"Atheism is a religion"?

Question

I understand that this is a false statement, but what is the support of this claim?

Answer 1

They say it is a false statement. The fact is, atheism in general is a belief system and the way they group up here and defend each other proves that it is a religion.

re·li·gion(r-ljn)
n.
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.
Idiom:

Atheism falls into the fourth definition of religion.

**oldschool- any activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion is to be defined as a religion. I think searching for a cure for cancer is a job and does not comprise the definition of idealogy or philosophy and yet under this definition, it would be religion if it was your life work and constant concern.

You can't pick and choose definitions. They are set in stone.

** Captain atheism is misinformed on the definition of atheism.

a·the·ist(th-st)
n.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.

Captain atheism has misreported atheism to mean what agnostic is to be defined as.

ag·nos·tic(g-nstk)
n.
1.
a. One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
b. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.
2. One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.

Answer 2

Well in a way it is. A religion is merely your outlook on the supernatural, not necessarily a God. God is supernatural, yes, but God is not the only supernatural entity. A common conciseness that we are all apart of could be considered a supernatural force (again, not God). This is common among Hindus. They may be quite Atheistic and yet very religious. Buddha was another example of a rather Atheistic religious leader. Do you know he strongly condemned religious writing, or what may be called Holy books?

All these views differ on the supernatural. Some think it is a conscience. Others think it to be merely some form of energy or karma. Others think it to be knowledge or awakening. Still many believe it is an all-powerful God in heaven.

Religion does not require Gods, prayer, holy books, preachers, or anything like that. It could merely be your own mind is your own religion.

Answer 3

There is none, except ignorance.

Anthropologically, two things must be present for a belief system to be a religion.

1.) The belief system must present a moral system that, on the whole, is accepted by followers.

2.) The belief system must have a myth, that is, a story interrelating man, nature, and the universe/divine (myth does not in the anthropological context mean 'false', a myth could be true). Usually the myth explains the source of the moral system.

Atheism has neither 1 nor 2.

Therefore, atheism is not a religion.

Answer 4

Most support the claim under the assumption that all Atheists share a similar belief system. Since the religious have always described any group of people that share beliefs a religion they apply this misnomer. The flaw is that Atheism itself is merely the lack of belief in a deity and does not imply any other belief. So by setting up a straw man and then applying flawed logic to it they come up with this gem.

Answer 5

Religion: a cause, set of principles, or a belief that is held to with ardor and faith.

Atheism: Religion
Agnosticism: Religion
Christianity: Religion
Humanism: Religion

As you can see Webster's Dictionary clearly supports the fact that atheism is a religion. Also by stating that you think the statement is false, you are showing that you hold to it with your own faith. Every human on the planet could be categorized as religious because they all have a belief that they put their faith in. Atheists and agnostics are no exception

Answer 6

religion, at its basic foundation, is nothing more than certain held beliefs. (Intersting how some want to use Webster as a source here) To say, "I don't believe in a god is the same as saying I have the belief there is no god." It is still a belief system that goes beyond just the belief in no higher power or intelligent design and thus it is a religion of sorts.

People who don't go to church can still be religious in what they do each day, how they think, how they treat other people,(you know, angry at people who question their belief in no god and call them names, that is a very religious act) how they deal with life issues and so forth. If you are a human with any kind of reasoning skills then you cannot escape being "religious" in some form. It is extremely vital to remember that spirituality and religion are not the same thing. You can be extremely religious and not subscribe to any spiritual ideas or influences.

Answer 7

They think that atheism is a belief that there are no gods.

They don't understand that atheism is simply a lack of belief that there ARE gods.

In essence, they think we are just as stupid as they are. They think that we WANT to believe there is no god, and will deny it even if proven wrong.

They just don't understand how anyone can live their lives without a belief in something. They are so used to basing their existence on their beliefs, they can't imagine anything else.

By their definition of atheism, though, they are basically saying that anyone who does not believe in leprechauns is religious, because they are clinging to the belief in leprechaun's nonexistence.

There's a lot of stupid people in this world. Make no mistake.

Answer 8

They have a belief system. They have books. They have leaders who preach their ways publically. They attempt to convert the masses to their way of thinking, even if people don't want to go along with their ways and ideas. They believe they are the only ones who know the truth and the way.

Now doesn't that sound just like Islam or Christianity.

There are THREE primary religions that attempt to convert. Atheism, Christianity and Islam

The REST of the world's religions can give a hoot about converting someone to their way of thinking.

Only ATHEISM, CHRISTIANITY and ISLAM are EVANGELICAL systems of belief.

TAKE NOTICE

There are NO BUDDHISTS HERE preaching their ways.

There are no HINDUs here preaching their ways

There are no Native Americans preaching their ways

THEY ARE ALL HERE, but they aren't preaching.

Who does ALL the preaching here! Statistically 99.5% is done by:

Atheists
Christians
Islamics

Answer 9

religion is defined as "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."

atheism does not give a particular moral code. in fact atheists differ on the abortion issue, for example. atheism does not believe a prescribed set of beliefs concerning the origin of the universe. there are different theories among atheists as to the origin of the universe, earth, and life.

Answer 10

I think we could say some atheists make of atheism they're religion. Consider point 3 and 4 of the dictionary "religion" explanation bellow. You can agree that most atheists usually do have leaders and they pursued they're principle with zeal.