The fact you do not believe in a higher being is not a reason, because you still have the belief there is NO God...so it's still a belief system.
Also, most(if not all) Atheists believe in Evolution, so that could also be a belief system for the religion...
It's considered a reigion by the US Supreme Court...why not just come up with a unified statement like "Atheists believe in Evolution and that there is no God and that Christians are stupid."?
Then you can all stand together with one voice...I think it would be a great rally call for Atheists, that way they can talk to people who have the same beliefs, or non-beliefs, and don't have to worry about us fundies always getting on to them about how they're going to burn in Hell and we wont be able to force our belief on you...hmmmmm....
2007-10-02 08:36:27 · 26 answers · asked by Love Yahoo!!! is a prince 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Oh...and this is about your opinion by the way...why or why don't you consider it a religion?
2007-10-02 08:40:02 · update #1
revered...whatever...but bald is a hair STYLE....
2007-10-02 08:41:45 · update #2
shawn...maybe you should RE READ my question...it says that I think the should unite together, not that I believe they do...because I know they don't.
2007-10-02 08:46:34 · update #3
Evan, Evolution has never been proven either...so what's your point?
2007-10-02 08:48:09 · update #4
Elizabeth...actually I am in that church....but it's more commonly known as Christianity...
2007-10-02 08:49:25 · update #5
link....then why are they on here telling believers they're idiots and the such and that there is no God, that it's just a fairytale and that they don't seek each other, etc. etc. etc. if they're on here doing the exact opposite of what you claim they do not do??
2007-10-02 08:54:02 · update #6
By definition atheism is not a religion.
Definitions of religion on the Web:
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"
an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"
Definitions of atheist on the Web:
related to or characterized by or given to atheism; "atheist leanings"
someone who denies the existence of god
2007-10-02 08:43:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If atheism is religion, "albino" is a suntan.
- "Atheism is a religion", for some strange reason, is often used by theists to criticise non-believers. A couple of examples from my email and guestbook:
"Do you have a belief that atheism is true? If no, then you're lying, if yes, then you are acting on faith. If you don't believe in God, you must believe in something or someone else. An atheist doesn't simply lack positive belief in God. The atheist has positive belief in the non-existence of God."
"The Religion of Atheism is for the totally unrational person, which is why Atheists account for less that 10% of the population. There are Ulterior Motives to Atheism, namely : Admitting the obvious of an INtelligent Creator introduces accountability and someone who is bigger and more important than oneself ...and, it impedes on the present less than desirable and/or immoral (incl. sexually, in most cases) lifestyle that the Atheist has chosen for himself. Both of these can be summarized by Pride."
It seems odd for a follower of a faith to try to attack atheism by saying it is also a faith. I think the reasoning is that if atheism is a faith or religion, then atheists have no cause to criticise other faiths or religions. One flaw in this argument is that if atheism were indeed a religion, then theists would have no reason to criticise atheism being taught in schools as part of religious education, or even the setting up of atheist-run schools alongside Baptist, Catholic and Muslim schools.
Somehow, I think voices may be raised in protest should that happen. =)
Alternatively, the idea is that atheists are hypocrites for attacking the faithful when atheism itself is a result of faith.
However, the big problem is this :
ATHEISM IS NOT A RELIGION OR A FAITH!
Atheism, by definition, is the absence of theism. If you cannot say "I believe in a Deity/God/Supreme Being" then you are an atheist. If you are not a theist, then you are an atheist.
As mentioned in the Introduction page, there is a subtle but important difference between "believing there is no God", and "not believing there is a God". The first is a belief, the second is a lack of that belief. I don't know any atheists who "believe" God (take your pick, there are plenty) does not exist. All the atheists I know simply do not believe God does exist.
