Atheist Foundation of Australia
Encyclopedia
The Atheist Foundation of Australia, Inc. was established in South Australia
in 1970, when The Rationalist Association of South Australia decided upon a name change to better declare their basic philosophy, namely atheism
.
The foundation defines Atheism as "the acceptance that there is no credible scientific or factually reliable evidence for the existence of a god, gods, or the supernatural." The Foundation rejects belief in God
, and rejects the supernatural
and superstition
in general. The Foundation considers religion
unnecessary and often harmful. The Foundation favours the scientific method
, and the discovery of physical law
s, as the best way to understand the truth about reality. The Foundation believes that humans are rational and ethical beings, capable of making responsible
and creative
contributions to society
.
The Foundation's stated aims are:
The Foundation publishes six issues of The Australian Atheist per annum.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics
in the national census
categorises atheists under "No Religion". The 18.7% (Census 2006) of Australians that fall within this category also include Humanists
, agnostics and rationalists
.
The foundation organised the 2010 Global Atheist Convention
in conjunction with Atheist Alliance International
, and is organising another Global Atheist Convention for 2012.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1970, when The Rationalist Association of South Australia decided upon a name change to better declare their basic philosophy, namely atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
The foundation defines Atheism as "the acceptance that there is no credible scientific or factually reliable evidence for the existence of a god, gods, or the supernatural." The Foundation rejects belief in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, and rejects the supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
and superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
in general. The Foundation considers religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
unnecessary and often harmful. The Foundation favours the scientific method
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
, and the discovery of physical law
Physical law
A physical law or scientific law is "a theoretical principle deduced from particular facts, applicable to a defined group or class of phenomena, and expressible by the statement that a particular phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions be present." Physical laws are typically conclusions...
s, as the best way to understand the truth about reality. The Foundation believes that humans are rational and ethical beings, capable of making responsible
Moral responsibility
Moral responsibility usually refers to the idea that a person has moral obligations in certain situations. Disobeying moral obligations, then, becomes grounds for justified punishment. Deciding what justifies punishment, if anything, is a principle concern of ethics.People who have moral...
and creative
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
contributions to society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
.
The Foundation's stated aims are:
- To encourage and to provide a means of expression for informed free-thought on philosophical and social issues.
- To safeguard the rights of all non-religious people.
- To serve as a focal point for the fellowship of non-religious people.
- To offer reliable information in place of superstition and to offer the methodology of reason in place of faith so as to enable people to take responsibility for the fullest development of their potential as human beings.
- To promote atheism.
The Foundation publishes six issues of The Australian Atheist per annum.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
in the national census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
categorises atheists under "No Religion". The 18.7% (Census 2006) of Australians that fall within this category also include Humanists
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, agnostics and rationalists
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
.
The foundation organised the 2010 Global Atheist Convention
2010 Global Atheist Convention
The 2010 Global Atheist Convention was an international meeting of atheists in Melbourne, Australia, sponsored by the Atheist Foundation of Australia and Atheist Alliance International. It took place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 12 to 14 March 2010...
in conjunction with Atheist Alliance International
Atheist Alliance International
Atheist Alliance International is a global network of atheist organisations around the world. AAI was founded in 1991.AAI's vision is "to transform society into one that understands and respects atheism; that supports and respects a worldview based on the values of reason, empiricism and...
, and is organising another Global Atheist Convention for 2012.
See also
- Council of Australian Humanist SocietiesCouncil of Australian Humanist SocietiesThe Council of Australian Humanist Societies is the national umbrella organisation for Australian humanists. It is affiliated with the International Humanist and Ethical Union...
- Human rights in AustraliaHuman rights in AustraliaHuman Rights in Australia have largely been developed under Australian Parliamentary democracy, and safeguarded by such institutions as the Australian Human Rights Commission and an independent judiciary and High Court who apply the Common Law, the Australian Constitution and various other laws...
- Irreligion in AustraliaIrreligion in AustraliaAtheism, agnosticism, deism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general secularism is increasing in Australia. Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country...
- Religion in AustraliaReligion in AustraliaIn the 21st century, religion in Australia is demographically dominated by Christianity, with 64% of the population claiming at least nominal adherence to the Christian faith as of 2007, although less than a quarter of those attend church weekly. 18.7% of Australians declared "no-religion" on the...
- includes Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralian Bureau of StatisticsThe Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
census information relating to religion and belief. - Rationalist Society of AustraliaRationalist Society of AustraliaThe Rationalist Society of Australia promotes the interests of rationalists nationally in Australia. It is the operational arm of the movement in Australia...
- The Secular Party of Australia
- Major world religions - Humanism, rationalismRationalismIn epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
, atheismAtheismAtheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
and agnosticismAgnosticismAgnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
rank third in world (combined) - List of secularist organizations
External links
- Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc Homepage
- Human Rights Brief No. 3 Assessment of international law pertaining to freedom of religion and belief from Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity CommissionHuman Rights and Equal Opportunity CommissionThe Australian Human Rights Commission is a national human rights institution, a statutory body funded by, but operating independently of, the Australian Government. It has the responsibility for investigating alleged infringements under Australia’s anti-discrimination legislation...