If atheists are not religious.....why do they act so....RELIGIOUS?

Question

Dictionary.com says religion is:

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.

How come they all share a SET OF BELIEFS (lack of faith, evolution, our existence, religion = war, etc.)


They all have same MORAL CODE..... but are hypocrites like religious...(treat others as you want to be treated...so MANY atheists do that!)

They all worship the same HOLY BOOK (the god delusion)

They all go to similar places for DEVOTIONALS? (strip joints, bars, coffeehouses)

Sounds AWFULLY religious to me.

Thoughts?

Will there be eventually denominations of atheism?

I was an atheist 28 years...I have a VERY good idea what it is, thanks.

Answer 1

Oh, whatever. I'm not an atheist. I'm a Poeist.
I see what you mean, kind of.
People need a religion-like structure...it's the OS of the mind.

Answer 2

Seriously...what's the view like from that high of a horse? Is the air thin?

Lack of faith is not a belief...its a lack there of.

Evolution is not a religion, its a fact. There are even some sects of christianity that have incorporated evolution into their belief structure.

I don't recall saying that religion=war, but I have pointed out that wars have been started in god's name.

Morals and faith are two different things. I'm sorry if you can't accept that fact either.

I've never read anything by Dawkins.

Satanism was founded, partially, because of the number of people LeVey saw going to whorehouses, strip joints and bars on Saturday night, and then church on Sunday.

The best part is when you shoot your own arguement down with the definition. Atheism in no way, shape, or form, has anything to do with "superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving DEVOTIONAL and ritual observances".

It's enough to make me think that you're the clone, and not the real David T.

Answer 3

Wrong. I'll explain why.

SET OF BELIEFS:
- a lack of faith in a deity is not a belief
- evolution merely requires an understanding, not dogmatic belief
- atheism dictates no standard belief for the reason of our existence
- nor does it dictate that religion = war, people simply see that it has been used for war, this is not a belief it is history

MORAL CODE:
- not all people think alike and as I said there is no set standard in atheism
- being a hypocrite has nothing to do with moral code anyway

HOLY BOOK:
- I have never read the god delusion nor have most others.
- a holy book would be one that helps define a religion, not one that only rips into another one

DEVOTIONALS:
- strip joints, bars & coffee houses? since when were these atheist exclusive venues?

Thoughts:
- You don't know what you're talking about
- You have an excessively biased opinion against atheists as a group (despite them not actually being a group)
- This is a classic example of trying to find religion in evolution/atheism in an attempt to moan about it conflicting with the first ammendment so you can argue against it being in schools, nothing more.

Answer 4

1. The only belief that is attributed to atheism is that there is no gods or deities of any kind. An atheist doesn't have to believe in evolution, however most do. One thing that we're all interested in is how we got here, and the idea of a common ancestor and genetic changes over time seems to make alot more sense than the un-provable fairy tale that we were created from dirt by the magical, mystical man in the sky. Acknowledging the obvious doesn't constitute a belief structure.

2. I don't know who gave you this idea. There are moral and immoral atheists, just like in any other group. We often conflict on issues like abortion and the death penalty.

3. I've never even read "The God Delusion" or anything else that Dawkins has written. I understand enough about why I don't believe in god from my own experiences, I don't need someone else to explain what atheism is to me.

4. I hope that "devotional" comment was a joke.

By the way, there are sects of atheism. We (and by we, I mean people ... all of us ... not just atheists) need labels to explain ourselves to other people. Its a requirement in society.

Answer 5

There is not universally observed set of beliefs regarding atheists. "Atheists" is too broad of a term to even encompass all the different "beliefs" (used loosely") that people have. In addition, being atheist does not necessarily mean that you must believe in evolution, you might just not care or think that it can't be shown, yet still not believe in a God.

Secondly, what moral code of atheists are you referring to? I have yet to see a universal moral code (like the Ten Commandments).

Some atheists haven't even read the God Delusion, and of those that have, it doesn't necessarily change or support their beliefs. Some people just don't believe in God, whether Richard Dawkins gives supporting reasons or not.

Christians go to strip joints, bars, coffeehouses, too. Atheists also go to Wal-Mart, the grocery store, and book stores, does that mean they are devotional places?

Finally, atheism is not a religion. Is there a reason some people feel like they have to prove that it is? Just let it be.

