Should government treat atheism as a religion?

Question

This is based on responses here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhObiC4AoOdhbLZpeq_kcWLd7BR.;_ylv=3?qid=20071115071343AAMUSDK

There's about a 50/50 split among responses as to whether or not atheism is an active belief in the non-existence of God or whether it is a passive disbelief. In the case of the former, it's self-evident that atheism is, in fact, a belief system akin to religion. So would it therefore be reasonable for the US government to treat cases brought before courts under the guise of the constitutionally non-existent "separation of church and state" as a conflict between religions rather than a conflict between religion in society and government's supposed role to eliminate it? Wouldn't this level the playing field between these two conflicting religions? If not (and you are an atheist), could you please explain why you believe that non-atheists should be treated as inequal members of society? I thought atheists valued equality above all else.

I see lots of "no" answers, but no substantive reasons. It is certainly in the self-serving interests of atheist to have a special place in society. Of course, the vast majority of atheists claim to want social equity. So why should the atheist belief system be considered superior to theism? Why the hypocrisy?

Bookish: Per my link, about half of the atheists questioned here responded that it is indeed an active belief in the non-existence of God rather than a passive disbelief. To "believe" that something has a particular state is a "belief system". And given that atheism has its own ethic (secular humanism) akin to the Christian ethic, then it follows that modern atheism is indeed akin to religion.

Moiraes Fate: The mainstream modern atheist believes that there is no God because they believe in materialism (aka physicalism) which is the philosophy that all that exists does so in the physically observable realm. Obviously to be uncertain of the existence or non-existence of God (which is agnosticism) does not require an active belief. But to have certainty in your atheism, you must have a belief system that contradicts religion to come to that conclusion.

simon T: My premise was already formulated based on the fact that I know that atheism is, in fact, an adoption of materialism (which became a mainstream philosophy around 100 years ago). To believe that there is no God despite the lack of evidence to support that claim requires a philosophical foundation of some sort. That philosophical foundation is materialism and is akin to religion. I simply performed the poll as evidence that atheists agree with my premise.

Angel: Look into socialism and secular humanism. Both fit your description of religion and are practiced by atheists.

Answer 1

I'm all for believing what you want,....but I don't see how atheism should be considered a religion when their whole belief system is on the principal there is no God....doesn't religion by definition require a belief in a higher being or power?

Answer 2

Atheism is not a belief system in any sense of the word, nor does it resemble any definition or religion or cult.

I disagree with your analysis or the intent to separate church and state. The Government is there for all citizens of a country, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, Atheists, etc and its laws should favor or discriminate against none.

A "what if" to illustrate this: Suppose that Muslims become a majority in the US, would you want that religion's morals and customs to become laws?

Edit: "The mainstream modern atheist believes that there is no God because they believe in materialism (aka physicalism) ...", nope, sorry I simply do not belief in any god as being existent, nor can you "lump" atheists in to a group by any commonality but that.

There is no hypocrisy, as the separation of church and state is to ensure that all are treated equal. Changing the definition of "religion" to include atheism would not change anything other than making that definition screwy.

No matter how hard you try, you can not force a square peg (atheism) into a round hole (religion).

Answer 3

No, dear. Atheism in the first place is not a religion. Religion is a social and spiritual institution. It has something to do with communal faith.You follow certain practices and beliefs because of your faith in God or any form of gods. If you're an Atheist you don't believe in God or in any supernatural form. Nevertheless whether a person is an Atheist or not, he or she should be treated fairly and equally as a human being and as an indispensable member of the society.

Answer 4

a= no; none
theism= religion
When you put them together what do you get?
NO RELIGION!

Ergo, you cannot classify something as a religion when the name means no religion.

Ican tell you right now, the only time I am 'active' as an atheist is when I am on Y!A:R&S
Otherwise I just play World of Warcraft.

And I have no problem with theists? They are people and therefore should be treated equally. I really don't see any answers that allude to the inequal treatment of a theist. If you mean their answers make theists seem unequal just because they completely disagree with a theist point of view, then that's a whole 'nother story.

Answer 5

In my opinion.....atheism is a word that defines a person's belief that the is no higher power, that life evolved, was not created. Simple as that. If a person's belief system is not faith based, it can not be identified as a religion. I do not believe in God, or a higher power..but I do believe in free thinking, including a person to have faith in their God or a higher power. Government needs to have separation of church and state, as it needs to represent all the people fairly, and that is impossible to do with out this separation. We have spent so much time twisting and turning our constitution, keep it simple, obviously culture has changed since the constitution was formed, but with common sense and keeping simple logic it is still a good system to form our laws and rights by. Simple.....separation of church and state. Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Atheist, or whatever..all are people, amd all people are to be treated equal.

Answer 6

No. This country was not built on atheism. I t was built on the belief that in God we should trust. AKA George Washington. Even with the belief that our founding fathers where part of a secret society known as skull and bones. This nations constitution and rights were built around the belief that there is a God and that we are his children and that we should stand on the laws that were passed down by God. In the initial rights of this Country. I hope this answers your question.

Answer 7

Since atheism is anti-religion, it would just be silly to treat it as a religion. However, last I checked, this is a democracy - rule by the people - in my naive understanding, that would mean that the majority of like minded individuals should have the final say. Doesn't appear like that is happening, though. Over and over again, the court system rules in favor of law suits that diminish the rights of the majority, in this case those who proclaim to believe in some type of supreme being, and rule in favor of the 5% minority that have no belief system.

Answer 8

Atheism is just a lack of belief in a god. It is NOT a belief system.

To be a belief system requires alot more than just one thing. You must have structured practices, rituals, etc. Atheism is not a religion because it does not have dogma and rituals.

Edit: So what? Everyone believes in materialism, that is NOT dogma and ritual.

Answer 9

Your entire argument is based on the premise that atheism is a religion based on your opinion of the survey results of a few people.

Since this premise is wrong then your entire argument falls apart.

A republican is not a different form of monarchist.

Chosing what sort of drugs to take to get high is very different from deciding not to take drugs at all.

Answer 10

No, because it's not a religion. You're wrong when you say it's self-evident that it is a "belief system." It is not. It is very simply a lack of a belief in a god. That's it. And our Constitution gives us the right to choose not to believe.