Alright I will ask, Is Atheism a religion, why or why not?

J

JohnG

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please give your opinion on why or why not, don't just say yes or no
 
i dont think so since it is not organized. it emphasizes the individual to a point that each person as his or her own religion. so atheism cannot be summed up in a paragraph like most religions. its a set of beliefs, an attempt to answer the big questions. so atheism does not provide that. though, it is understandable why fellow christians would call it one. in their experiences and mine, atheists treat atheism as if it were religion. for example, answering origin, meaning that we have no meaning, the truth that there is no truth, believing in chance, creating famous atheists, writing about atheism, writing handbooks on how to defend atheism. the fact is it is not, but it is treated and also seen that it is.
 
There is no organised worship, no houses of worship, no belief system, no formal heirarchy.

Atheism lacks everything it would need to be a religion.
 
Yes it is, I have a church I don't go to, religious rites I don't observe and a god I don't worship.

So it must be.
 
Atheism is NOT a religion ...

Definition of the word religion ...

1.A) Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
B) A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

My husband is an Atheist. He doesn't believe in a higher power. He is respectful of my beliefs and the beliefs of others. He doesn't care what others believe and doesn't push his lack of beliefs on others. So to the person that said Atheism is a religion based on definition #4...not all Atheists are zealots or devoted to Atheism. Good try, major fail.
 
The word "Religion" is usually known as a word to describe someone's faith. If you do not believe in anything, that means that you cannot have any religion, since believing in nothing doesn't really mean that you have a faith and believe in someone or something. Remember, every person can have their own opinion and can have a different meaning of the word, but at least I think that when you don't believe in anything, that means that you don't have a Religion.
 
It's not a matter of opinion
It's not

All that we have in common is the disbelief in a deity
 
i'll take this opportunity to grab 2 points and hit level 3, why thank you person who posted this :D
 
Is unemployment an occupation? It's the same freakin answer.
 
If it is it's a stupid religion, only stupid people belong to it. The Bible says: The fool says in his heart there is no God. So you have to be a fool right? Personally I think it's a religion of self. They say they don't believe in God but they must believe in something. If they don't worship God they worship themselves (self-love). Everybody's got to worship something, so I think it's a form of religion.
 
No it's not a religion, an atheist has no belief in any deity.
Can you point to a church where atheists gather?
 
I think atheism is an attempt by people to throw off the outdated views of life that no longer apply.

I am not an atheist, but I thank them for their contributions.

“If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!” refers to this danger of dogma and automatic thinking which we must overcome.

Religion IS dogma, so no atheism isn't a religion until they become dogmatic.

/.\
 
By definition, religion is a set of beliefs concerning the creation of the universe and the purpose of it. In order to be an atheist you have to believe there is no God; its not like you can scientifically prove there is no God. So just like some believe there is a God, some people believe there isn't. Either way it is still a belief.
 
If not collecting stamps is ever officially defined as a hobby,
then atheism can be viewed as a religion.

Until then, atheism isn't a religion....
 
That depends. The traditional definition usually used is a set of beliefs pertaining to the nature of reality and its origins. In this sense atheism is not a religion, as its simply a statement of disbelief in any deities and religions such as Buddhism can be used by an atheist to explain the nature of the universe if they believe them. However for legal purposes within at least the united states, One's religion is defined as one's statement of belief/disbelief in god/gods. Under this definition, atheism is a religion, yes, but this isn't the thing that comes to mind when one simply says religion to most people.
 
It can be. Any idea can become a religion if it's tenents are accepted dogmatically. However, the reason that people usually come to the conclusion of atheism is inconsistent with a dogmatic view (since most are skeptics).
 
Depends how you define religion. If you stretch the definition far enough even can be called scientology is a religion -- (it's not).

Strictly speaking an atheist is a person who is not a theist.
If you want to call not being a theist a religion, suit yourself. But it's not.
 
A religion is a belief in a "higher entity organized with rituals laws etc. Atheism si just a term to describe a personal negative attitude towards belief systems. We are neither organized nor do we have rituals. We do not congregate on a regular basis. We have no "divine" books to "guide" us.
 
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