Atheism, the next big religion?

Question

This is an honest question, and not meant as snide or condescending.

Would you consider Atheism a religion?

Wikipedia says-
A religion is a set of beliefs and practices generally held by a human community, involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals and study of ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology.

So let's review, a religion is a set of beliefs and practices, well you believe in evolution which is your personal atheistic community doctrine. It involves adherence to your personal codified beliefs in evolution, humanism, and sociology. You study cultural traditions of past atheists to develop further their doctrines. You also study the writings and history of Darwin and others who have come before you, much like prophets. You even have modern day prophets like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins who proclaim from a pulpit.

So, I pose this question to all, not just atheists, is atheism a religion or not?

Contemplative Monkey-
There are writings. Check out Hobbes, Darwin, Nietschze. Nietschze himself is full of mythology about the uber-mensche and will to power.

tHE wISE-
Non-conformity is in itself a version of conformity. It is conforming to the idea of not conforming to any idea, to wax philosophical a little bit.

Real Friend-
Very good answer, well thought out, not a seemingly impulsive statement.

Fred-
By very definition, wikipedia or webster's (a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects) the beliefs of atheists, that things came from the big bang or whatever other theory, and that of theists are not all that different. We use God, you use science.

icarus62-
Atheism is not absense of religion, Atheism is not believing in a super natural higher power. There is a difference.

ChooseRealityPlease-
You contradict yourself, if atheists all believe that there is no God, then that is a common thread is it not?

WellTraveledProg-
Therein lies a key misunderstanding. You have just as much belief as I do. Have you been to Galapagos? No, so you believe what Darwin says about the finches there. Have you studied the human genome to tell which gene does which function? No, so you believe what someone tells you it does. Science has been wrong many times. Galileo and others have proven science to be wrong time and again. Beliefs are part of everyday life. You believe that someone made the watch you wear on your wrist, even though you never saw the person who did. Now you will answer with, well that is logical, because I can touch and feel the watch, or some other such nonsense, then reply that the world does not necessarily need a creator. Then you have to believe that everything that exists now is a huge string of accidents that occured at the big bang and then on. Which takes belief, because you weren't there to see it.

:) Heretic-
You bring up good points, and I'm not saying the question that I threw together in 3 minutes is fool-proof. However, I was pointing out a few examples, not making an intensive outline for the whole thing.

Nazgul-
Good answer. People seem to think that Christianity as a whole has the same set of values and principles, and that since atheism is fractured they can't be a religion. However, I would argue that Atheism and Christianity are similar in that they both have fractured denominations which all teach different things. Whether you like it or not, there are schools of thought that you follow as an atheist, in the same way there are schools of thought that I follow as a Theist.

Sapiens-
Great answer, good insight. I expected many of the answers that I've gotten so far. Impulse without any real thought going into it. Just the automatic gut reflex. It seems as though you have really put some thought into it, and I agree with you on almost all your points. Science may have facts, and many of those facts are disputable, but ultimately, the facts can be used by either side to prove their beliefs. Science does not exclusively proove or disprove a God, though Atheists would have you believe that.

SeattleFan74-
You have a good point, and in the future I probably won't be so hasty as not to put an out in my questions for those who do not believe in a certain thing when the majority do. Majority atheists do believe in evolution, however you are correct when you say that some don't. Evolution was just an example of an atheist doctrine. Harris and Dawkins are again, just examples, there are hundreds of other names of Atheist writers, and other Atheist doctrines I could have pointed out, I just used the ones that most are familiar with to make my point. So thank you for pointing out the flaws in my argument :)

Answer 1

I am an atheist, and I have been one for many years. I have always said, correctly, that atheism is a religion. However, you are wrong to use evolution as evidence for your hypothesis, because there are atheists who don't believe that evolution is 100% correct. I don't currently, and I never have, studing the the teachings, writings, etc. of past atheists as a way to strengthen my beliefs. And I don't listen to either Harris or Dawkins. Yet, still I am an atheist. Try using Merriam-Webster's definition in the future.

Answer 2

In its purest form, atheism is not a religion. Atheism is a point of view. However, I won't deny that there are atheists out there who TREAT it like a religion. Instead of being free from the conventional idea of a belief structure, they substitute their atheism.

But, as christians are so quick to point out, you can't base your opinion on a select few. Evolution is not a doctrine for atheism. You can be an atheist, but not accept the current arguments for macro-evolution or the beginning of the universe. Also, not all atheists agree on social issues. That's the wonderful part about being free from organized religion -- no one else tells us how to think.

As far as cultural traditions from past atheists ... I don't quite understand that one. You should also know that Charles Darwin was NOT an atheist. And I, personally, have never read anything by Dawkins or Harris. After all, I understand why I don't believe in god -- I don't need someone else to explain atheism to me.

Answer 3

Belief in supported theories like evolution are not the same things as belief in faith, which is meaningless. If that were the case then every juror in a courtroom would be adhering to a "religion" when weighing the evidence against a crime.

