My gf and I were discussing this. We concluded that to believe in no god requires as much faith as believing in a god, like how can one know for sure, either way? One could almost say atheism is a religion, or at the least very similar.
2006-07-25 17:05:49 · 31 answers · asked by odysseus2i 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To "Kjelstad" and "Rev Kev", I concede that all people are born atheists and that sometime in their lives culture exposes them to one or many belief systems. When one adopts a belief system, one must have faith in it. To have faith is to believe in something of which there is no empirical proof. There is neither proof that gods exist nor proof that they do not exist. One must have faith in either belief system, or declare oneself an agnostic.
2006-07-26 17:00:26 · update #1
To "Pimp" with an avatar as a chimp: I am not an idiot. Take it back or I'll pray to my god that she curse you with horrible and interminable erectile dysfunctions.
2006-07-26 17:09:23 · update #2
No.
Lets define what faith is first:
faith: Acceptance of ideals, beliefs, etc., which are not necessarily demonstrable through experimentation or reason.
Faith; noun. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."
..........Ambrose Bierce
"Faith is often the boast of the man who is too lazy to investigate."
..........F.M. Knowles
And atheism a religion?
Saying Atheism is Religion is like saying Bald is a Hair Color
2006-07-25 17:07:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not at all.
It's like saying that it requires faith to not believe in Islam. Or Santa Claus. Or pink unicorns.
An atheist simply does not have a reason to believe in a god or gods. It doesn't take faith to not believe. In fact, it's the default "belief system" of humans. We are all born atheists. When we get old enough to understand religion, we are taught that the world was flooded or that there is an afterlife. At this stage, some people remain atheists while others become theists.
As one wise Internet person said, "Atheism is a religion just like not playing golf is a sport."
2006-07-25 17:08:01 · answer #2 · answered by Rev Kev 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it requires faith. This doesn't make it a religion, though.
Anything requires faith. Even things we don't think about. Take that chair you're sitting in right now.. do you have faith that it isn't going to break??
Athiests have to have faith in themselves and in their beliefs. They have to have faith that all the teachings that they believe are right. They have to have faith that the bible is make believe. They have to have faith that there is no hell and they will not be sent to a place where there is fire but total darkness, where you will be thirsty and never be quenched, where it smells of sulfur.
If you ask me, athiests have to have a lot more faith than Christians do. Christians believe that when they die they are going to heaven. Its not that hard to believe in something so happy and pleasant. Athiests have no clue what will happen when they die. Christians at least have something to look forward to, even if we turn out to be wrong.
2006-07-25 17:16:08 · answer #3 · answered by rccola1979 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does. In fact, it requires a lot more faith to be an atheist than to be a theist! Think about it, an atheist have to subscribe to all the basic tenets of naturalism and evolutionism. An atheist needs to believe that everything came from nothing, that life came from nonlife, that one kind of lifeform has changed into another (conveniently over millions of years thus out of direct observation) amongst other faith-beliefs. That's just too much for me. I don't have enough faith to be an atheist!
2006-07-25 17:20:07 · answer #4 · answered by Seraph 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be an atheist is a choice. A bad choice in my opinion but it's a choice made by those who just don't want to believe. They believe their is a God but they just don't choose to admit their belief.
Does that make sense? I'm really not sure what goes on in the mind of an atheist....don't care to know either.
2006-07-25 17:10:34 · answer #5 · answered by okiemom67 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think that being aethiest is having faith in yourself.
most organized religion centers around a god. and the content of the the religion surrounds basic rules.
having faith in those rules is what most religion is about.
but i don't follow what a book tells me is 'right'. I just follow what i learn from trial and error and what I believe is right or wrong.. I dn't need religion for that. Humans learn from eachother, and whether they are committing a crime or saving the earth it's always for a purpose that is "right" to them and not to "God".
2006-07-25 17:11:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Faith is believing something without hard evidence. It takes faith to believe in god. Atheists are atheists becase they don't have that sort of faith.
2006-07-25 17:10:42 · answer #7 · answered by onanist13 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In some ways I would think atheism is harder than believing in God, since they have no invisible means of support (old joke). Plus if you are continually surrounded by people who believe, it is a constant reminder that there must be a reason they believe.
2006-07-25 17:09:32 · answer #8 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good point :)
Atheism does require faith...
I used to be an atheist. Over a period of time however, I grew convinced of the existence of the Christian God, and ultimately committed my life to Christ (e.g., see http://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/testimony/seek.html ).
Cordially,
John
2006-07-25 17:12:11 · answer #9 · answered by John 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion as one who does not wish to be part of any church, congregation or religion, I would think that even if you would call yourself an atheist you still would have to have some type of Faith.
2006-07-25 17:11:36 · answer #10 · answered by Jay-V-Dub 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