It’s true that atheists are by definition godless, but it’s possible to draw a subtle distinction between the two concepts. Atheism is the absence of belief in gods; godlessness is the absence of gods and is generally defined as not recognizing or worshipping any gods. Technically, a person could believe in the existence of gods they don’t worship. This might be rare, but the implications are important. Godlessness need not deny the existence of gods, but it does dismiss their importance.
Godlessness vs. Secularism:
It’s possible to argue that godlessness and secularism are substantially the same, at least on a practical level. They do, however, reference slightly different things. Whereas godlessness is the absence of gods, secularism is the absence of religion or the absence of ecclesiastical authority. Technically secularism doesn’t have to be godless because religion can exist without gods; in practice, though, the application of one implies the application of the other.
Implications of Godlessness:
If godlessness isn’t the denial of or disbelief in the existence of gods, then godlessness can and must be much broader than atheism. It’s clear that theists who believe in a god or gods can be “godless” in various aspects of their lives. Human organizations, made up of theists and atheists, can be “godless” when they do not incorporate the recognition or worship of any gods. This is not just theoretically possible, but it is in fact quite widespread in modern society.
Who Are the Godless?:
If godlessness isn’t limited just to atheism, then the people who might qualify as “godless” in some sense include more than simply the atheists in society. Identifying such people is tricky, though, because it’s not easy to assert that a person who believes in, or at least believes in the possibility of, a god is also “godless” in any significant sense. On the other hand, there are those who are “godless” to enough of a degree that they may legitimately be seen as kindred spirits. Read More…
http://atheism.about.com/od/godlessamericaamericans/p/Godlessness.htm
Categories: Agnosticism, Atheism, Religions
I am afraid that Atheism and Agnosticism is the fastest growing ‘religion’ these days. How can we teach them the beauties of Islam?
I believe, secret lies in moderating the dialogues or debates between atheists and Trinitarian Christians. With this in mind, I have created a collection of articles, titled, Recruiting the four Horsemen of Neo-atheism into Cavalry of Islam:
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/?s=recruiting+four+horsemen