Atheism is the view that there is no God or gods. It is the
opposite of theism which asserts that there is a God. Atheism is
also distinct from agnosticism which declares that the evidence
is inconclusive as to whether there is actually a God or not.
Atheists believe the concept of God is a human construct that
has been used throughout human history to serve various
psychological and social needs. For example, the idea of God has
met the psychological need to believe that there is some
controlling force in the universe in which people can believe.
The notion of God has also been used as a unifying factor for
some people groups to rally around. Atheists also believe that
God has served as a convenient explanation for apparently
unexplainable happenings. With the rise of science and
technology, however, atheists believe that the need for a God
will decrease as science and reason continue to offer natural
explanations for matters once considered unexplainable. Atheists
use rationalistic and naturalistic explanat