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is atheism a religion?
Posted on: September 9, 2011 - 12:51pm
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is atheism a religion?
Hello there,
I was wondering what people thought about atheism being considered a religion.
I would like to hear educated and thought out responses and not just simple brush offs. If you were posed with the question, is atheism a religion? How would you responded to it? What reasons would you give for or against it?
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re·li·gion [ri-lij-uhn]
noun
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
Applicability to atheism: None. Atheism is simply an absence of belief in a god or gods.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
Applicability to atheism: Sill none. "Atheists" describes a group's shared lack of a single belief.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
Nope.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
Definitely nope.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
No faith or ritual for atheists.
6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
Still nope.
7. religions, Archaic . religious rites.
Nope.
8. Archaic . strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one's vow.
Nope.
So, no. Atheism isn't a religion. The sayings like "Atheism is a religion like bald is a hair color" and "Atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby" do well describing the reason it's not a religion. The term describes the absence of a single sort of belief, it does not describe a belief system. Sure, folks try to ascribe beliefs to atheism - often things like having to accept the theory of evolution or the standard cosmological models - but even when a given belief can be found to be common among atheists, it's still not part of being an atheist in itself.
It obviously isn't.
Why should we bother? What else is there to say but, "No, it isn't?" Except perhaps, "Obviously." Or maybe, "It's ridiculous to even attempt to claim that it is."
My response: No. Obviously.
Is Christianity a lack of belief? Long, detailed, thoroughly researched responses only, please, not just simple brush-offs.
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No rites, no rituals, no sacrifices.... what's religious about it?
This is not intended to be a brush off, since those are all things I associate with religions. If they do not exist in the context of atheism, then how can it be defined as a religion?
We might (or might not) all agree on the nonexistence of any god - be it Jehovah, Jesus, Thor, Shiva, Zeus, Allah, etc though I believe there are a few with deistic tendencies - but we do not have a commonality of beliefs. As examples: no pork, no beef, no premarital sex, or lots of premarital sex, or liberalism, or conservatism, or etc. If you skim the forums, you will find us cheerfully arguing over almost anything. So, no, I see no similarities to religion.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
Well we do have our rituals; barbaqueing kittens [not cats], pissing off christians, [not muslims - they might kill us], gathering in cellers and chanting "We will overcome" [never admit to what]. Prey to our lord saviors Chistopher Hitchens & Richard Dawkins and cheer on our beloved Patriots "Ya New England"!!!!!! Otherwise we are as normal as any other citizen without papers who keep certain relatives chained up in the basment for un-named reasons.
I have to take my meds now otherwise I would tell you what we really do........................or not do................or sorta maybe can and/or will do.......
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
atheism is just a lack of belief in gods. All christians are atheists when it comes to all other religions but their own. This does not variously make them muslim or jehovah's witness or whatever else they don't believe in. Suggesting atheism is a religion, presumably with science as its doctrine, is just too silly for words.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
natural can you check your privet messages, please.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
It's not a religion because it does not require a belief, just a lack of one. Kinda like bald being a hair colour.
If there was no religion, what would atheism be?
The question is a non sequitur.
It's like asking what language is the lack of communication?
Or, asking what 'vegetable' would I consider iron to be.
The same way I responded here.
I would point out that it's not a coherent thought.
I keep asking myself " Are they just playin' stupid, or are they just plain stupid?..."
"To explain the unknown by the known is a logical procedure; to explain the known by the unknown is a form of theological lunacy" : David Brooks
" Only on the subject of God can smart people still imagine that they reap the fruits of human intelligence even as they plow them under." : Sam Harris
Exactly.
Let's imagine for a second that atheism really IS a religion. Here's a list of all the religions:
Now, let's say someone asks me, "What religion are you?" And I say, "None. I don't believe any of them." And they say, "Not even the religion of atheism?" And I say, "Nope, not even that one."
What would you label someone who answered like that? Someone who lacks belief in all religions?
Whatever word you invent for that position, that's what you would have to call me. And that's what I am today. Whether the letters happen to be a-t-h-e-i-s-t or l-a-c-k-o-f-b-e-l-i-e-f-i-s-t, whatever the word is, that's what I am. If you declare atheism as a religion, you'd have to invent a new word to classify my position, and the positions of most people who label themselves as 'atheist' today.
What would be the fucking point? Why not just accept that the only thing we all have in common for sure is that we all do not believe in any god(s).
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Atheism is a religion like OFF is a tv channel.
It is nothing more than a position. It is the position of "off" regarding the existence of a god, nothing more.
We don't have holy books or churches. We do not all subscribe to the same worldview or political views or economic views. We don't all have the same educations and we don't all have the same likes or hobbies or jobs.
The only thing atheists have in common is the position that there is no good reason to hold the position that a god exists. Other than that one common ground atheists are all individuals and can and do range in all aspects of their lives.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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I think there is a problem of semantics here.
In mathematics, the null set (or empty set) is still considered a set. So if you define religion as a set of believes a person has in supernatural entities, then everyone has a religion, atheists have the null set for their religion. If you define one's religion as the elements of a set of beliefs about supernatural entities, then we have no religion.
So is religion defined as a set or the elements of a set?
As an anology, it's like asking hair color of a 100% bald person.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
Then off is a TV channel too, if we define a TV channel as the set of all frequencies currently being displayed on the screen.
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If atheism is a religion, then...
non-collecting stamps is a hobby.
off is a TV channel.
celibacy is a sex position.
If there would be religion and atheism in the world, and then religion disappeared, there would be no religion in the world left.
Atheists try to unite and organize, to resist religious and political oppression. They're not making a religion of their own. Religion is organized, some atheists are organized, but there the similarity ends.
The proverb says, don't argue with an idiot, he'll drag you to his own level and there he'll overcome you with his experience. This is what happens when Christians claim atheism is a religion, they want to play on their home field.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.