Is Atheism a religion?

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This is an offshot of another thread.

Do you think that Atheism is a religion?

Personally, I see atheism as a religion. Religion requires having faith in something that you can not absolutely prove.

At some point atheist have to take a leap of faith in order to be certain that there is not a God.

Also I have met a few Atheist who were every bit as intent on converting people to their viewpoint as the most die hard evangelical.

So what is your opinion, is Atheism a religion?
 
deb1 said:
This is an offshot of another thread.

Do you think that Atheism is a religion?

Personally, I see atheism as a religion. Religion requires having faith in something that you can not absolutely prove.

At some point atheist have to take a leap of faith in order to be certain that there is not a God.

Also I have met a few Atheist who were every bit as intent on converting people to their viewpoint as the most die hard evangelical.

So what is your opinion, is Atheism a religion?
Click to expand...
No
philosophy
n 1: a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school [syn: doctrine, philosophical system, school of thought, ism] 2: the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics 3: any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation; “self-indulgence was his only philosophy”; “my father’s philosophy of child-rearing was to let mother do it”
WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
  1. a system of philosophical doctrine:
  2. a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.
    Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
    Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006
 
dosdog said:
No
philosophy
n 1: a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school [syn: doctrine, philosophical system, school of thought, ism] 2: the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics 3: any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation; “self-indulgence was his only philosophy”; “my father’s philosophy of child-rearing was to let mother do it”
WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
  1. a system of philosophical doctrine:
  2. a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.
    Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
    Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006
Click to expand...
But by these definitions, Atheism is a religion.

Atheists accept on faith that there is absolutely no God. That covers definition one.

Even if I disagree with their viewpoints I have to admit that many try and rationally explain their beliefs. That covers definition two.

Many atheists on this board have expressed that they are moral people with a concept of right and wrong so that means that number five is covered.
 
deb1 said:
But by these definitions, Atheism is a religion.

Atheists accept on faith that there is absolutely no God. That covers definition one.

Even if I disagree with their viewpoints I have to admit that many try and rationally explain their beliefs. That covers definition two.

Many atheists on this board have expressed that they are moral people with a concept of right and wrong so that means that number five is covered.
Click to expand...
No
Religion
  1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
    Random House Unabridged Dictionary
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
The American Heritage® Dictionary
 
deb1 said:
Personally, I see atheism as a religion. Religion requires having faith in something that you can not absolutely prove.
Click to expand...
I think your definition of religion as that which “requires faith in something that cannot be proven” is too narrow. I think we can all agree that religion is more than that.

Religion, as I define it, is a system of rituals and codes of conduct directed as a means of worship towards a supreme being.

By that definition, atheism is clearly not a religion.
 
SteakNPotatoes said:
I think your definition of religion as that which “requires faith in something that cannot be proven” is too narrow. I think we can all agree that religion is more than that.

Religion, as I define it, is a system of rituals and codes of conduct directed as a means of worship towards a supreme being.

By that definition, atheism is clearly not a religion.
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It has been proven - We have Eyewitness testimony - You are free to reject it if you wish

Atheism is not a religion any more than a Political Party is - Any movement has its Fanatics

Paganism is a religion - Satanism is a religion
 
No. Atheism only means what you don’t believe. Now, Secular Humanism could be considered a religion, and in fact many Secular Humanist groups do consider themselves to be religions. For example, the American Ethical Union. They have a section on “religous education,” clearly implying that they consider themselves a religous group.

aeu.org/
 
Theologically speaking Athiesm isn’t a religion. As by virtue of the Grace and Gift of Faith there is One faith and that is the Catholic Church.

However on a Human Level atheism is most certainly a religion as its members do impose on the rest of us their faith on us when they say we can’t show our faith.
 
dosdog said:
  1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
    Random House Unabridged Dictionary
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Atheism certainly fits this description. Especially if superhuman agency is not a pre-requisite. Every atheist I have ever met has been a HIGHLY moral person. In an atheistic sort of way.:whacky:
As a matter of fact my employer is one. But not for long if I can help it. His atheism I mean, not his morality.
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
The American Heritage® Dictionary
Click to expand...
While I agree with the idealism of this definition, I also can see where Satan has used man’s pride and rebellion to turn atheism into yet another mockery of true religion.

Go figure.

Peace,
+Nathan
 
frnate

Every atheist I have ever met has been a HIGHLY moral person.

