Is Atheism a religion?

Question

I contend that Atheism is not a religion, that religion is an attempt by someone who believes in God to make themselves right with God for their sin, example was adam and eve with the fig leaves, then God came down in the mythology and killed an animal and gave them animal hides to hide their sin,

the christian population believes that their faith in jesus's death (so violent, we wonder why they are so violent), that this death is what absolves them of sin, (sound familiar, shedding of innocent blood)

But that an atheist is not trying to do anything for there is no belief in God and no belief that a sin has been committed.

Please discuss your views

Answer 1

Hello jim-darwin.. :)

Religion also means:

A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

Atheists, do have causes, principles..do they not purse them with zeal or conscientious devotion.. :)

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Sin:

Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.

To commit an offense or violation.

Are you saying that an Atheist does not believe or know when they do something wrong..

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In Jesus Most Precious Name..
With Love..In Christ..

Answer 2

It can't be. A religion is more than a single belief. If 'atheism' is a religion, then 'theism' is - and suddenly most religious practices worldwide have suddenly been grouped together.

Past the common denominator of 'atheism', I can see a huge variety of differences in beliefs among the atheists here at Y!A. If we were all thrown in the same room and asked to come up with a collective doctrine, we'd never get anywhere.

But we're not trying to do that. I do find that most of the atheists here on Y!A happen to agree with me on a lot more than the simple question of the existence of God, but I realise that there's no special reason why that might be. Still, I am pleased that it is true.

Most religious people like to classify their beliefs as 'religion'. It allows them to pursue an us-and-them mentality that they seem to find beneficial. They can't imagine someone having 'no religion'. To them it's like having 'no personality' or 'no accent'. However, it's not true.

Answer 3

Atheism is by definition not the lack of religion (as someone answered), but the disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods

Many Christians seem to believe that atheism is a religion, but no one with a fair understanding of both concepts would make such a mistake.

The truth is that atheism lacks characteristics of religion. At most, atheism doesn’t explicitly exclude most of them, but the same can be said for almost anything. Thus, it’s not possible to call atheism a religion. It can be part of a religion, but it can’t be a religion by itself. They are completely different categories: atheism is the absence of one particular belief while religion is a complex web of traditions and beliefs. They aren’t even remotely comparable.

So why do people claim that atheism is a religion? Usually this occurs in the process of criticizing atheism and/or atheists. It may at times be politically motivated because if atheism is a religion, they think they can force the state to stop “promoting” atheism by eliminating endorsements of Christianity. Sometimes the assumption is that if atheism is simply another “faith,” then atheists’ critiques of religious beliefs are hypocritical and can be ignored.

Since the claim that atheism is a religion is based upon a misunderstanding of one or both concepts, it must proceed from flawed premises. This isn’t just a problem for atheists; given the importance of religion in society, misrepresenting atheism as a religion can undermine people’s ability to understand religion itself. How can we sensibly discuss matters like the separation of church and state, the secularization of society, or the history of religious violence if we don’t adequately define what religion is?

Productive discussion requires clear thinking about concepts and premises, but clear and coherent thinking are undermined by misrepresentations like this.

Answer 4

Atheism is the absence of religion.

This is the webster's Dictionary definition of religion:
-the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
-a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

This is the webster's definition of Atheism:
a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity

Usually atheism is not considered to be a religion, but an atheist person does NOT mean a person with NO RELGION/Belief.

Atheists believe there is no God and no other Deities. That is their faith. It is actually a faith; therefore, sometimes it is grouped into the "religion" sector (see definition of Religion 2).

In summary, although Atheists do not believe in dieties, they are a faith because they believe this.

Answer 5

Atheism is not a religion. Many religions are mistaken for as such and are actually philosiphies of life. FYI I completely agree with you despite my having some mild belief in a power greater than myself (not necesairly God, but many people lable it as such)...I am not seeking forgiveness from that being...nor do I necessairly worship it...I just feel that presence that is beyond my comprehension. Is there a God..maybe, maybe not. I am a UU...check us out as we respect those who believe and those who have an opposing view under one roof...www.uua.org

Here's some more ammo for the cause of atheism. Jesus was a man...a great teacher-ahead of his time...nothing more or less and was NOT the Son of God (if there is one). He didn't die for your sins. Your theology is blastphemous by elevating this guy to the level you have. God (if there is one) had said that I am the one and only. Now...who's paying for the sins of humanity?...The Jews have been suffering for thousands of years as the "chosen people". Think about it and get a clue. In the end God (if there is one) and NOT Jesus will be here and it won't necessairly be a living hell if you've lived as respectfully of self, others, and the environment as you could.

