Do atheists actually practice a religion?

Question

Is atheism a religion, or a lack of religion? Do atheists realise that by not believing in a god, supporting Darwin's theory of evolution, promoting fluid morality et al they are actually practitioners of a registered religion, Humanism?

Answer 1

Atheism is as much as a religion as anything. Now there may be different "denominations" of atheism since many do not have exactly the same belief, but to believe God doesn't exist based on the limited amount of knowledge humans have compared to the total amount of knowledge in the universe takes a lot of faith.

Answer 2

Wrong. I do not believe in any gods, I believe (not "support") that evolution is why we have the variety of species that exist today (and of course I'm right about that). I am not a "Humanist", and I have never claimed to be one. That's just a line that the right-wingers are passing around because they're incapable of making a good argument for their beliefs.

As for "fluid morality", same problem. You're assuming that atheism implies moral relativism. It does not. I believe that there are absolute morals, absolute rights and wrongs. Your problem here is called "false dichotomy". You believe that the only alternative to right-wing Christian morality is moral relativism, and you've never considered that it might not be. Someone told you something, you believed it without thinking at all, and now you jsut repeated it in public, revealing your ignorance. Try not to do so again, okay?

Finally, I challenge you to explain why you used the word "registered" in that last line. Where do you believe that "Humanism" is "registered" as a religion? I'll bet that you just threw that word in there without thinking anyone would call you on it, because you thought it'd make your argument sound more believable. I'll bet that you either ignore my objection, or go frantically googling your way around when you read this, trying to find some way to preserve your claim that Humanism is "registered" somewhere. Since you're not really bright enough to manage this kind of argument, I bet that whatever you come up with will be transparently dishonest. Good luck with it.

I suggest that in the future you either stick to simpler topics or you use a more respectful tone. You are not nearly as clever or well-informed as you seem to think that you are.

(Later:)

Well how about that? I was wrong - he sent me a nice private message and demonstrated himself to be a thoughtful person, willing to consider alternative points of view. My apologies, and respects. I'll leave my mistaken assumptions up here just so you can see how adult it was of him to respond in a thoughtful way. My thanks, buddy. Nicely done.

Answer 3

Huh? I never signed on to a religion, I just thought the whole concept was stupid. I don't follow some Holy Prophet, or study some Holy Scripture. I do read books and nod approvingly at Richard Dawkins, for instance, but that's because I agree with him and gained a deeper understanding (or so I like to think) of Evolution. Not as in "accepted it's all true", but been able to follow a train of thought.

This all sounds more like some sort of education than a religion. If you claim I belong to a religion, then your definition of religion is entirely pointless.

Answer 4

Atheism is lack of religion. Not all Atheists support Darwin's theory or are secular humanists. Even if they were Humanism is a philosophy not a religion.

Answer 5

I would be inclined to say NO, simply because the word "atheism" comes from a Greek root word roughly translated to mean "no religion". How can they practice a religion without belief in a higher authority or without any dogma or creed? They don't believe in ANYTHING except secular humanism and that certainly is no religion simply because it doesn't claim to acknowledge any authority higher than human beings and because human morality is widely skewed from one society to the next, it cannot be considered religion.

Answer 6

Atheism isn't a religion. Religion does not necessarily imply belief in a god or gods. Each atheist is an individual. Some may subscribe to a religion. Some do not.

Answer 7

I don't believe in anything without proof. This includes God, fluid mortality or humanism.

I know that evolution and natural selection is responsible for every creature that has ever lived.

An absence of belief is not the same as believing that something doesn't exist.

Answer 8

What a lousy, poorly researched summary you use to load your question.

It's more than disbelief in god, support of Darwin. Atheists have no "fluid morality,:" you superstitious bigot. For atheists, keeping your word and building civility have to be done here on earth, it's the only shot you have for developing decency and compassion.

You're farting in my church, the temple of reality. Get out.

Answer 9

Religion means in latin "bound to". Therefore atheism is not a religion because to be an atheist does not bind you to any other belief. For instance to be an atheist You don't have to believe in evelution or humanism. However to believe in either would classify as a religion because to believe in them you are 'bound' to believe in other things.

Answer 10

no not really. atheists don't believe in any kind of god. atheists dont get together and talk about atheism as a religion. atheists are different. some don't believe in god because of science. some don't believe because they feel god scorned them in some way. some don't believe because they were never part of any religion and just dont feel the desire to belong.