Source Summary

I am going to write on the topic of atheism as it compares to religion in modern society.

"Atheism" J. Gordon Melton
This article defines atheism and gives a contextual history of atheistic beliefs. It defines atheism as the group of beliefs that do not recognize any form of deity. But rather than outright denying God as many Christians have contended in the past, modern atheists simply find no meaning in the term "God" and cannot find any rational to prove God's existence. The article also talks a lot about Marxist and non-marxist atheism and how in the 20th century, atheism has grown to be very important in the political arena. finally this article discusses the new ideas of neo-atheism, lead by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. This neo-atheism is most notably defined by the aggressive and staunch stances of its leaders and the outright denial and rejection of other belief forms. This new movement has clout because many identify with the publicity brought to the beliefs.

"Answers to the Atheists" EJ Dionne Jr
This Washington Post article is essentially a qualification of the arguments of neo-atheism. Its author is a christian and ascribes to that faith. The part I found most interesting was the fact that the other forms of atheism were only targeting christianity, and neo-atheism is doggedly opposing all forms of religion in the world, often acting as radical as religious fundamentalists. The author admits that many christians do not questions themselves, while neo-atheists are asking the hardest questions in society.

"The New Atheism: Its Virtues and Its Vices"
This article does an awesome job of objectively comparing Christianity to atheism (which is what the basis of my essay is). Similar to the last article, it focuses a lot on the flaws of atheism, but has a lot of good points about the positive side as well. The part I found most helpful was about atheism and its scientific foundings, something I plan on talking a lot about in the essay.