Arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to social
and historical approaches. Rationales for not believing in any supernatural
deity include the lack of empirical evidence, the problem of evil, the argument
from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief.Although some
atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of
behaviors to which all atheists adhere. Many atheists hold that atheism is a
more parsimonious worldview than theism, and therefore the burden of proof lies
not on the atheist to disprove the existence of God, but on the theist to
provide a rationale for theism.
Atheism is accepted within some religious and spiritual
belief systems, including Jainism, Buddhism, Raelism, Neopagan movements such
as Wicca,[20] and nontheistic religions. Jainism and some forms of Buddhism do
not advocate belief in gods, whereas Hinduism holds atheism to be valid, but
some schools view the path of an atheist to be difficult to follow in matters
of spirituality.
Since conceptions of atheism vary, determining how many
atheists exist in the world today is difficult. According to one estimate,
atheists make up about 2.3% of the world's population, while a further 11.9% are
nonreligious. According to another, rates of self-reported atheism are among
the highest in Western nations, again to varying degrees: United States (4%),
Italy (7%), Spain (11%), Great Britain (17%), Germany (20%), and France
(32%).According to a 2012 report by the Pew Research Center, people describing
themselves as "atheist" or "agnostic" were 6% of the total
population in the US, and within the religiously unaffiliated (or "no
religion") demographic, atheists made up 12%. According to a 2012 global poll
conducted by WIN/GIA, 13% of the participants say they are atheists.
