do you see athiest organizing to such a level where it almost seems as a religion itself?

Question

please dont start trying convince me of anything, i dont claim either side.

so the NAACP should join in the war against ingnorance in the R&S catergory of Y!A?

Answer 1

Yes, actually. Religion is not the belief in God--Buddhism & some eastern religions don't have gods--religion is one's position ON God. Atheism has gone from "I simply choose not to believe, and if I'm wrong oh well" to "Even if God exists I won't follow Him!"

I actually used to believe that there was a time when atheism was a non-religion, but after taking a history course covering the Enlightenment and what all those people wrote, i am beginning to question whether or not atheism has always been a religion. It has changed over time, of course, but there seems to have always been this subtle antagonism to God, not a passive "He doesn't exist" but rather a "I hate Him!" kind of attitude. If He doesn't exist, how can many people hate Him and think Him fundamentally bad?

That being said, atheism now has its own creation myth (evolution), its own endtimes myth (whether it's the Big Crunch or the Big Rip), its own prophets (Darwin, etc.), its own morals (survival, biological continuity), its own "creative agent/deity" (random chance), it actively seeks to convert, and it has a natural tendency to be antagonistic to other religions (they are competition for souls, after all). This was enough to convince even my agnostic friend that atheism is a religion, and it wasn't that hard to do so.

Answer 2

No,and there have been attempts to organize,such as the American Atheist Society and the bertrand Russell Society. None ever really took off. Secularism and agnosticism will probably increase but hard-core atheism is an inverted value system based on not-believing,rather than held beliefs. That more or less forestalls any effort to ogganize. besides,atheists already have tv,sports and rock as a substitute for religion. They do have a worshipful attitude toward pop stars.

Answer 3

Organization to a great degree does not imply religion. In fact, I'd tend to think atheists gathering together would imply an ideology, one of anti-religiousness.

To recap, atheism is not a religion. It is a refuation of religion. Atheists, though technically meaning not theists, tend actually not to believe in any spirituality, including things like Wicca and other animist spiritual beliefs.

The only way you can say it's religion is that it's a religion of non-religion, which sounds dopey.

Answer 4

to the guy who said is AA and boyscouts a religion.

actually yes it is. aa is a religious based 12 step program in which you are required to give yourself to a "higher power" as part of it which is NOT necessary for treatment (AA has the same success rate as just trying to quit on your own).

and boyscouts are a religious organization that is based in christian morality. they discriminate against gays and won't allow anyone who doesn't believe in god in.

political parties also orgainze around ideas, so does nambla. by your implication you are giving approval for nambla to become a religion. Lots of priests will have conflicts of intrest that day!

people have organized around ideas since the dawn of societies in different groups and organizations that promote those ideas. Are lobbyist groups religions? how about the NAACP? or maybe communism?

organization is the way to win the war against ignorance.

Answer 5

No. There are a few atheist organizations such as American Atheists, but they are small. Most people hang out with other people because of a shared belief or feeling or hobby, not the shared lack of a belief.

Answer 6

No, I really don't. I know a lot of atheists–some on here and some in real life. They are not an organized group. Even if they were, it wouldn't bother me. This is the USA where we have the freedom to believe or not believe whatever we want.

Answer 7

While some subset of atheists might do that, they could never represent all atheists. We're too diverse, and we have no set of beliefs to bind us to together.


Example: I am an atheist. Yet, you could probably take anything I believe and find an atheist somewhere who thinks I'm wrong.

Answer 8

Just because people make an organization, doesn't mean it's a religion. Is Alcoholics Anonymous or the Boy Scouts a religion?

Answer 9

No. Atheist and religion are a contradiction in terms.

Love your avatar - Bruce Vilanch cracks me up.

Answer 10

No more than people who prefer coke over pepsi are organized into a religion. Coke is it (the most refreshing taste around)