Atheism

=== Atheism, religions and spirituality ===

{{further|Atheism and religion||Nontheistic religions}}

People who self-identify as atheists are often assumed to be [[irreligion|irreligious]], but some sects within major religions reject the existence of a personal, [[creator deity]].<ref name="winston2">{{cite book |editor-last=Winston |editor-first=Robert |title=Human |publisher=New York: DK Publishing, Inc |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7566-1901-5 |page=299 |quote=Nonbelief has existed for centuries. For example, Buddhism and Jainism have been called atheistic religions because they do not advocate belief in gods.}}</ref> It has been said that atheism is not mutually exclusive with respect to some religious and spiritual belief systems, including modern [[Paganism (contemporary religions)|Neopagan]] movements.<ref name="Neopaganism">{{cite book |editor1-last=Claydon |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Harper |editor2-first=Anne C. |editor3-last=Morehead |editor3-first=John W. |display-editors=1 |last1=Johnson |first1=Philip |last2=Clifford |first2=Ross |last3=Lewis |first3=Mark |last4=Madsen |first4=Ole Skjerbaek |last5=Morehead |first5=John W. |last6=Mulholland |first6=Ken |last7=Payne |first7=Simeon |last8=Riecke |first8=Christina |last9=Smulo |first9=John |display-authors=1 |date=2005 |title=Religious and Non-Religious Spirituality in the Western World ("New Age") A New Vision, A New Heart, A Renewed Call |volume=2 |publisher=William Carey Library |isbn=978-0-87808-364-0 |page=194 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RfGhUW8RdUIC&q=neopaganism+atheism&pg=PA194 |quote=Although Neo-Pagans share common commitments to nature and spirit there is a diversity of beliefs and practices&nbsp;... Some are atheists, others are polytheists (several gods exist), some are pantheists (all is God) and others are panentheists (all is in God).}}</ref><ref name="Wicca">{{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Carol S. |url=https://archive.org/details/newreligions0000matt |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/newreligions0000matt/page/115 115] |title=New Religions |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |quote=There is no universal worldview that all Neo-Pagans/Wiccans hold. One online information source indicates that depending on how the term ''God'' is defined, Neo-Pagans might be classified as monotheists, duotheists (two gods), polytheists, pantheists, or atheists. |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7910-8096-2}}</ref> In recent years, certain religious denominations have accumulated a number of openly atheistic followers, such as [[atheist Jew|atheistic]] or [[humanistic Judaism]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/subdivisions/humanistic.shtml |title=Humanistic Judaism |date=July 20, 2006 |publisher=BBC |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416143510/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/subdivisions/humanistic.shtml |archive-date=April 16, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Levin |first=S. |date=May 1995 |title=Jewish Atheism |journal=New Humanist |volume=110 |issue=2 |pages=13–15|title-link=Jewish atheism}}</ref> and [[Christian atheism|Christian atheists]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/types/christianatheism.shtml |title=Christian Atheism |date=May 17, 2006 |publisher=BBC |access-date=April 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302051910/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/types/christianatheism.shtml |archive-date=March 2, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Altizer |first=Thomas J.J. |author-link=Thomas J. J. Altizer |title=The Gospel of Christian Atheism |url=http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=523 |year=1967 |publisher=London: Collins |pages=102–103 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929171840/http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=523 |archive-date=September 29, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Lyas |first=Colin |date=January 1970 |title=On the Coherence of Christian Atheism |journal=Philosophy |volume=45 |issue=171 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1017/S0031819100009578|s2cid=170899306 }}</ref> Atheism is accepted as a valid philosophical position within some varieties of [[Hinduism]], [[Jainism]], and [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chakravarti |first=Sitansu |title=Hinduism, a way of life |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |year=1991 |page=71 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_-rASTgw8wC&pg=PA71 |isbn=978-81-208-0899-7 |quote=According to Hinduism, the path of the atheist is very difficult to follow in matters of spirituality, though it is a valid one. |access-date=April 9, 2011}}</ref>