Good for you.

You never met Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and the Marquis de Sade!
 
religious
  • relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity
religion
  • the service and worship of God or the supernatural
  • commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
  • a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
it seems atheism is not a religion, as they don’t believe in the very heart of what a religion surrounds, and that is a higher being
 
Kellie

it seems atheism is not a religion

Perhaps that’s so in many of the senses you consider.

Yet Einstein referred sarcastically to the “church of atheism,” by which I think he meant that atheism is a belief system, rather than a logical system. If God cannot be scientifically proven to exist, neither can Nogod. Yet many atheists approach their mystical Nogod with the enthusiasm and dedication of any religious disciple. They have their atheist sacred cows, their “bishops” (heroes) of authority to whom they kowtow (for example Dawkins in biology), their missionaries who work in the field to produce converts (they even have their own propaganda machine, Prometheus Books), their free-wheeling moral codes that defer to everything materialist/hedonist and nothing spiritual.

In other words, they have all the trappings of religion without admitting that they are really worshippers at the altar of Nogod.

No, we don’t want to honor their system as a true religion. I am willing to call it a false one, just as they are willing to call everything we believe in delusional and childish.

If we can handle their labels, they should be able to handle ours.
 
dosdog said:
No
Religion
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
The American Heritage® Dictionary
Click to expand...
As per the definition bolded above, an atheist has definite views “concerning the cause, nature, purpose or the universe”. It is definitely a religion by this definition.

As per the definition underlined above, at atheist looks to himself or another for “spiritual” direction has has formed definite “beliefs, values, and practices” that reflect his assent to the “direction”. It definitely is a religion by this definition.

This is not just a semantic argument without consequence. Once we see atheism for what it is (a belief system contrary to Revelation), we can deal with the person in ways that can be effective to correct their viewpoint. If we look at it as a philosophy only in the realm of prudential judgment, we run into “I think/You think” relativism. But when we debate it in the realm of conflicting belief’s, we can appeal to the atheists current ego-centric view to lead them to the Light.
 
deb1 said:
This is an offshot of another thread.

Do you think that Atheism is a religion?

Personally, I see atheism as a religion. Religion requires having faith in something that you can not absolutely prove.

At some point atheist have to take a leap of faith in order to be certain that there is not a God.

Also I have met a few Atheist who were every bit as intent on converting people to their viewpoint as the most die hard evangelical.

So what is your opinion, is Atheism a religion?
Click to expand...
I agree with this. And it is actually much harder to prove that there is no God.

If I made an absolute statement like “There is absolutly no gold in China,” In order for me to claim this as fact, I would have to have intimate knowledge of every inch of China. I would have to look in every store, under every rock, inside everyone’s mouth, etc… It would be very very difficult to prove.

However, if I made the converse statement. “Gold exists in China”. All I have to do is find it in one place to prove it.

To prove there is no God is to claim 100% percent knowledge. There is no real Atheist, just agnostics.

Consider a that by looking at a painting, it is a fact that the painting is evidence enough that there was a painter. This is an axiom (self evident fact). Because I did not witness the painting, there is no way for me to prove it. But my senses tell me that the only way the painting could have come into existence is if someone painted it.
 
Gilbert_Keith said:
Good for you.

You never met Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and the Marquis de Sade!
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Maybe some atheists were bad, but that doesn’t mean all of them are. There are bad people in the church’s history, but I don’t generalise that religious people are also bad.
 
R_McGeddon said:
Maybe some atheists were bad, but that doesn’t mean all of them are. There are bad people in the church’s history, but I don’t generalise that religious people are also bad.
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The poster was responding to a woman who said that every atheists that she had met was a moral person. He was only pointing out that there are plenty of atheist-just like everyone else-who were not moral.
 
R McGeddon

Maybe some atheists were bad …

MAYBE? There are bad so-called Christians and there are bad atheists.

Live with it!
 
Gilbert_Keith said:
R McGeddon

Maybe some atheists were bad …

MAYBE? There are bad so-called Christians and there are bad atheists.

Live with it!
Click to expand...
I dont think this poster was doubting some atheists are bad.
You only pasted half the sentence and made it look like that.
You always seem to jump right in with atheist arguments, look at your signature even.
Why do you seem to dislike them so much?
I have a few atheist friends. I know where they stand according to God, and they know where I stand, and we respect each other, and get along fine.
I pray for them that one day they may believe.
 
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