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someperson
Guest
Hi everyone. So I was wondering if atheism is a religion. If not, what is it?
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Lou2U
Guest
How do you mean, science or religious? I’m a little confused by your premise.
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someperson
Guest
Sorry, is it a religion. If its not then what is it?
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Lou2U
Guest
Don’t be sorry!
I don’t think I would call atheism a religion because that implies a worship that atheism doesn’t have. I wouldn’t say it’s a science either.
Just my opinion though.
I don’t think I would call atheism a religion because that implies a worship that atheism doesn’t have. I wouldn’t say it’s a science either.
Just my opinion though.
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someperson
Guest
Thanks for your reply
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MPat
Guest
It is a religion in some ways, it is not a religion in other ways. We could say it is a religion, just a highly deficient one.
“Catholic encyclopedia” defines religion thus: “Religion, broadly speaking, means the voluntary subjection of oneself to God.”.
Naturally, atheists do not believe in God and certainly do not subject themselves to Him voluntarily. But there are many things that can be seen as replacement gods for various atheists: Science, Nature, History, Party…
For example, some time ago there was a “March for Science”. And one atheist almost ended up talking about science in the way in which one would talk about a god: it gives us good things (beer was his example), and we have to give it funding (that is, sacrifices) and praise it in marches…
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Dan_Defender
Guest
The atheists I know speak along those lines too, saying science has all the answers. However they fail as science cannot explain how the universe is held together by dark matter and dark energy. There is not even a scientific explanation for why the earth crust is cracked (plate tectonics) when for example a similar size planet, like Venus, has no plate tectonics.
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QwertyGirl
Guest
Not a religion. More like a fact of life, to atheists, at least.
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WingsOfEagles
Guest
No, it’s translation breaks down to without religion. A religion implies following a certain set of beliefs. Atheists simply don’t believe in any religion or higher power.
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HerCrazierHalf
Guest
No, it’s not a religion. It is more about what it is not.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
The atheists I know reject religion and do not want to be considered part of a religion, unless it’s some satiric joke religion like Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Church of the SubGenius.
They would likely characterize atheism as their world view or simply, as reality.
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Pattylt
Guest
Atheism is a religion as much as bald is a hair color! 
No, it is specifically a rejection or lack of belief in anything supernatural. Nothing more or less than that. Atheist can have other world views that relate to this lack of believe but that can very widely. Atheism doesn’t mandate that one is a Democrat or that one must be a liberal or that one must support abortion, etc. It is just a position on the supernatural.
No, it is specifically a rejection or lack of belief in anything supernatural. Nothing more or less than that. Atheist can have other world views that relate to this lack of believe but that can very widely. Atheism doesn’t mandate that one is a Democrat or that one must be a liberal or that one must support abortion, etc. It is just a position on the supernatural.
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MPat
Guest
Um, if this argument would work, it would also be possible to prove that Christianity is not a religion either, as there are many branches of Christianity with various beliefs.
Are you sure you want that?
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Pattylt
Guest
I’m not sure I understand your question? Many times religious believers attach all sorts of additional qualifiers to atheism such as that they are ALSO xyz. Atheism is just the position regarding God or gods.
What else do you think I am claiming?
What else do you think I am claiming?
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kainosktisis
Guest
I consider it a religion - one where man seats himself as God…
Certainly for some it is a philosophical & intellectual area that puts itself above religious beliefs. For others it is a part of Satanism. There is theistic Satanism, where one worships Satan as god, & then there is atheistic Satanism, where Satan is more symbol, & man basically lives as if he is God.
You can read more about it on the Church of Satan Website…
Other articles:
Certainly for some it is a philosophical & intellectual area that puts itself above religious beliefs. For others it is a part of Satanism. There is theistic Satanism, where one worships Satan as god, & then there is atheistic Satanism, where Satan is more symbol, & man basically lives as if he is God.
