2007-08-07 21:05:42 · 16 answers · asked by Nicole 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
can we conclude that cults go hand-in-hand with religion, then atheism is in fact a religion by this?
2007-08-07 21:06:52 · update #1
er, i thought satanists don't believe in satan? :o/
2007-08-07 21:14:39 · update #2
No, technically, logically and dictionarily atheism is the lack of religion. Why is this so difficult to understand? The only thing that atheists have in common is that they DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD! Realistically, there shouldn't even be a classification for atheism... it would be akin to have a group called anti-santa-ists. It just shows our need to classify people, no longer by what they believe in but now by what they don't.
Also, technically, to be a satanist you would have to believe satan exists which is what christians do. So by definition, christians are much closer to being satanists than atheists as atheists don't believe in a satan or a god.
2007-08-07 21:08:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I'm not sure that Buddhism is a cult, but i'd put it in the religion category - a belief in a spirit independent of the human body, reincarnation - sounds like a religion to me.
And to reiterate, atheism is not a religion or cult. It is however a belief - the belief in the nonexistence of a god
2007-08-09 01:32:49 · answer #2 · answered by Jane w 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Satanism is not atheism. Buddhism is atheist, as there is no belief system in buddhism. In Satanism ultimately there is still the belief in a entity, which opposes God.
Buddhism is neither a cult or a religion. It's a psychological practise, which some people (mostly from the Tibetan branches) have turned into a religion.
2007-08-08 04:11:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Satanism isn't a cult.
Cult-
1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
To me, this is the exact opposite of Satanism. Christian versions of "Satanism", or more properly, Luciferianism, would fit a few of these definitions, but as Satanism is atheistic, and cults are religious, they are incompatible.
Feel free to e-mail me if you wish for me to further explain, but I've already copied and pasted enough.
2007-08-08 04:14:34 · answer #4 · answered by Satan's Own™ 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Satanism is not atheism, since there is a belief in a god.
Society will usually deem which "gods" are bad or good, but usually those who have faith in thier gods, will probably view them as good or important to them.
I am not sure if being spiritual will constitute as not being athiest, but those who just believe that motto.."eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die", is probably just only spiritual in thier ideals.
But I do know, that in the name of "god" more people died in bloodshed then any type of spontaneous killings. Maybe atheism is not all bad...lol.
2007-08-08 04:23:40 · answer #5 · answered by joda2nite 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
hmmmm ..... put it this way, atheism is not a religion. Therefore there is no cult involved.
To have a cult, you need a charismatic figurehead, someone like Jesus christ (if he even existed at all). In essence all religions started out as cult.
2007-08-08 04:14:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Benjamin Franklin was not a Christian but a deist.
As Franklin wrote in his Autobiography,
Some books against Deism fell into my hands. ... They wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I became a thorough Deist.[1]
2007-08-08 04:36:01 · answer #7 · answered by answer faerie, V.T., A. M. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best description I heard of a cult is any other religion than your own.
Therefor if atheist is indeed not a religion than they also cannot be a cult.
2007-08-08 04:13:13 · answer #8 · answered by Part-time Antagonist 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Wait....
... Are you talking about "devil-worship" or Anton LaVey Satanism?
Unfortunately for you folks that latter term has effectively been claimed and given a definition other than that which you might believe.... I'm sure mr LaVey did it deliberately, to be honest.
In any case... it is difficult to ascertain a precise meaning to your garbled question. There is no context in which "of off of" makes any sense at all... let alone a capital B for "besides" in the middle of a sentence.
And that done...... I query you... what the heck are you on about?
2007-08-08 04:15:22 · answer #9 · answered by Lucid Interloper 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Satanism isn't a cult, and off-hand, the only cult I can think of that isn't god-centered is Scientology.
2007-08-08 04:13:25 · answer #10 · answered by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