Answer 6

Religion is defined as believing in something higher than oneself. Atheism has no belief system in a supernatural god or gods, but it creates the individual as the god, so it could be described as a religion.

By "god" I mean not only a supernatural being that someone believes in, but also ideas that people believe in to better their lives. So Communism could be a religion, and therefore Atheism also, because the atheist thinks that by eliminating a god, he is bettering his life by doing it.

Answer 7

Atheist means "without belief." Religion requires belief in a god or gods, a set of rituals, commands, etc. that are alleged to be from the god/gods. Babies are born without such beliefs, therefore atheism is the default condition for all humans. I hesitate to label myself as "atheist," because I don't see why I should identify myself by what I DON'T believe.

Answer 8

Hey sexy_jim_darwin,

Weren't you suspended for being Jim_warwin-Like in your posting? If you look up the definition of "RELIGION" you will find one of the answers relating to:
A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on...

Because you are an athiest/darwinist, you have your own set of beliefs, values and even practices. They could and usually are considered to be a part of their own religion. You can also checkout this article.

Court rules atheism a religion: Decides 1st Amendment protects prison inmate's right to start study group
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45874

So, you have your beliefs and I have mine. :)
Except I don't consider being a Christian or following after Jesus to be a religion (that's what the world has labeled it), and I'm sure Adam and Eve didn't either. My faith is not based on Jesus' death, but upon His Life (Ressurection), just some facts to set things straight. So you don't have to hack down helpless woodland critters to consider your faith, beliefs and practices to be religious...you just have to believe in them. :)

Hope that helps put things into better perspective.

Answer 9

Who stated Atheism is a faith? Atheism isn't a faith. Come accurately...''Atheists are the ladies folk and adult adult males people who don't think something without appropriate information''. Who fearful approximately them or their worry or their standards? First, there is not any atheists here in india. Atheists are extra in christianity, and interior the western worldwide places. There are as many motives for being an atheist as there are atheists: the line to atheism has a tendency to be very very own and individual, based upon the focused circumstances of a character’s life, reports, and attitudes. besides the incontrovertible fact that, it quite is a threat to describe some generic similarities which tend to be original between particularly purely some atheists, somewhat atheists in the West. it quite is a astounding question; regrettably, it isn’t quite elementary to respond to. Many atheists discover their attitude to disbelief by employing way of technological expertise. Over the centuries technological expertise has come to recent factors of aspects of our word that have been as quickly as the unusual part of religion. by way of fact scientific factors have been extra efficient than religious or theistic factors, the aptitude of religion to call for allegiance has weakened. for this reason, some persons have come to thoroughly reject now no longer maximum effective faith, yet additionally concept interior the life of a god. For them, gods are ineffective as an reason at the back of any function of the universe and supply no longer something well worth investigating. have you ever ever heard of 'smart atheists'? it quite is a classification utilized by employing some religious theists to describe those form of theists who technically experience in a god, even with the incontrovertible fact that who behave immorally. the perception is that ethical habit follows immediately from genuine theism, subsequently immoral conduct is an exceedingly final effect of now no longer surely believing. Theists who behave immorally have have been given to incredibly be atheists, even with what they think approximately.

Answer 10

semantics

humanism and aetisem is a competing world view about God, so it is either a religon or virtually is a relgion

if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck 'n sounds like a duck , its a duck

btw ... humanism and aethiesm were deemed religons by the same Supreme justice who pulled the seperation of church and state doctrine out of the original contect... but humanist like to eat their cake and have it to...relgion in school is ok as long as its THEIR religion, eh?

Roger Williams actually originall ysaid "the garen of the church shoud be seperated by a high wall from the howling wilderness of the world"