You can read more about it on the Church of Satan Website…
Other articles:
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MPat
Guest
Look again at what you wrote:
The argument here seems to be:
- Atheism is compatible with various views. (premise)
- If something is compatible with various views, it is not a religion. (implied premise)
- Atheism is not a religion. (from 1, 2)
And I am pointing out that Christianity is, um, usually understood to be a religion. Do you want to disagree?
For if you do agree that Christianity is a religion, then what we really have here is a “reductio ad absurdum” against your implied premise “If something is compatible with various views, it is not a religion.”.
And then your original argument falls apart.
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Pattylt
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I guess I really didn’t state things very well. My bad. Your number 2 isn’t what I thought I was saying. 
What I’m trying to say is that atheism is a position on God or gods belief. Full stop. Any other position on any other topic varies from person to person. There are no further dogmas or doctrines involved.
I’m horrid at philosophy, though I try and I’m learning. Thank you for pointing out confusion.
What I’m trying to say is that atheism is a position on God or gods belief. Full stop. Any other position on any other topic varies from person to person. There are no further dogmas or doctrines involved.
I’m horrid at philosophy, though I try and I’m learning. Thank you for pointing out confusion.
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Aquinas11
Guest
Deity = Government
(men either worship God or Government, in their “worship slot”)
Clergy = Darwin, Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Obama, Clinton’s, radical left ideologues, etc
Doctrine = Evolution, Climate Change, Social Justice, White Privilege, Abortion, Diversity, Rape Culture, etc
Heretic Calls = “Shame! Shame! Shame!” , “Climate Denier!”, “Science Denier!”, “Racist, Sexist, Xenophobe”! to any doctrine deniers
(men either worship God or Government, in their “worship slot”)
Clergy = Darwin, Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Obama, Clinton’s, radical left ideologues, etc
Doctrine = Evolution, Climate Change, Social Justice, White Privilege, Abortion, Diversity, Rape Culture, etc
Heretic Calls = “Shame! Shame! Shame!” , “Climate Denier!”, “Science Denier!”, “Racist, Sexist, Xenophobe”! to any doctrine deniers
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HerCrazierHalf
Guest
How so? Why the assumption that a god is a requirement?
This is by far the silliest trope ever. Why not an empty “worship slot”? Worship is not a need.
- just no to the above. Among other problems your lumping “New Atheist” with less vocal other varieties of atheists.
- a large percentage of Catholics must also be atheists based on the left leaning = Atheist implication you are making.
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MPat
Guest
But, you see, now (without implicit premise “If something is compatible with various views, it is not a religion.”) you can’t reach the conclusion that Atheism is not a religion.I guess I really didn’t state things very well. My bad. Your number 2 isn’t what I thought I was saying.
What I’m trying to say is that atheism is a position on God or gods belief. Full stop. Any other position on any other topic varies from person to person. There are no further dogmas or doctrines involved.
I’m horrid at philosophy, though I try and I’m learning. Thank you for pointing out confusion.
Atheism is compatible with many views? Then, perhaps, it is a religion with many branches? After all, Christianity has many branches too.
Atheism does not have many dogmas, other than the denial of supernatural? So, perhaps, it is a religion with just one dogma? After all, no one claims Atheism is a very interesting or good religion.
Not to mention that you might be overstating things a little.
Some atheistic doctrines are directly connected with the one you mentioned. For example, atheists believe that miracles are impossible. That is only natural given that they believe in nothing supernatural, and miracles are supposed to be supernatural.
Then there are doctrines that are a bit more distant. For example, suspiciously many atheists believe that science is not compatible with (“other”) religion. Atheism also has some mythology to support this doctrine, for example, the legend about Galileo.
There is also a doctrine that people of different religions do not believe that gods of other religions exist.
And there are still more distant doctrines: for example, suspiciously many atheists believe that mass hallucinations are possible (this doctrine guards against having to accept miracles witnessed by many people).
Yes, not every single atheist believes in every single of those doctrines. But then (unfortunately), not every single Catholic believes in every single Catholic doctrine…
Can you actually prove it?
And maybe some of Catholics in one sense really are atheists in some other sense. Is that somehow impossible?
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