atheism? why do you call it a religion?

Question

why do many people call it a religion. it cant be we have no gods, and dont worship.And why do people confuse satainism for devil worshiping when its luciferism that worships satain. why dont people understand that. why cant they just do the reserch on it before they think they know it. Like many christians, do they just think there always right about it, b/c i know they havent read up on theses to know better. do they fear being wrong, or fear finding the truth after wasting there life tto that point.

Answer 1

Us atheists don't call it a religion, but others may call it what they wish...lol

Answer 2

It usually happens on one of two grounds.

The most invalid reason is that people associate any belief about God with religion. However, the absence of belief in God doesn't constitute a consistent system of ethics, beliefs, or practices. Without this, atheism is not a religion.

Next one can validly assert that by dealing not with atheism, but atheisms. The atheism of Dawkins, for instance, is not the same as that of Marx, and atheist systems of philosophy do indeed act like religions. Nobody can doubt that Communism spread throughout the world with a religious fervor (complete with its inquisitions and witch burnings).

However, this is not the atheism of all atheists, and even here, when apologists assert that "atheism" is a religion, they oversimplify, and thus, go into error. There are precious few beliefs that are required for all atheism, and frankly, the body of them doesn't necessarily constitute religion. They can be criticized, but one need not use the "r" word in doing it, and if it is used, it needs to be used precisely.

Answer 3

I have never thought of atheism as a religion, but rather a lack of religion. I also have never accused an atheist of being a devil worshiper.I am confused by the Satanism isn't devil worshiping though, I don't mean to be rude it's just that I thought that the Devil and Satan were one and the same. Would I be wrong if I just said peace?

Answer 4

Atheism is not a religion. It is a philosophy.

Atheism, in the broadest sense, is the absence of belief in the existence of gods. Other definitions combine this absence of belief with belief in the nonexistence of gods, or simply with the conscious rejection of theism.

The term atheism originated from the Greek ἄθεος (atheos), which was derogatorily applied to anyone thought to believe in false gods, no gods, or doctrines that stood in conflict with established religions.

Atheists may share common skeptical concerns regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Common rationales include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical.

In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be irreligious or unspiritual. Although some atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere.

Most people don't read up because they don't care.

Answer 5

Atheism is like a religion in that it requires faith -- you have to accept (without proof) that God does NOT exist. That's faith, or perhaps we could call it anti-faith.

I've known Satanists, Wiccans, and pagans, as well as many people who defy simple categorization. Those people are interesting, and I'm proud to call many of them my friends.

A more reasonable position (than atheism) would be agnosticism. It's natural to not know the Answers about the important questions like whether or not God exists. That's all agnosticism requires, a simple acknowledgement that one does not know for sure.

If you're wondering about what I am religiously, I'll tell you briefly here: I spent roughly twenty years as an agnostic followed by almost as many years as a Christian (I'm 39) after a near-death experience where I experienced Hell. On a very primitive level, I love God simply because he pulled me out of there when I prayed (for the first time ever) for His help. I have since had encounters with a Saint named Barbara (Protestants might be more comfortable thinking of her as a guardian angel). I had to leave the Roman Catholic Church, though, because I could not stomach the pedophilia scandal.

I think that's about as personal as I care to get in this forum. Anyone who's curious about further details is welcome to e-mail me.

Answer 6

The word, "atheism" means "no theism." This means simply that an atheist does not believe in God, and that's all it means. Atheists can be liberal or conservative, rich or poor, good people or jerks. You are correct; theists often try to portray atheists as persons who have no moral fiber or compass. Most of the atheist authors I have read (Robert Ingersoll, Sam Harris, Ayn Rand, etc.) think a great deal about ethics, and I respect their wisdom.

Answer 7

It's purely a political deceit. Religious groups, defending their long discredited notion of Biblical literalism, want atheism made into a religion. This way, they can go to court and try to block the teaching of anything that might support atheism including any science or facts they consider distasteful. It is part of their assault on reason, knowledge and thought.

Answer 8

The word 'Religion' derives itself from an old Latin root meaning "to tie or bind together", taken in context, then atheism is a religion for the simple fact that atheists can come to a consensus that nobody besides the government is watching them masturbate.

Answer 9

Religious people often call atheism a religion because they want to soil it with the associations that the R word has

Answer 10

I don't know either. I guess some people don't understand what Atheism is about or they don't understand the word Atheism. Basically it's a lame attempt to categorize it as a religion.

Answer 11

The reason why people call atheism a religion is because they heard some other religiously infect loon call it that. The religiously infected believe everything, without question, that another of their kind says.