Is atheism dogmatic?

Question

And if so, how?

Answer 1

I'd say "yes". Agnosticism is not. But to say dogmatically "there is no god" is - well....dogmatic.

Answer 2

mmm, well yes in the sense that it adheres to "no god", which theoretically you could apply to monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc.) and their "one god", in that sense it is dogmatic too (but then again polytheistic religions have their own dogmatic schema too). So any strict definition of category (whether Atheist or Muslim/Christian/Buddhist/Hindu/etc.) would imply dogma by definition. I guess the only ones who escape the label of "dogmatic" would be Agnostics, as they accept the element of the "unknown" and leave the question open and thereby avoid dogma. Unfortunately, saying "I´m not sure" in this agnostic way, might be interpreted as a "cop out". On the other hand, it´s probably wiser to say that UNTIL you´ve lived, travelled and experienced a great deal, you shouldn´t commit yourself to a singular belief. In short: if you´ve grown up and always lived and worked in Milan/Cleveland/Teheran and have thus always been Catholic/Protestant/Muslim - without viewing the other side - then you might be making a mistake. If you´ve thought/discussed/analyzed your religious beliefs, and examined the whole world around you, AND come to a conclusion, then you should be allowed to enjoy your dogma in your old age, whether Atheist or whatever - so it would depend on the individual person.

Answer 3

No, Atheism is realistic.

"Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization, thought to be authoritative and not to be disputed or doubted. While in the context of religion the term is largely descriptive, outside of religion its current usage tends to carry a pejorative connotation — referring to concepts as being "established" only according to a particular point of view, and thus one of doubtful foundation." - wikipedia

This description fits the Christian religions well. Atheistic belief systems are based on reality and are always open to change with changing realities. Christians however (proven with a previous question i asked today) generally will not waiver in their beliefs regardless of the information provided to them. No matter how empirical.

Answer 4

The only thing that binds atheists is the lack of belief in any gods.

There are many different types of atheists. Some even believe in reincarnation. Buddhism is by and large an atheistic religion, but most Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Even Sam Harris has hinted he is open to the possibility of reincarnation, although he is absolutely an atheist.

Also the Raelians, who believe that the earth was visited by ancient space travelers, are also atheists.

There are materialistic atheists who believe that there is no supernatural spiritual dimension to any part of existence, although they may acknowledge the positive experiences of love and awe may provoke spiritual feelings.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 5

Atheism is illogical. It is impossible to prove the non-existence of anything. Call yourself an agnostic if you must, but to declare that you can prove God's non-existence is folly. Atheists are fools.

Answer 6

You could argue that it relies on logical positivism, which is self-referential. Kind of.

Answer 7

When people become closeminded and cruel to others.

Answer 8

Hardly, Some atheists are, for sure...

Answer 9

I, personally, do not think so.

Answer 10

No.