atheism is a religion?

Question

someone in the R/S section mentioned atheism is a religion.....who else thinks this is true and b4 u answer. the definition of religion which refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction, where's an atheist church? there is none, atheist might get together but they believe in nothing, so its not a religion to talk about nothing....now answer

Answer 1

No................ it's a belief

Answer 2

I am not sure where you are getting your information that religion is defined by the group having a "church". So you attempt at putting up a wall that makes your question unanswerable doesn't work, nor does saying that atheists believe in nothing and that its not a religion to talk about nothing. As you will see a lack of belief in something does not negate one from being religious.

As far as why religious people say atheism is a religion, its because it fits the definition of what religion is. As I said before, just because you claim the lack of a formal religious system doesn't mean you aren't religious. According to Merriam Webster's dictionary the definition of religion is the state of a religious, the service and worship of God or the supernatural, commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. This is the traditional view of religion. A definition that involves the idea of either God or the supernatural. But, Merriam Webster goes even further and defines religion as a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices, scrupulous conformity, conscientiousness, and/or a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ador and faith. You can't deny that atheism is a cause, principle and system of beliefs or a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices. Now there are two words in there that have been traditionally used in terms of theists, which is religious and faith. But, can these terms be used to describe even the anti-theists? Faith, among its definitions referring to specifically belief in God are the following definitions: firm belief in something for which there is no proof ; complete trust; something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially a system of religious beliefs. Before we get into the details of faith and its relationship to atheism, let's also look at the definition of religious. Religious is defined as relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity. So we have faith and religious, can these terms be applied to atheism? Absolutely, faith is defined as belief in something for which there is no proof and complete trust in something that is believed especially with strong conviction coupled with being religious, which can be defined as relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality. Atheists will claim that there is no proof either for or against God, that He can't be proven. They go even further to say that because there is no "acceptable" (acceptable in their eyes) proof of God's existence therefore God does not exist. And one cannot deny that an atheist believes this with strong conviction. What makes this a religious belief is their faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality, one in which God does not exist.

Atheism by definition is a disbelief in the existence of deity or the doctrine that there is no deity. This does not negate atheism from being a religion just because they do not believe in God(s) as defined by other religions. The lack of belief in God does not equal the lack of religion, religious beliefs or even faith as they are defined. So my question would be....Why do Atheistic people say that Atheism is not a Religion?

Answer 3

It is all very well explained in Buddhism :)

Answer 4

I knew a person back in high school that had their own personal god. He made a statue of clay and he would literally worship that God. This man did not have a church, or set worship activities, but it did not stop him from having a religion.

A erroneous point that is taught today is that there can be neutrality in science, if we just get God our of the equation. My question is what is neutral about that? In the Christian worldview there are two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. This worldview has two masters God and the devil. If an individual is not following one then they are following the other. The logic being they are either seeking and worshiping the true God or they are unwittingly seeking and worshiping a false god.

Answer 5

Atheist check out your church

Posts: 6347
^ Mon Oct 24, 2005 11:40 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For all the Atheists out there, become a Reverend of the International church of Atheism

http://www.internationalchurchofatheism.com/page/page/1692846.htm

Answer 6

Atheism is superior to religion. Calling it a religion is an insult to us!

Answer 7

Atheism is the religion whose belief about God is that there is no God.

Some Atheists, for their own political reasons, assert that Atheism is not a religion but instead is the total absence of religion. This allows them to spread their Atheistic beliefs freely in societies which insist on "separation of church and state."

But this is like saying that "black," (which physicists define as the total absence of color) is not a color. The car I drive is a big, old Chevrolet, whose color is black. In common practice throughout the world, "black" is understood to be a color, despite the technical definition of the physicists. Likewise, "Atheism" is a religion, despite any technical definitions to the contrary.

If black is a color, then Atheism is a religion.

If Atheism is a religion, then it must be subject to the same legal restrictions imposed by governments on all other religions. In particular, in the United States, the teaching of Atheism must be prohibited wherever the teaching of Christianity is prohibited.

But where is Atheism being taught? Atheism is being taught, by default, in all places where other religions cannot be taught, particularly in the public schools.

When the State mandates that the Theory of Evolution be taught as fact, that is establishing the religion of Atheism, because the Theory of Evolution asserts that all life forms are created not by God, but by pre-existing natural processes. This is pure Atheism! If we are not created by God, then there might as well be no God, for all the difference He makes.

Answer 8

If Atheism is not a religion, and it requires no Spiritually, why are Atheists in the Religion and Spirituality section?

Not that I mind them...

Peace!

Answer 9

No. It isn't.

Answer 10

is being human a religion? Is supporting that human life as best as possible religious?
I don't think you can classify a behavior innate to it's species. religious.
The behavior has to be counter productive to it's species to be called religious, I would think.
Like, don't have sex, don't eat meat on Friday, don't enjoy life, don't be prideful, etc.

Answer 11

First of all...Atheists do not believe in 'Nothing'.

Secondly, not all religions are group practices. I'm sure you've heard of Wicca. Their are many many many Solitary Witches. A Solitary Witch is a Witch (Wiccan) who practices Wicca...you guess it...ALONE!

Third, Atheists DO share a common conviction, we believe that no God(s) exist. We do not have rituals because we are not part of a cult...so no, we are not part of a religion but we damn sure have plenty beliefs to talk about!