Seriously guys. think. Theism is not a religion, but it encompasses all religions with a deity. Atheism is the opposite of theism, so it's a super category [like theism is]. There are possible religions within atheism [Zen Buddhism, LaVeyan Satanism, etc.]..
Does it rally take that much thought to realize your comparing an essence to a thing?
2007-06-06 05:13:27 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Really* Sorry, typo.
2007-06-06 05:13:45 · update #1
American Beauty: The message I got a little bit ago.
2007-06-06 05:20:25 · update #2
My Phone Book has a "Atheist" section under Churches. There are Atheist Churches who gather atheists and use the tax break of USA IRS code section 501(c)(3) ... thus, making it a religion in the eyes of the government.
2007-06-06 05:27:55 · answer #1 · answered by Giggly Giraffe 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
From an online dictionary:
"1.
a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion."
Atheism meets the qualifications of definition 4 and probably 3.
There are other similarities. It takes faith to be an atheist. You can't prove there is no god, you have to just believe it based on faith. Based on the rabid questions and answers here on YA, I would say atheists are just as zealous as their theist counterparts.
Theism is a belief in God or gods, which meets definition 1.a.
So I think your nuance is too subtle and doesn't stand up to examination. It's also irrelevant. Whether it's a relgion or not doesn't really matter.
2007-06-06 12:25:56 · answer #2 · answered by Craig R 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Classic error.
It's similar to the error made by Cartesian dualists. They lump physical machinery and that machinery's processes (e.g. consciousness) into the same category and therefore conclude that consciousness must be a thing, a "ghost in the machine."
They do this a lot. It's the same thing when they think that a religion and a lack of a religion must be the same category of thing, or that blond and bald are both hair colors.
2007-06-06 12:17:32 · answer #3 · answered by Minh 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christians live in a though process of rules. Religions are just a set of rules. They tell you how to act, what to think, what to wear ect.. From within this box Christians can't help but think all persons must live within a set of rules or religion.
2007-06-06 12:26:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Now they are saying that they don't believe it's a religion, when the question is asked every day "what's the difference between the religions of atheism, agnostics and theists?"
2007-06-06 12:21:16 · answer #5 · answered by AuroraDawn 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Atheism is a worldview, not a religion. Just as theism is a worldview, not a religion.
2007-06-10 08:06:51 · answer #6 · answered by Richard B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes you know when people refer to it as a religion if they write atheism with a capital 'A'. But I've rarely seen it spelt like that.
2007-06-06 12:20:18 · answer #7 · answered by R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They think that by referring to atheism as a religion it means that all atheists are being hypocritical about what they believe.
2007-06-06 12:17:52 · answer #8 · answered by rosbif 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheism has taken on aspects of a religion. Many atheists are just Atheists but a large number are practicing "Atheism"
2007-06-06 12:21:29 · answer #9 · answered by Quantrill 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Perhaps because you have so much faith in the unprovable, [evolution, nonexistence of a God] and you take such a dogmatic stance on such matters.
If it walks like a duck...
And as long as you call Christianity a 'religion', [rather than Catholicism, Methodists, Baptists, etc.] you have no cause to complain.
2007-06-06 12:24:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