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Is atheism a religion? I was talking to a guy on here who seems to have fled following a claim he made. [Spirituality & Religion]

He seemed to be saying that because atheism is a response to theism/religion, that it is itself a religion.
This is obviously wrong but i was wondering if anyone has more...credible reasons why atheism should be considered a religion.
VoloProVeritas62 · 61-69, M
Yes, it is a religion. But, there are no such people that are atheists or a cult that is atheism even though they claim there is. Everybody either believes in the one true God, Jehovah,who lives forever,
or a dummy god who doesn't live at all. Dummy gods are gods that take the place of the one true God in a person's heart. They can be anything.
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VoloProVeritas62 · 61-69, M
@Celine [quote]And if i don't know the answer to origins, how are you any closer to knowing what is true?
How are you closer to knowing that the answer is god?
How are you any closer to knowing that the answer is the god of Abraham?[/quote] Because God's Holy Spirit of Truth dwells within me just like He can with you if you'd let Him. The living God, Jehovah, who lives forever; that super natural being outside of time and space; it's His truth and His alone that I share with you, not mine. That's how I know what is true and what isn't. That's how I know the answer is the living God, Jehovah, who is the God of Abraham. His Spirit converses with mine. Do I know the whole truth? Of course not. If I did, I wouldn't need Him. I can only share with you what He shares with me.
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Fangirlsarah1996 · 26-30, F
By definition it's the exact opposite of a religion.

Religion in and of itself is the belief in a god/gods/goddess(s) or some other divine force of either nature or spirit.

Atheism is the belief that none of those exist.

Simply believing in something does not make it a religion...if that were the case, Justin Beiber would technically be considered the head of his own personal religion, thankfully that is not the case.
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Fangirlsarah1996 · 26-30, F
@Celine It should be easy to understand...I mean, it's not like the definition has any really big words in it that the little people just can't get their heads around or anything.

There's religion, then there's atheism.
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@VoloProVeritas62

Ok if I may interject here. You can't disprove the existence of god. God is an untestable claim. There is no possible evidence that one could give that god doesn't exist.
If you disagree just think about it for a minute and suggest a hypothetical evidence which one could use to disprove god.

You can't. Because god is not a testable claim.

That's why the burden of proof falls on the one making the positive claim. In this case, the positive claim that god exists.
Otherwise I could tell you to prove that there isn't an invisible, undetectable teapot flying around the earth and when you failed to do so I could claim victory.
VoloProVeritas62 · 61-69, M
@Quizzical @Pikachu I'm going to give you both this evidence just this once. Whether you accept it as evidence or not it's up to you. The evidence that God, Jehovah, is right in front of you. Every time you look in the mirror, the evidence is there because He created you like He created the heavens and the earth. Now you can accept that or not but it's still the evidence you seek.
@VoloProVeritas62

No. It's a faith claim.
It's nothing more than a subjective feeling you have that god is real.
Maybe you see Allah's creation when you look in the mirror. I see the product of evolution.
And you have literally no evidence that god and not evolution is responsible.

However, I'm glad to see that you've conceded the point about god being unfalsifiable.
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hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
Yes atheism is a religion. As Miriam Webster says religion is: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
@MethDozer Those of us who are determined to form a cult of veneration and adoration around you feel it too!
TheMorningsStar · 26-30, M
@MethDozer

And just because someone says they are a Scotsman doesn't make it so.

I mean, honestly, I am a THEIST and here I am defending gnostic atheists... What has this world come to that THIS is how things have turned out?
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
@TheMorningsStar Reality?
To my knowledge a religion causes you to have a religious/spiritual person to devote your believes around. I doubt any atheist person having such, I know I don't.
CountScrofula · 41-45, M
Of course not. It's a stupid rhetorical trick. "Well you hate religion so much but YOU HAVE YOUR OWN RELIGION SO NOW YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE."

It's obviously not a religion. But let's say the word religion had a broader definition and you could include atheism in it. It doesn't, but just for the sake of argument.

It wouldn't make atheism less valid, it wouldn't be a way of presenting evidence for God. It's semantic fuckery with no purpose.
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SW-User
isn't it a belief that you don't believe anything?
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SatanBurger · 36-40, F
@evadmail So you're basically saying that no science has been tested or observed?
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LyricalOne · F
Atheism is simply a lack of belief in the existence of deities.
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TheMorningsStar · 26-30, M
Atheism should be LEGALLY considered a religion as then it has the same legal protection as other religious points of views in cases where only "religion" is mentioned. In philosophy, however, I think that it should not be considered a religion.
SW-User
@newjaninev2 This comment also made me think about the tax exempt status that religions have. If Atheism was a religion, wouldn't they be receiving the tax exempt status too?
TheMorningsStar · 26-30, M
@newjaninev2

I used other because, if you look, I said "religious points of views" and not religions, and atheism is a religious point of view (a point of view on god(s)).

Also, if atheism is not a religion and certain laws are passed that only impact the religious or religions, then if atheism is not legally a religion then the law does not apply to atheism or atheists. This would be purely to allow it the same legal protections that religions would have for when such laws do end up being passed, otherwise you have to ensure that each law dealing with religions also makes sure to include atheism and the non-religious. I think it is much simpler and pragmatic to simply make it so atheism is legally considered a religion instead of making sure every law that deals with religion includes those views.
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
@TheMorningsStar The American founding fathers (I think they're called) messed that up by writing 'freedom of religion' rather than 'freedom of, or from, religion'.

