AN OVERVIEW OF MODERN ATHEISM

AN OVERVIEW OF MODERN ATHEISM An Unsatisfactory Explanation of Nature IDEOLOGICALLY, human history can be divided into two major phases—the pre-scientific age, and the scientific age. In the former period, religion was the trendsetter for man. But after the emergence of modern science, this situation underwent a complete change. Now it is science—without itself being either for or against religion—which has acquired the position of trendsetter. Despite the non-partisan role of science, due to certain reasons, the atheistic ideology has come to dominate all intellectual disciplines. How did this happen? The following is a brief review of the situation. Man, who has inhabited planet Earth for thousands of years, continues to see many things happening on a daily basis—for instance, the rising of the sun, the falling of the rain, the blowing of the winds, etc. Traditionally, man believed that God was instrumental in all these happenings. This belief had become for man an established axiom. Both theist and idolater believed this to be the reality, in one form or another. After the emergence of modern science, however, it was learnt that apparently there existed a material cause behind all happenings. For instance, once while Sir Isaac Newton (d. 1727), the founder of modern science, was in his garden, he witnessed an apple drop from a tree. Newton began pondering about why the apple had fallen straight to the ground rather than going sideways or upward. After giving this matter deep thought, he succeeded in deducing from this the Law of Gravity. It was because of gravity that things fell downwards. Thus, scientific study made great progress. Finally, scientists discovered that all the events happening in this world invariably have a cause. They formulated the principle of causation. This thinking, that all happenings are the result of some cause, continued to grow, until it finally dominated all scientific and academic human activities. Prior to this, happenings had been explained with reference to God. Now In the twenty-first century, further research has been carried out which demonstrates that this period of the world’s demise has come very close. Now it is believed that soon all those resources will be exhausted with the help of which the supposed material paradise was being constructed.