Should Atheism be considering a Religion? Because they exalt their beliefs above God?

Question

There was an article in the Seattle Times that people responded to in letter to the editor. I think it is a religion. Their religious works are to cause others to not believe in God and deny God in the community or not bring God up anywhere. Claiming separation of God (Church) & State.

I love separation of Church & State. Because, this assures me that it is less likely for a self Called Christian who is really antichrist to rule & get paid for it & kill people who don't conform.

But the Atheist seems to think it means separation of God & State. That is why I wrote it like that.

St_Peter, You exalt your own understanding & yourself above Gods Word (if you are an atheitst).

Answer 1

Atheism IS a religion, and thank you for pointing that out! I have known this for years.

They have a belief that God does not exist. On what do they base this belief? A lack of evidence. They base a belief on NO evidence....this is known as ~faith~.
They try to evangelize their beliefs, attempting to convert others in many platforms (even here on Yahoo Answers).

Atheism is a religion...they just have not filed for a tax-exempt status.

Answer 2

Atheism is the non-belief in God. So, the only belief they have is, they do not believe in God. I would call that the abscence of religion. How can atheists exalt their beliefs above someone in whom they don't believe ? They can't claim the separation of God and State, because they do not believe in God. They do try to get rid of the Christian influence anywhere they can. My question is, if they adhere to the notion that God does not exist(which is what they believe), then why would they be so concerned about the spreading of a Gospel that originated from Someone who they say doesn't exist. That's like me saying I don't believe ghosts exist, then jump out of my skin at night when a white streak goes flitting down the darkened hallway. Atheists claim they have no faith, but every time they board a plane, they have faith the pilot knows a thing or two about flying the thing, don't they ?

Answer 3

Religion specifically means a Belief in a God. They do not have a belief in a God, so therefore it is not a religion.

They do not have religious works, that would tie in with the definition *a believe in a God*. And honestly, you should read up on this. You are taking one article and this place and saying ALL do that... which is silly. Unless of course, it's alright for someone like me to read one article against Christianity (or your religion of choice) and point out a couple bad elements in the religion (lets say, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Ted Haggard, Heavens Gate, the new one in Florida who claims he IS God) and claim that all are like that.

I think you would be surprised at the people within Christianity and other religions are all for separation of Church and State. Look at it a bit seriously.... if you want to mix religion and politics... you would have to accept ALL the religions, not just one... otherwise you can just throw out that thing called the Constitution which states we have Freedom of Religion - all men are created equal, etc etc etc.... But if you try to uphold one over all the others, then the Constitution isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Answer 4

Religious works? An atheist is someone who does not believe in any spiritual world but if you're referring to anyone not Christian, there are Buddhists and Hindu's and Wiccans, some people practice ancient religions like the Greek pantheon and I think there are a few who still worship some version of the Egyptian pantheon. There's a handful of 'Maya' in Central America-lots, but the only ones I can think of that have a religious work are Satanists. Everyone else has books written about the religion but not actual books the religion is based off of. And an atheist usually cites the Constitution or some science book, there are no 'religious works'. So, no. It is not a religion. They just 'believe' there are no other-worlds.

Answer 5

You're conveniently forgetting that there is no evidence for the existence of a personal god.

Atheism is not a religion, but a refutation of religious dogma and the existence of deities. A contradiction in the definition of religion.

Religion is about faith in unproven things. Atheism does not have an accompanying moral philosophy but most atheists don't believe in a god based on evidence about natural processes (ex. evolution), and the lack of proof that any religion is real. Also some atheism, termed "weak atheism," is not about believing no god exists, simply an absence of believe (do you get the difference?).

Also, separation of church and state keeps religious nuts from governing my life, so I don't consider secularism as exalting atheism over god. Secular government levels the playing field with equal rights so I can believe or not believe in a god as I please. That's known as freedom.

Answer 6

It takes just as much faith to believe there is NO God as it does to believe that there is one. If a "religion" is an ideology upon which someone has based an affirmation or consensus of belief based on nothing more than self-evident propositions, then yes - Atheism would be a kind of religion. They do not exalt their beliefs above God, because for them, God is a non-existent entity. Honest die-hard Atheists (which are few by the way) believe those who do warrant a belief in God are less than honest, basing their convictions on thin air, or just plain ignorant. This is disrespectful and that is the problem. Atheists need to respect believers' well-worn and heavily persecuted conclusions and believers need to respect the Atheists' self-evident claims.

Answer 7

No, I don't think it's a religion. I am Christian and I have met many atheists who respect my beliefs and don't try to make me not believe. I have even met some atheists who wish they could believe in God, but they just can't accept that God exists. Oh, and in the United States, the constitution (which, BTW, was written by a bunch of Christians) guarantees separation of church and state.

Answer 8

No Atheism does not mean the absence of religion. There are atheistic religions! Atheism is simply the disbelief of God(s). A religion is set rites, practices and rituals coupled with the worship or reverence of God(s) or High Being(s). So atheism cannot possibly be a religion, just as plain theism isn't a religion either. Denial or disbelief does not constitute religion. Beliefs alone are no religion. Beliefs are about faith alone. Faith and religion are different.

Answer 9

The anthropological definition of a religion is any system that combines a myth (a story, true or not, that interrelates man, nature, and the divine) with a codified moral philosophy (often based on the myth).

Atheism has no myth -- a valid argument could be made that 'science' is an atheistic myth, but few of any religion or non-religion would argue with the scientific method.

Atheism has no codified moral philosophy. Each atheist must find his/her own moral philosophy.

Further, most atheists I know neither exault nor worship anything.

So no, atheism in all ways fails the definitions, yours and the scientific definition.

Answer 10

Actually, not it isn't a religion. It is just a decision one makes not to believe in god.

And, most atheists I know are not on a mission to make others not believe. We don't actively proselytize to others. I do not try to get others to not believe. When asked, though I will give my opinions on the matter. But, I don't actively attempt to "convert" people.

And, keeping religion out of the government is not an attempt to "convert" people. It is an attempt to not have to live my someone else's moral code. I don't want christian, muslim, pagan, or any other belief's morals dictating the law in this country. It isn't just god, it's all belief systems.

Answer 11

Atheism entails the absence of belief in the existence of God or other deities. It is contrasted with theism, the belief in one or more gods

Athiesm cannot be considered a religion because 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, as well as personal faith and mystic experience.

In other words, athiests don't believe in any mystic force so they can't be a religion.