Atheism is a religion like the "off" button on a remote is a tv channel.

We study culture to understand and formulate a guide of ethics and validate our lack of belief in any deity. Atheism is a philosophical system of thinking with implied ethics. This is different then religion. But both try to address a way of understanding human nature, though one has no facts so it will inexplicably come up short.

Also Darwin is not a prophet. Atheists don't have Jerry Falwells warning the populace against sin or blaming hurricanes on "god's will." Science consistently refines itself on the basis of evidence. I enjoy the writings of Harris and Dawkins because they broaden my perspective of the world, not because I believe they have divine insight. Would you consider Warren or other Christian writers like prophets? Plus neither Harris or Dawkins warns me of hellfire if I don't believe in their philosophy.

So atheism is not a religion. It is a response against traditional religious views that emphasize faith in the absence of evidence. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Atheists don't want to be a religion, so it's hard to get them to admit that religion is faith a system of beliefs that overshadows your life, and nothing more.
Many religions have history, "mythology", rituals, and all that; but religion is just the beliefs that affect the major decisions in your life.
Atheism is faith in the evidence that there is no God.

Now, atheists and evolutionists will scream at me for not letting them define science as the opposite of religion, but the truth is, they are not mutually exclusive. Science collects evidence, how that evidence is interpreted is based on what the interpreter believes. Many Christians see scientific evidence as supporting the Bible but others "religiously" oppose them and try to sell the idea that religion and science are opposites.

Science can be interpreted by an atheistic religious nut, or a Christian religious nut. The truth is there somewhere though and no one has sole rights to it.

Answer 5

"...you believe in evolution which is your personal atheistic community doctrine"

There's the problem with your theory right there. There's no such thing as an atheist community, no doctrine, many common beliefs, but many more differing ones.

I study ALL history and writings, and see none as prophets.

Whether or not you mean your question to be condescending, it seems patronising in the extreme to presume to tell "us" what we believe. It is also just plain wrong to assume that everyone needs the same feeling of group reinforcement religion brings - and I actually do find that a little insulting. I accept that your motives were pure, but I think your execution needs a little work.

Answer 6

Atheists have no rituals or codified beliefs. We do not study cultural traditions.

Atheist means that a person does not accept the existence of gods. It is the opposite of Theist. Theists do not a common ritual or set of beliefs. Hindus and Christians are all Theists. They have little in common.

An atheist's world view, personal beliefs, practices, etc are a completely different subject.

You do not understand what the term means.

Answer 7

Your off a bit there. Evolution isn't an atheistic dotrine, it is scientific fact outside of atheism. There is no codified beliefs of atheism, evolution and sociology are science and humanism is an ism separate from atheism. Most atheists just live their lives and study the ancestral and cultural traditions of many cultures including the religions thereof. There is no mythological structure in atheism. Darwin was a scientist. Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins wrote books, they are a fun read but they are just those men's opinions and are not preachers and do not speak like preachers.

ATHEISM IS NOT A RELIGION, it isn't even lack thereof. It is purely the lack of belief in a god(s).

Answer 8

Atheism is the lack of belief in deities. I suppose if you consider lack of belief a religion then yes it is.

However most religions have preachers and congregations, atheism does not, it's individualistic.

It is not organized and structural, there is no prayer, or anything else. There is no study of Darwinism, or anything else, these are just schoolings, not religious teachings. It's like studying mathematics. Also most do not develop further doctrines of other past atheists, they merely just say they lack belief in the divine.

The word religion has many meanings, some apply and some do not, so I don't know technically. I suppose for our times religion has become separate from belief, or lack thereof. So without structure I think it is not a religion.

Answer 9

"well you believe in evolution which is your personal atheistic community "
Strawman.
Wrong.
Try again, skippy.

"It involves adherence to your personal codified beliefs in evolution, humanism, and sociology."
None of which have anything to do with believing in gods... one can be a Christian and espouse all three.
Try again, skippy.

"You also study the writings and history of Darwin and others who have come before you, much like prophets."
Prophets are people who claim they can see into the future through divine power. Darwin was a scientist, not a prophet.
Wrong, and yet another absurd strawman. Try again, skippy.

"You even have modern day prophets like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins who proclaim from a pulpit."
They're telling the truth as they see it. That doesn't mean we worship them... we admire them for their ideas, but to establish a cult following is nothing short of absurd.

So... to prove your point of atheism being a religion, you play with semantics and build strawman after strawman.

Atheism = lack of belief in gods. It's not a religion, it's not a philosophy, it's not a worldview. It's nothing more than a position, the opposite of theism.

Answer 10

The wiki definition does not hold true too well for atheism to be a religion. Atheism does not have mythology.

Also, atheism does not consider anyone to be prophets. Look up the definition of a prophet. You can quickly see why atheists do not call anyone prophets.

It is interesting, you can make being an American a religion according to the definition that Wiki provides. I do not think that you can find many people who will consider being American, or Italian, or Mexican, or Chinese or any other nationality a religion.

I think you need to find a better definition of religion to work from.