American atheism and why it exists Atheism is the disbelief or lack of faith in the existence of God or gods, they reject religion not only as a rejection of ignorance, but also as a rejection of their religious family and association of religion itself, say Catherine L. and Caldwell-Harris, published in the Department of Psychology of Boston University, Lesley College, the University of Haifa and Trinity College. This is in stark contrast to theism, which is the belief in God and is the case for many Americans. According to the most recent census, this demographic group represents approximately 83% of the American population. About 16% of the population, or approximately 34,169,000 people, have an unaffiliated position, which would include atheists, agnostics, humanists, and those without a religious position. This number has only increased since 1990, when it was approximately 14,331,000 in 1990 (United States), and will continue to grow as more and more people become unaffiliated in the coming years (Caldwell-Harris). Atheists are seen as the last reliable group in America, with associations of cynicism, nonconformity, skepticism and joylessness, but also a lack of morality or sense of awe. However, why would anyone become an atheist when the “norm” is to have religion in their life, in addition to the negative stereotypes and discrimination that atheists face? (Smith) The reasons vary from person to person as to why they abandoned theism, whether for personal or ideological reasons. Based on research, there are several reasons for atheism, such as not making logical sense, or not conforming to science, negative personal experiences, hypocrisy of religion/church, God not meeting expectations (Caldwell -Harris), theodicy or problem... middle of paper... groups of people left because of discrimination. In contrast, the primary reason for heterosexual white male authors was instead ignorance and lack of evidence that led them to choose to be atheists, as they were not discriminated against in their beliefs. The reasons behind atheism are very diverse and vary on a personal basis, but the most common reason is the conflict that religion has with science and how it contradicts itself and other similar religions. The other bigger trend is the discrimination and negative experiences that people have when they are still part of a religious community, when it comes to discrimination against women or against homosexuals. The only certain fact concerns its existence and its growing population in America, even with its negative connotations. Atheism will exist regardless of why atheists have to be atheists.