Answer 6

The only belief we share is a lack of belief in a god or gods.Although I would guess that most of us have morals we do not follow the same moral code,we don't have one.I have never read the god delusion.I do go to th bar sometimes but I do not frequent strip joints or coffehouses.
As to your claim that you were an atheist,if that were so,you would know what complete rubbish you have written

Answer 7

Quit bashing atheists and we might quit bashing Christians. We don't worship the God Delusion that is a crappy book that only states arguments atheists already know of. Christians go to strip joints, bars, and coffee houses just as much as atheists do. We do have a moral code which a lot of us don't follow, but at least some of us try and succeed at doing so. Sure maybe this is a set of beliefs, but religion is understood to come with a bunch of other requirements, and tends to deal with the afterlife. Atheism does no such thing. That is why we don't consider ourselves a religion.

Answer 8

Oh my goodness people! You have no idea what the word religion means! Dictionary.com doesn't even know what it means!

Religion is, quite specifically, defined as belief in supernatural powers or deities that have some measure of control of human affairs.

Any other elements of the definition are meaningless. When an atheist mentions religion that's what they're talking about. Nothing more.

Atheists do not 'act religious' (whatever on Earth that means). For the simple reason that our *actions do not fit the definition of the word religious*.

Get that through your heads people!

You fail. At life.

Answer 9

I am an atheist but I do respect people that follow cults- I mean religions because they need it as guidance to do the right thing.

It might be nice to have a religion that doesn’t use fear of eternal suffering as a motivator, but it’s a powerfully effective method for gaining followers. I can understand why so many religions utilize it as a selling point.

I do not need a bible or a preist to tell me how to do the right thing. I know to do the right thing because I have respect for the life I was given by whatever energy it came from.

Answer 10

First of all, while your question is legitimate I would ask you to please respect atheists by not making crude references to strip joints in your details. Secondly, the definition of religion from dictionary.com sounds more like the definition of world view. Finally, most atheists define religion as an organized and for-profit entity which seeks to extract wealth from its members via faith and fear. We don't object to having world views, but we don't get our world views from George W. Bush, Pope Benedict, or Ayatollah Khomeini.

Answer 11

I even have my own bible:

I do not drive too fast, even if i don't agree with the rules. I give too much change back to the girl behind the counter in the supermarket. When i find a wallet on the street, i return it to the owner without expecting a reward ,because the relief on your face is worth more to me than money. In a bar i'll talk to you, when you are standing alone. I will never jugde or disrespect you on your looks, not even on your charactre.

And i do that without any God telling me to do that

I give to charity, i seperate my garbage for a better environment. I rather put on an extra sweater, than to put up the heater. I never throw my chewing-gum on the street. Every week i buy the paper from a homeless person. I will help and support you if you're attacked by drunken guys on the street, i'll avoid the fight, but i'll never leave you alone. I help the old lady cross the street, i'll bring the crying lost little girl back to her mother.

And i do that without any God telling me to do that

I know no rules, except my own thoughts. After thinking everything through, i have to conclude that there must be 'something' to make this all happen. I've looked around and inspite of all the misery, the poorness, the crime, the hate, i don't see humans as sinners, but as people with choices. I don't think that i will be lost if i do not meditate on a mountain or pray under a cross. I don't even believe that the guy who blows himself up between a group of schoolkids will burn eternally.

And i think that without any God telling me to think that

Every person has something good inside. Sometimes on the surface, sometimes deep hidden inside. I hope that the God they all talk about, is not the guy with the beard sitting on a cloud. The God i have faith in, is just a metaphore. A feeling. A sence of all the goodness inside the people. Nothing more than that. And more clear: nothing less than that. The goodness in our heart is the most important thing we have. My God has an extra 'O'...Good.

And i am good, without any God telling me that

Good has no need for symbols. No cross, no boring books, no big fat guy, no cow, no buildings with colored glass windows. Good is everywhere and is eternal. There is no need to pray for something good, because it will always be there. There is also no need to pray to end something bad, because the bad will also always be there. Sure there are bad people. These people are to dumb to understand the good. Goodness, kindness can relieve you. Badness only creates more badness. We can never beat the badness. A bad guy with a gun can only be beaten by a good guy with a gun. But a good guy doesn't use a gun.

And even if the Good will always loose, I'll always try to be Good.

Everything has its time, and its place. In our sadness, in our anger, in our happyness, in our love we can see our humanity. These things make us to be the people we are, they shape us, they teach us, they make us really feel. And in every deep misery, there is always a hidden hope, cause we all know anything can always be done differently. This earth is our playground, to feel, to laugh, to cry, to love and to live.

And i live. And that's good.