Godless Dave

In most of the industrialized world, yes. But it can still get you condemned to death in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Shake

Speaking as an atheist who filed bankruptcy last year ... BULLSHIT!

DoubleDutchy

China never in its history has known much theïsm. Taoism is atheïst, Buddism was, and to a large extent still is, atheïst. Confucianism is at best (worst?) a very weird kind of theïsm.

Biff the unclean

The question in the OP is like asking how long there have been non-smokers. Since the day the first person lit up.
Atheism isn't something we do. It's something we don't do.
It isn't an action taken, it's inaction.
It isn't a belief that's held, it's the lack of holding a belief.
It isn't a response, it's just basic behavior.

lpetrich

Before Darwin, an atheist would likely have believed either

(1) The Universe was always around

or

(2) Spontaneous generation happens all the time

And there was an abundance of seeming evidence for (2) -- mice from river mud and dirty underwear, maggots from rotting meat, etc.

philechat

Actually, someone like Hume remained agnostic toward the origin of the universe, and Hume did not affirm either assertion (1) or (2) as in his skeptical philosophy.

Atheism before Darwin often happen as a rejection of the common theological arguments. Both Hume and Kant attacked the "rational" justification of God first while leaving fideistic beliefs untackled. Some philosophers used Humean skepticism to undermine the "first cause" argument, while not affirming any statements as of the origin of the universe.

lpetrich

Another alternative would be to reject questions of origins as intrinsically unsolvable. An example of this was the Buddha comparing speculation about the origin of the Universe to being shot with a poisoned arrow and wanting to discover its origin before pulling it out.

Rousseau_CHN

It's different in my case. Atheism is Active. True, I was born without beliefs, but as I grew up I embrace the faith of my society. At one point, I even believed I was so righteous that I was having stigmata.

In college, I begun to "think"...and the rest in history.


("To think", said Camus, "is to undermine.")

Rousseau_CHN

What do we mean by theism here?

If it's the belief of the supernatural, then Taoism is a theistic religion, not an atheistic one.

China do have a long history of theism, along with superstition and the supernatural.

My Grandfather is a God. So is my Great Grandmother and all those who have passed away. We worship them--as someone who have the power to improve of life. (They sure didn't have any when they were living )

Anyway, I'd like to add that in China there is, in fact, only one religion: Ancestral Worship.

Vicar Philip

Come over to my house. We don't have nice furniture, don't wear flashy clothes, and eat out twice a month.

One thing we are rich in, fortunately, is love.

Even though we are no longer burned at the stake as often as we used to, I have still sensed a very negative connotation to being "godless." The few people I have told who are Christians give me that sad, knowing look as if I should be pitied. Bah. Pity yourselves, enslaved to a dumbed-down, hokey magic show. No thanks.