Questions & Answers
What is Arizona Coalition of Reason?
The Arizona Coalition of Reason (ArizonaCOR) is a group of like-minded member organizations from throughout Arizona that share a worldview grounded in reason over superstition and scientific truth over revealed truth.
Are ArizonaCOR member organizations and their individual members atheists?
Some, but not all. Individual members generally self-identify as humanist, freethinker, skeptic, agnostic, as well as other non-theistic terminology.
What's in a name?
Non-theistic individuals choose to self-identify in many different ways. This is a personal choice; no one term has a definite or required set of beliefs, and many terms overlap.
Below are some common non-theistic terms:
Someone who disbelieves in, denies, or lacks a belief in the existence of god or gods. When we are unaware of, or choose not to believe in any or all of the known claimed gods, we are all atheists.
Humanist
Someone who subscribes to the philosophy of Humanism. Humanism is a rational philosophy that affirms the dignity of each human being, advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, and stands for human rights and social justice. Free of supernaturalism, it recognizes human beings as a part of nature, derives the goals of life from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions, and asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny.
Freethinker
Someone who does not accept claims on the basis of dogma or religious authority, but applies critical thinking, logic, and empirical reasoning as the basis for acceptance and rejection of claims.
Agnostic
Someone who neither accepts nor rejects the existence of god(s) based on the claim that it is impossible to know whether god(s) exists or not.
Skeptic
Someone who promotes the value of doubt and critical thinking along with rational inquiry and scientific methodologies. Skeptics don't deny the possibility of knowledge; rather, they argue that many knowledge claims are unfounded, and we should always be prepared to doubt and apply rational and empirical methods to collect data and test claims.
Do you have a secular agenda?
Yes. Although a secular agenda is not necessarily synonymous with non-theism, most non-theists do support a secular agenda, which argues that religious tenets or dogmas should not be endorsed or supported by public policy, and that government should respect the principle of separation of church and state.
Is ArizonaCOR trying to convert people?
The purpose of ArizonaCOR is to connect, support, organize, and strengthen the Arizona community of individuals living god-free. If an individual is considering a separation from religion or from a belief in god(s), we are available for them.
Do non-theists hate religious people?
No. The difference of opinion over whether god(s) do or do not exist is a poor excuse to hate someone.
Non-theists do, however, tend to dislike the actions of religious individuals who use the electoral and legislative process to codify their particular theological beliefs into law. Non-theists find that theological beliefs have no secular purpose and find them to be false, but this is a far cry from hate.
Should religious belief be respected?
Critical investigation and criticism of any claim, religious or not, is always appropriate. Non-theists find most religious truth claims false, logically inconsistent, and easily debunked. To place any truth claim, including religious claims, beyond criticism is to censor free discourse and free thought.
Do not confuse criticizing a truth claim with criticizing the individual making the claim. When critically investigating any claim, it would be generally inappropriate to rely on an ad hominem attack -- that is, to belittle or attack the individual rather than the belief. All truth claims must stand on their own merit, and religion should never argue that its claims are beyond challenge.
What do non-theists believe?
Not all beliefs, or truth claims, are equal. Unlike theists, who are required to make a leap of faith, non-theists, in lieu of blind or unfounded faith, tend to use science, reason, and logic to justify their conclusion that god(s) do not exist.
Some theists assume that since non-theists do not believe in god(s), they therefore do not believe in anything. This is a blanket non-sequitur statement. In other words, a lack of belief in god(s) does not necessarily lead to a lack of belief in other things. Unlike Christianity, Islam, or most religions which require an individual to accept a fairly specific yet encompassing belief system to be considered an adherent, the term atheist is only a position on the question of god(s) and does not require acceptance of any particular belief system.
How do individuals become non-theists?
The path to a non-theistic position is personal and arrived at differently by different people. Common stories include paths through literacy in science, philosophy, comparative religion, and the use of critical thinking skills as well through disillusionment with religion. Of course, we are all atheists or agnostics with regard to most every god that has ever been proposed, and to believe in one less god is the next step.
Atheist -- What's in a name?
Although some individuals may choose to self-identify as atheists, it is not proper to label or define the whole of an individual by one of many specific beliefs that he or she may not hold. We do not define individuals lacking a belief in Zeus as aZeusers or those lacking a belief in Bigfoot as aBigfooters.