There is a big difference between positively believing that a thing does not exist, and simply lacking belief in it's existence. In many cases, atheists will say "That God does not exist", not because they choose to do so, but because, from the description of the God, it cannot exist due to contradictory attributes. In the same way that a square circle cannot (and therefore does not) exist, a God defined as (for example) all-knowing, yet cannot see into the future, cannot and does not exist because the definition is self-contradictory. If you describe your God with self-contradicting attributes which make it logically impossible, then I may safely say that such a thing does not exist as described. This is not faith - this is reason
2007-10-02 15:43:14 · answer #2 · answered by Gerry 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
This is silly. There is a big difference between holding a positive belief in something versus not believing something. Are you a member of the Don't believe in Zeus religion? A person's beliefs are defined by what they do believe. Atheism only defines what I don't believe, humanism for me defines best the principles that I do hold. I would hesitate to call humanism a religion although I would agree this is a more debatable position. Religion has traditionally been defined in terms of deity worship. Also, atheists are a very diverse group. Some are Buddhists, some don't believe in evolution and have little interest in science, some are humanists, etc...
2007-10-02 15:46:23 · answer #3 · answered by Zen Pirate 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
To qualify as a religion there must be some sort of deity worship and a set doctrine and atheism has neither. Even Buddhism isn't really a religion - it's a philosophy whose practitioners are given the same protection under the Constitution as the religious. Atheism is given the same protection even though it is not a religion because Freedom of Religion also guarantees freedom ~from~ religion.
Atheists are individuals and prefer to remain that way - most of us have no wish to congregate. We all have slightly different takes on what is in front of us with the only agreement being that deities do not exist.
2007-10-02 15:42:53 · answer #4 · answered by genaddt 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The only thing atheists have in common is that we don't believe in God. We have no scriptures, no rituals, no churches or temples and a lot of atheists have never even thought about wider questions. Evolution is pretty much the default position if you don't believe in a creator God but a lot of atheists are really not that interested and wouldn't have a clue about evolutionary theory. There is really no point in trying to suggest atheism is a religion when it isn't.
2007-10-02 15:43:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
The absence of believe in god is not a belief. Atheism is not a religion. I don't believe all Christians are stupid any more than I believe all atheists are smart. That sort of generalization is pointless and divisive. That evolution is a scientific theory that has yet to be disproved is a fact. Whether you call my acknowledgement of that fact, "belief", is up to you. There is nothing intangible that makes me recognize that evolution is a really well substantiated theory. In fact, it is the most well substantiated theory in all of science.
2007-10-02 15:44:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Atheists believe in evolution because there is evidence.
There is no blind leap of faith to be an atheist.
Atheism isn't necessarily a firm belief that there is no god it can also be just the absence of the belief in a god or gods.
Look it up.
2007-10-02 15:41:43 · answer #7 · answered by Clint 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Atheists don't need a "rally cry," nor do we necessarily need to "talk to people who have the same beliefs," because most atheists don't care what other people believe. It's none of our business what other people believe, in any case. Only religionists make it a point to find out what others believe, so that can argue, preach, and try to get others to believe as they do. What a waste of life. I have better things to do.
*EDIT* I've NEVER told a religionist his beliefs were "stupid." I admit, however, the idea of religionists trying to get their biblical fairy tales made into laws or taught in public schools as scientific fact, gets me a little hot under the collar. So, yes, they get a fight under those circumstances, since I pay taxes to support the schools and their churches don't.
2007-10-02 15:51:23 · answer #8 · answered by link955 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Religion is the belief in a God Buddha whatever it may be. Atheist don't worship any type of a God, they don't congregate to worship, they don't go by a book each religion has their own books they abide by what they believe. Not all atheists believe Christians are unintelligent.
2007-10-02 15:43:40 · answer #9 · answered by denl 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Religions and belief systems are not the same thing. Beyond the belief that there is no god, Atheists all believe in different things. There is no organized means of doing this, no buildings to go to or sermons to teach.
Atheists don't want to become the very thing they despise.
2007-10-02 15:41:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 1⤋