Religious atheism

Contrary to common belief, atheism in Feuerbach and Nietzsche should not be understood as a pure and simple negation or rejection of God, but as a dynamic method leading to a positive proposal intended to build on atheism. The negation of God is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve a new ethic. Atheism in Feuerbachian and Nietzschean philosophy does not preclude belief in other forms of abstract thought or mystical emotions. Religion and atheism are therefore not necessarily opposed, in the sense that atheistic systems may only question the transcendent nature of religion or spirituality and preserve it in other immanent forms. Religion, for its part, is conceived here as a fundamental attitude for which the notion of a transcendent God is not necessary. Religious or spiritual atheism does not abolish religion and belief but gives it a more human content.