Atheism a Religion?

[calpurnpiso]

RenaissanceMan wrote

It's not a religion, numbers 2 to 4 rely on point 1.

'Religion' requires a supernatural force that you believe in and revere.

Athiesm is not a religion.

Collecting classic cars is not a religion.

Being totally into Batman is not a religion.

Evolution is not a religion.

Science is not a religion.

You can be fanatical about any of these things, but they're not religions.

What's up with theists insisting atheism is a religion? Are you cognizantly aware that your own beliefs are based on unproven dogma and it makes you feel better to think that others are as well? Are you afraid that atheists 'get it' and there is , in fact, no god? I would THINK that theists would bend over backwards to point out that atheism is NOT a religion if they believed god was so great.

I think the reason theists think atheism is a religion is because they are IGNORANT of what the word means!! Atheism; A=without, Theos=god/belief. Ergo, atheism simply means NO BELIEVE IN GOD/SUPERNATURAL. It is a LACK of religious beliefs...so, to imply atheism is a "religion" is simply a sign of DEEP IGNORANCE or a touch of christ-psychosis....:)

[Demigod79]

thomas wrote

Atheism = "I don't believe what you believe" and nothing more.

Do you believe that the moon exists? I do as well.
Do you believe that there are other people? I do as well.
Do you believe that cars run on gas? I do as well.

Atheism itself means "without God" and the only thing that's different about theists and atheists is that one believes in a supernatural being while the other doesn't. I don't blame you for holding that view though. Many Christians think of atheists as the exact opposite of themselves, but this is a critical error and no Christian should hold it. If you really want to know what atheism is about from a Christian perspective then you can go here.

As for atheism being a religion, I don't really see how it is. Atheism is a lack of belief in something, and nothing else. How is a lack of belief in something a religion?

ross_curfew wrote

Ok yeah, I admit defeat here. By my logic, Atheism is as much a religion as any fanatical activity.

so anything one is obssessed with is their religion, even if it has nothing to do with the supernatural? Well, that's just your definition, and that leaves room for lots of weird "religions".

Do you have any hobbies or obsessions besides jesus? If so, those are also your religions.

anthonyjfuchs wrote

to quote one of my favorites:

"If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair color."

Here's another one (also one of my favorites):

"Atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby"

[Demigod79]

Baphomet wrote

Do you have any hobbies or obsessions besides jesus? If so, those are also your religions.

Yeah, that's a good point. Most religions nowadays forbid other religions so those who are religious should base their entire life around their religion. If such a broad definition of 'religion' holds, then every Christian should only go to Christian schools and universities, aspire to be a minister or pastor, and do absolutely nothing but work in the church for the rest of their lives. To have other religions (hobbies) would be blasphemous.

[calpurnpiso]

thomas wrote

Atheism = "I don't believe what you believe" and nothing more. In itself it's a passive stance. Of course, atheists do have philosophies and world-views based on assumptions that lead them to their conclusion. It's these philosophies and world-views that are more akin to being described as their religion.

Hmmm...where did you go to school? Dysneyland?. Christ-psychosis is obviously eroding and distorting word definitions making it ignore their TRUE meaning. This is of course understandable on those folks sufering from schizophrenia, TLE, borna virus induced depression and those under religious psychosis.

A person suffering from pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis you'll no doubt define as this person having a problem with his nose. :lol:

Hmmm..are you a Bob Jones graduate?...:lol:

[anthonyjfuchs]

thomas wrote

Atheism = "I don't believe what you believe" and nothing more.

By that definition, every Christian is an atheist. None of them, after all, believe in Vishnu, or Allah, or YHWH, or any other deity that forms the core belief of any religion but their own. A Christian doesn't believe what a Muslim or a Jew or a Buddhist believes; following from the above definition, Christians are atheists.

Theists believe in their own god and claim that all other gods are fabrications; atheists concede that all gods are fabrications. So the only difference between a theist and an atheist on this matter is that the theist believes in one more god-concept than the atheist.

To quote another favorite:

"When the theist understands why he doesn't believe in other people's gods, he will understand why the atheist doesn't believe in his god."

[a different tim]

thomas wrote

Atheism = "I don't believe what you believe" and nothing more. In itself it's a passive stance. Of course, atheists do have philosophies and world-views based on assumptions that lead them to their conclusion. It's these philosophies and world-views that are more akin to being described as their religion.

Are you redefining philosophy as religion now? The words are not synonymous.

Baphomet wrote

so anything one is obssessed with is their religion, even if it has nothing to do with the supernatural? Well, that's just your definition, and that leaves room for lots of weird "religions".

Do you have any hobbies or obsessions besides jesus? If so, those are also your religions.

Perhaps I'm being naive here, but I think that was ross's point -- I believe he was being sincere about admitting defeat.

Yes - I admit that I was wrong, that was the point of the post. Being religious about something and being part of a religion are separate issues.

[GodlessHeathen]

anthonyjfuchs wrote

By that definition, every Christian is an atheist. None of them, after all, believe in Vishnu, or Allah, or YHWH, or any other deity that forms the core belief of any religion but their own. A Christian doesn't believe what a Muslim or a Jew or a Buddhist believes; following from the above definition, Christians are atheists.

Basically, that's correct. I can't remember who said it (and I'm too lazy to look it up right now), but someone once said "I contend that we are both atheists - I just believe in one fewer god than you do."

I know that this thread hasn't been posted on for a few days now, but an interesting analogy came to me today, and I see no need to start a new thread, since this one is here. Basically, I'll try to use this analogy to demonstrate why atheism is not, nor can be, a religion.

Here we go:
Ford Chevrolet
Mustang Camaro
Escort TrailBlazer
F-150 Cavalier
Explorer Silverado
------------------------------------------
Theism Atheism
Wicca Buddhism (some forms)
Shinto Secular Humanism
Christianity Taoism
Pantheism Existentialism

The lists are, I hope, self-explanatory. And, hopefully, the analogy is pretty easy to spot, as well. Basically, saying that atheism (or theism) is a religion is like saying that Chevy (or Ford) is a car. Furthermore, criticizing atheism because it does not offer any code of conduct, "reason for living", or morality is similar to criticizing Chevrolet because it doesn't have a spare tire in the trunk.
Chevrolet, since it's a company and not a car, doesn't even have a trunk (nor should it).
-Caveat: I'm going to use a 'personalized' definition in the following-
Religion, to me, is a philosophy of life which is based upon something supernatural. Hence, the lists above feature both theistic religions as well as atheistic religions, as well as some atheistic philosophies of life. It should be obvious from this that atheism is no more a religion, nor is it a philosophy, any more than Chevrolet is a type of car. The same can be said for theism.

anthonyjfuchs wrote

to quote one of my favorites:

"If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair color."

Or possibly:
If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease.

I think that one is a more accurate analogy.

Also, note that theists like to use various meanings for a single word, implying they are the same. e.g. Faith, religion (as ross_curfew said).

So... According to him, belief that something beyond one's own mind is a religion, for you can't prove it, but avidly defend it in the face of opposition.

Does the beleif in nothing count as a beleif in something?
I think that sums up that argument particulaly well.

Opinion: to each his own

[The Judge]

Not really - rather it is defined as a lack of belief. "No"-thing does not equal "Some"-thing.