Why do Christians think Atheism is a religion?

Question

I mean all it does to atheists is make us think you really really don't know what your talking about. Christians and Muslims claim that their scriptures are so prescient of humanity’s needs that they could only have been written under the direction of an omniscient deity. An atheist is simply a person who has considered this claim, read the books and found the claim to be ridiculous. One doesn’t have to take anything on faith, or be otherwise dogmatic, to reject unjustified religious beliefs. As the historian Stephen Henry Roberts once said: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” Any thoughts on this?

Answer 1

i dont think they have the ability to see is at a position or cencept. therefore they have to see it as a religion.

Answer 2

Everything: "Religion" is what you are not what you do. I think from this perspective, your query may be answered. God gives all of us "the right to be wrong" and does not have to prove anything to any one of us since it is His prerogative to do so or not.
Remember; most people, who have become converted to Christianity, were once atheistic or agnostic. The question, which deserves merit, is what causes some of the most devout atheists or gnostics to all of a sudden, switch course with their lives, and become Christian ? Speaking for myself, I was placed into a position where I had the exposure to the proper people and Science books to prove God's existence to MYSELF ! My brother-in-law is a Doctor of Nuclear Physics and is also, a Christian. He was once, a Scientific Atheist but when he probed into the proper Scientific data and researched into the pros and cons for the existence of God, he found his concrete evidence for God's existence. This has me to conclude, that the truth is "out there" and most of us find it, stumble over it, get up and continue along on our merry little ways, as if nothing happened - none the wiser for it. By the way; what you serve is your god - therefore, you do have a religion. Your religion is called, "Atheism" !

Answer 3

Because if you really look at the definitions for "Religion" it matches to Atheism. Atheists have a hard time because while they tend to want to sever what they are admitting to as being Atheism = No Belief in a God. BUT what they cannot help is to develop into the creation of their chosen ideology. But instead of exploring further into what it is they have done, they remain in denial about some very obvious things.

Faith; in that they have to have faith in what they have dedicated themselves to,

Close-mindedness, in that they have sealed themselves off from a possibility that God exists. ( Without possibly REALLY knowing. )

These are the two that I can think of right now.

I left a reference on "Religion" below- check it out. Here one of the examples:
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe,

Answer 4

Has atheistic belief become institutionalized? I think it has, if so it is a religion in a sense. Atheists have their own form of dogma and can be as self righteous as some that claim a god. Its a belief system based on the need to have evidence before commitment. Nothing wrong with it unless you use it to ridicule the beliefs of less logical belief systems.

Answer 5

Actually it depends on your definition.
Atheism is a religion if you define religion as any view on God. This is why Atheists are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution (freedom of religion). This is also why some Christians view Atheism as a religion (it's a incorrect view on God competing with theirs, just like Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism).
If you view religion as faith in the supernatural, then no, atheism isn't a religion.

Answer 6

Actually, you ARE being dogmatic if you claim to know for sure that there is no god out there. The person whom you describe is agnostic, not atheist.

Atheists try to convert people to their point of view almost as zealously as any religious person does. And they get really offended at the mention of the Christian God in particular, like it is a sin or a heresy, or something. You act so dogmatic and hateful toward anyone who would challenge your belief that you know it all, that you must be religious -- because many atheists tend to act like fanatics.

Answer 7

I think it's poor semantics or ignorance on the part of Christians. Theism is not a religion, it's a belief in a god (or gods.) Theism alone does not make a religion, so how could "a"theism alone make a religion (or non-religion?) It's like saying amoralism is a religion. It's not, it's a way of saying "without moral beliefs."

As for the "one fewer gods" quote, it's clever, but illogical. If you have one dollar, and I have one fewer dollar than you, than I am broke, which a distinctly different state than having money.

Answer 8

Perhaps they think we "believe" there is no god, rather than that we reject belief in god just as we reject belief in goblins and sylphs. They don't understand that we test the reality of things in the world and use our senses and reason to judge what's real. Perhaps they are unable to imagine anyone not having a religion of some sort.

Answer 9

Probably because atheist questions are so prevalent on the Religion and Spirituality section. Maybe because religion is man's attempt to understand god regardless of whether that understanding acknkowledges or dismisses a god. That's a good quote you have, but it's illrelevant to your question.

Answer 10

I'm Muslim and I don't think atheism is a religion...that's why I have not capitalized it. A religion is something that people BELIEVE in, and in atheism, there is an absence of the belief in God, so it's not a religion.

Answer 11

Lack of understanding. And would you believe people actually email me and say I should not be so direct with atheists as they have a right to believe in their religion? What a laugh.