ok so today i was talking about religion with a few other people. we were discussing the religions that we had and i said i will not label my beliefs untill i am 18 so therefore i will have no religion. but they said i was athiest. im sure that is wrong because athiesm is a religion where you do not belive in a higher bieng or gods right? why do i have to put a name on my beliefs? im just wondering, if you have a souce please give me the link it would be greatly apprieceated! thanks!
2007-08-22 09:00:25 · 16 answers · asked by xo_electriclime_kiwis_xo 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You are agnostic, fence sitter.
Atheism is not a religion. We do not believe in god because there is no scientific proof of his existence.
2007-08-22 09:05:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
You can have beliefs and not a religion. For example, I could worship the great Sneaker goddess who talks to me through my toaster. That's a belief. However, I'm not aware of any religion that falls under.
Your friend is wrong about you being an atheist. Atheists believe that there is no god or they at least hold no belief that any deity exists. Unless that describes you, you are not an atheist.
Someone else suggested you were an agnostic, but that depends on your beliefs. Agnostics believe that we cannot know whether there is deity or who isn't sure whether or not there is deity. If you believe in some power, even if you don't have a name for it, you're beyond agnosticism.
I'm glad you're taking it slowly. Labels make communication easier, but sometimes people try and force themselves into certain labels. You're approaching it the right way.
2007-08-22 16:13:06 · answer #2 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Atheism is not a religion, it is an absence of religion.
If you believe in some form of higher power, then you do have a religion.
Why wait until you are 18? Why 'label' them after that if you do not want to 'label' it now?
You believe what you believe, you need to decide what the closest label is to that belief so that when you do chose to talk about it others can gain the best understanding.
Just because you decide that you are a XXXXXX today does not mean that you need to be a XXXXXX for the rest of your life. You are allowed to change your mind.
2007-08-22 16:12:39 · answer #3 · answered by Simon T 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you don't believe in gods, you are, by definition, an atheist. It's not a religion, just a position on a particular belief.
If you're not sure what you believe, you're also agnostic, which simply means "lacking knowledge".
The link below is a very good resource for more information.
2007-08-22 16:11:53 · answer #4 · answered by marbledog 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're close. atheism is not a religion, it is a lack of religion. I would categorize you as none of the above, undecided. If you were an atheist, you would fully believe that there are no supernatural forces, period.
2007-08-22 16:20:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheism isn't a religion it's a philosophy that deities do not exist. As there is no set doctrine it is not a religion - no two atheists will be exactly alike in their non-belief.
2007-08-22 16:07:18 · answer #6 · answered by genaddt 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
First of all it's a-t-h-e-i-s-m. Secondly you don't have to put any label on your beliefs. And you don't have to declare any religion. This does not make you atheist. Atheists don't believe in a god or in gods. I'm an atheist.
2007-08-22 16:07:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
You're agnostic. You're not sure about the existence/nature of deities.
Atheism is the lack of belief in deities.
2007-08-22 16:06:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Atheism is not a religion. It is the disbelief of gods. If you believe in any god, you aren't an atheist.
2007-08-22 16:08:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
It is a wise man who knows he knows nothing. It is a lame fence-sitter who doesn't realize the importance of living your life according to your best cosmological guess.
2007-08-22 16:11:17 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You don't have to label your beliefs. By refusing to, you're making an important statement against stereotyping.
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2007-08-22 16:07:40 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