Could atheism be classified as a religion?

Question

Poeple say that a religion is when one believes in a god or theology the pertains to spirtiual life. Well since atheism is the belief that ther is no god and that there is no spiritual life, then doesn't that mean that it is still a belief. Therefore could it be classified as a religion?

Answer 1

Sure why not? If you all can believe in fairy tails, and call it religion, then those who don't believe should have the same status

Answer 2

Good question, despite what the Haters might say. There are a lot of answers to this, however mine is Yes.

If religions are beliefs in a god, or many gods, athiesm can be classified because of these things:

They BELIEVE that there is no God or Creator of anykind.

They BELIEVE that the World is a self-contained organism. We are conceived, born, live whatever life we chose, die, decompose and our atoms are reused as fertilizer.

Therefore, they have a belief. And a belief system IS a religion.

Answer 3

Atheism is not a religion. It is a belief that there is no god. There are no Divine characters, no prescriptions for life. No standards of behavior. Atheists are usually ethical, socially noble folks. Their motivations and behaviors are not tied to a common group. It is possible that an atheist might follow the beliefs of some philosopher but this is not required. An uneducated person or a philosophy major could both come to the same conclusion that no god exists.

Answer 4

Religion can be defined as a "belief" that a God or Supreme Being does exist, and thus we can be motivated to act accordingly. Atheism can be called a "belief" that no such Being exists and thus one must be motivated by his own standards. Each one is more of a philosophy than a proven fact. It is the gift of being able to choose our own belief systems in this lifetime. One can make a "religion" or belief out of yes there is, or no there isn't. But, the answer usually isnt revealed in this earthly state of awareness.

Answer 5

You would have to start by defining what you mean by religion. Webster gives various definitions but one of them is "a cause, principle or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith".An Atheist is someone who believes there is no God. (an agnostic is someone who doesn't know if there is a God). From this it can be plainly seen that an atheist is someone who holds to a belief system that dictates his conduct and choices in life based on the belief that there is no absolute Creator Being to whom he will be held accountable to. Actually this religion is described in detail in the Bible in Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. It begins like this: "The FOOL has said in his heart "there is no God" " It then goes on to describe the conduct of such a person based on his belief. But if you choose to approach the subject from a different angle, your "god" is what you esteem most highly in life. Some men hold there own opinion as there god. I was once such a fool myself, but the True God - the God of the Scriptures, had mercy on me.

Answer 6

No, I do not think that atheism (the disbelief in a deity) can (or should) be classified as a religion. Religion is a faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity. To say that atheism is a religion (equating disbelief to belief) is like calling ignorance intelligence (the lack of knowledge is knowledge) or like saying dishonor is a form of honor. Part of your premise is faulty. Atheism is not the belief that there is no god. It is the disbelief in the existence of deity. Religion is based on what you believe, not in what you disbelieve.

Answer 7

Religion-

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. 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.


My first feeling was no way. But after reading the definition, it seems like enough elements of the definition does apply to atheism.

Answer 8

I don't believe in atheism. What I'm saying is that I do not believe that their are any intelligent human beings walking on the face of the earth that do not believe (truly) in God's existence. I do believe that their are many people who hate the idea that He in fact does exist, hence they "pretend" He doesn't. Those who call themselves atheists are extreme in that denial because they wish it were that everyone felt like they do. They somehow think that this would help things. After all, their mantra is to blame "organized religion" for all the wars and ills of human existence. But their denial is simply that...denial.
They like to lump all the "religious" together too, not making a distinction except they seem to particularly loathe Christians.
But to finally answer your question, yes. These people do "believe"in something. They are humanist at their core, preferring to answer only to themselves for what they do in this life.

Answer 9

I think it depends upon the extent to which one calls themselves atheist.

By classifying and defining one's self as an atheist, one is essentially defining their beliefs and their life as the absence of belief in the supernatural. If this declaration is a verbal rejection of belief in God, then in a sense, they are acknowledging that to which they avow no belief. If this declaration brings with it action to repress or impose their own beliefs upon others, or to force others to respect or recognize those beliefs, then it could be viewed as a form of religion.

Put another way, take someone who doesn't believe in Santa Clause. When Christmas comes, they partake in festivities that revolve around the symbolic nature of Santa Clause without objection or protest, despite the fact that they don't believe in Santa Clause. If one can exist and interact with others who hold beliefs that are different, without trying to change those beliefs or prevent the expression of those beliefs, then it is simply a lack of belief and not a religious exercise.

But if someone who doesn’t believe in God adopts the label of atheist, and protests the celebration of religion, then they are adopting a form of anti-religion, which itself could be a religious practice.

However, it wouldn't necessarily be a religious practice for one who holds no open or passive hostility toward religion, but simply lives without expressing any interest in the supernatural.

I would say that the beliefs of a true textbook atheist wouldn't make a good case for classification as a religion. However, there are many who have adopted the label of atheist as a way of identifying themselves and have used that label as a platform to prevent others from expressing their religious beliefs, and that's where I find the distinction. This anti-religion may not be true atheistic belief per-say, but it is a form of religious belief in and of itself.

Answer 10

I don't think so. Religion is a belief in a higher being. I am a Christian and believe in Jesus Christ. I do not see how you can put your non-beliefs in the same category as a religion because all other religions that I know of worship something. What do you worship?

Answer 11

I do not believe so, because the term Atheist means to be with out a theory, the theory in question would be that of spiritual happenings. A theory is a idea, a unproven thought. Religions are theories, unproven thoughts relying on faith to be believed. With out and idea there is no thought. I also think there is no such thing as a true atheist, for that would mean that they would refuse to have thoughts on the subject of theories such as what will happen when they die. Even saying that nothing will happen is a theory,