiences and backgrounds. Individuals make their decisions of beliefs based on factors they came across with during their upbringing. Since both are based on the ideologies thus you can be a theist or atheist, just like you can be Christian or Hindu, but unlike a religion they do not have specific rules or ways of life that you need to follow.

The differences between theists and atheists are apparent and substantial in terms of the extent of impact religion brings to their lives. First and foremost, their ways of thinking various a lot from one another, causes them to take different actions when facing problems. An absolute atheist named Jane, for example, is extremely active in seeking for measurable and positive progress in all aspects of her life. She is an action taker and firmly believes that the only reliable and dependable source is herself and the things she does. Theists, conversely, have a higher tendency to take the approach of praying to god and strengthen their faiths when facing problems in their life. Depending on the religion, the way theists handle the fear uncertain situation brings varies from one to another. Christians, for example, believe that Jesus Christ is going to take care of their anxiety since they are fully in trust of the holy power of God. Regardless of the religion, the

Theists and atheists - it is effortless to argue which set of party overrides the other - they are simply two personal beliefs that are distinctive from one another. Although religious beliefs have been such a conventional debate among believers and non-believers; therefore, still being a topic that some cultures avoid discussing on the dinner table. Everyone shall still not only respect and open to the differences that come across but also embrace the positive side of diversity it brings to the human society.