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It’s not easy holding beliefs concerning sometimes outdated
ideals, especially religion. There are so many different
religions that it’s hard to prove that one is more credible than
another. Some are contradicting, while some are minor variations
of others. There are theists, those who believe in a god or
gods, as well as atheists, those who deny any gods. But while
theism shows a strong benefit to the individual, atheism really
doesn’t have any significant benefits for the individual. Its
real benefit is the lack of concern it has towards other
beliefs. Unlike theism, it creates a more peaceful and less
conflicting society. In theory, atheism is more beneficial to
mankind as a whole.

These two groups, theists and atheists, are very different from
each other. Theism relies on the need to prove itself right, and
therefore in certain cases trying to prove other theories wrong.
Some theists also feel it is their duty to spread their theology
to other people in the world. Theism is such a wide and diverse
group, however, which includes all religions and any other
people that still believe in a higher power without committing
to a religion. With so many different groups and ideas being
spread around the world, theism in general is very opinionated,
often times publicly expressed.

Atheism, on the other hand, is a very quiet and self-focused
theory. It requires no spreading of ideas or really disproving
others. Some individual atheists choose to get into the argument
of proving their belief right while disproving other beliefs
wrong, but that’s only occasionally the case. Atheism is not
just a belief in no god, but it can also be no belief in a god.
In the latter case, there is no need for atheists to prove their
theory right because there is no theory to prove.

It is easiest for a theist to prove their beliefs are the
correct ones when the description of their god or gods and
religion’s background is unspecified, lacking strongly detailed
information. The less there is to actually focus on, the easier
it is to prove the theory. Theists must degrade the beliefs of
others to make theirs true. This can be in the form of denying
such things as evolution, homosexuality, and other forms of
existence or lack there of after death. Some also believe that
certain acts and beliefs that don’t follow their own code of
morals are universally immoral and therefore inappropriate for
humankind.

On the other hand, atheists hardly have anything to prove.
Atheism covers only two theories. The first is the belief that
no god exists, and the second is no belief in a god or lack
there of. They do not need to disprove the wide range of
theories and beliefs that theism covers, though some choose to.
An atheist can believe in many different ideologies in the
world, including things like evolution, acceptance of
homosexuality, and no afterlife, and still these things have no
importance to atheism. They are individual concepts that can not
conflict with the basic beliefs of atheism.

Second, theists tend to have this idea that they must make the
world share their views on religion and life. For centuries,
certain religious groups have felt obliged to spread their views
over many foreign lands. Missionaries are common examples of
this act, notable mostly in the Imperial Age. They have gone to
great lengths to conquer the minds and rituals of others. In
many cases these missionaries have suppressed groups of people,
defining them as inferior thinking to the greater religious
systems. Certain religious groups have even gone so far as to
take over other groups’ religious ceremonies, such as Christians
turning pagan holidays into Christmas and Easer, in hopes of
taking away their credibility. Even in this age some theists
feel they must publicly humiliate atheists to get their point
across. Former president George H.W. Bush was quoted as saying
“No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as
citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one
nation under God.”

At times, conflict has arisen from the contact of two or more
theist groups. In the mild situations, simple sharing of ideas
and arguments of beliefs have taken place between the groups.
However, in the most extreme, this conflict between the groups
has caused major wars that devastate all mankind. The most
powerful examples of this would be the Crusades, World War II,
and the war between Israel and Palestine.

Contrary to this, atheists never create conflict within their
group by sharing their beliefs. Since they all share the same
essential belief to atheism, or have a lack of belief, then
atheists have nothing to prove to each other. In this sense,
they are all equal and have no need to create conflict. Any
problems that come between them because of other views about
life and society have nothing to do with atheism since they are
not factors of being an atheist.

Finally, there are the different levels of gain for the
individual in each belief. Most profitable is the spiritual
enlightenment that theists receive. Through the discipline of
their theology, theists are able to gain a form of holy wisdom
that creates different views on how the world works, including
theories and beliefs in the afterlife, the creation of life, and
the purpose of mankind in the world. Many theist groups adopt
the idea that it is their duty to help others, and that they
must bring good into the world. This is beneficial to both the
individual and the world.

The individual benefits of being an atheist are little, if any.
There is no true measurable gain for not believing in a god. The
choice of not believing in a god does not extend past that
simple thought. Being an atheist does not prevent anyone from
helping others or bettering society. Adaptation of different
beliefs, including humanitarian morals, allows the atheist to
participate in the same fields of beneficial work that theists
do because of their religious principles. But in all fairness,
theists too can adapt other beliefs that their religion does not
cover, and therefore share this individual power with atheists.

Atheism and theism both have benefits and disadvantages for the
individual and mankind as a whole. It truly comes down to the
person’s own choice. As is, there is no real tangible proof that
either is right, nor will there probably ever be. Theism lies
solely in faith while atheism simply denies such things.

The key factor here is both involve mankind. In theory, the best
solution to the progress of mankind is to have one belief
system. Many would suggest that one religion would suit this,
but in reality it wouldn’t. The fact that a religion is a
following of people to a god defeats the purpose right there.
The fundamental duty that an individual theist has to his/her
god puts that god before any other human. This creates a society
that honors a divine and abstract being before its own kind.
When a god is placed higher in importance than humankind, it
lowers the value of the society’s ability to be united. That is
why atheism is the more beneficial of the two. Theism puts the
emphasis on the fact that a greater being controls the fate of
man, while atheism shows that humankind itself is the only
source to rely on for survival in life.