Elsewhere on this post, I've detailed three or four simple statements. They underpin my agnostic atheism, and none of them are points of view... they're just simple statements that are falsifiable in principle, but(not yet) falsified. They don't need legal protection, unless 'water comprises 2 hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom' needs legal protection (which, in one or two burgeoning theocracies, it soon may).

PerthSurfer pointed out the tax situation. Should all new legislation begin 'For the purposes of this legislation, atheism (shall be / shall not be) considered to be a religion...'? Why stop there?
Why not 'For the purposes of this legislation, atheism/football/baking/singing/dancing, etc, (shall be / shall not be) considered to be a religion...'?

What needs legal protection isn't atheism per se... it's freedom of thought and freedom from tyranny. I can think of a couple of countries where both are under attack.
SW-User
Atheism is basically a position someone takes on faith based religions stating that an extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof before they'll believe it. If anything it's the opposite of religion.
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Xuan12 · 31-35, M
Atheism is only a religion when you expand the definition of "religion" to be any belief at all, thereby making it pointless.
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MartinII · 70-79, M
I don’t think atheism is, or should be, a religion. I am an atheist, which means simply that I don’t believe in a God. I respect those who do. I don’t respect those who say that atheism is obviously right. Anyone can believe, or not. No-one can know for sure.
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SW-User
Lack of religion, not religion 😀
cunningcrocodile · 31-35, F
We prefer your posts about how submission is great :)
cunningcrocodile · 31-35, F
@Celine You can PM me
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pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M
Quizzical · 46-50, M
No, Atheism is not a belief system, it's not even close.
JustPassingBy · 51-55, M
No, it is not a religion in that there is no surrounding mythos or directive of belief or behavior. It is however based on faith. The faith that there is no universal awareness is no more provable than that there is.
JustPassingBy · 51-55, M
That's not atheism, it describes agnosticism. Agnostic Atheist is a nonsesnse term.
JustPassingBy · 51-55, M
@newjaninev2 That's not atheism, it describes agnosticism. Agnostic Atheist is a nonsesnse term
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
@JustPassingBy This might clarify my position for you...

First, let‘s split the world up into theists and atheists.
A theist is anyone who has some sort of god or gods
An atheist is someone who has no god or gods

Now, this division is further divided into two more groups the gnostic and the agnostic
Gnostic means: having specific knowledge about something.
Agnostic, obviously, means: not having specific knowledge about something
(Yes, I know that 'agnostic' is commonly used as an adjectival noun, but it's actually an adjective. It seems to me that using it as an adjectival noun leads to confusion)

So now we have four groups:
1. Gnostic theist: this is usually someone who subscribes to a particular religion. This person has a god or gods, and claims to have specific knowledge about their god or gods.
2. Agnostic theist: this is someone who has a god or gods, but does not claim specific knowledge about that god. Such people often describe themselves as ‘spiritual‘.
3. Gnostic atheist: this is someone who has no god or gods, and who claims to know as a certainty that there are no gods.
4. Agnostic atheist: this is someone who has no god or gods, does not claim to know as a certainty whether or not gods exist gods, but also sees no need for them.

OK, let‘s look at each of these in more detail

Gnostic theists have the problem that they carry a burden of proof. This is because they claim to have knowledge about their gods, and therefore it‘s up to them to prove their claims. Of course, they can‘t (otherwise everyone would be theists), and they end up saying that ‘you have to have faith’ which means ‘I have no proof for my claims’ (faith is pretending to know something that you do not know)

Gnostic atheists have the same problem. They claim to know for certain that there are no gods, and therefore it‘s up to them to prove their claims. They too carry a burden of proof that they cannot meet (otherwise everyone would be atheists).

Agnostic theists aren‘t making a claim, and have no burden of proof. They are saying that they have gods, but that they don‘t know anything about those gods (other than that they are, presumably, god-like). They often describe themselves as 'spiritual'.

Agnostic atheists have the easiest position. They aren‘t making a claim, and have no burden of proof. They are saying that they have no gods. There‘s nothing to know and nothing to discuss.
KelseyR · 26-30, F
It's not a religion. There can be atheistic religions, though.
helenS · 36-40, F
Atheism is [i]not[/i] a religion. [i]Not[/i] believing something is not a religion.

[i]Materialism[/i] is a religion, a belief system which states that the world is [i]completely[/i] described when all natural laws are known.
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
I mean by the technical census-taking sort of description, yes. But it lacks any religious tenets so I say call it whatever you want.
Lovelyelaine101 · 22-25, F
How’s it a religion when you don’t believe in no god
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SW-User
Its not, doesnt have charitable status! End of.
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
Atheism is a position on one statement. It is not its own religion and does not preclude membership in a non-theistic religions.

The only thing Atheist defines is a lack of Theism (Belief in one or more god). It is indeed possibly for an Atheist to have a religion. Examples include some branches of Buddhism, Satanism (LaVeyan Satanism is atheistic yet still supernaturalist, and The Satanic Temple is atheistic with a skeptical/logical bent), as well as Confucianism and Taoism.
MethDozer · M
No. Not even remotely. It's a a lack of faith in any religion or supernatural being.
Ergo it cannot be a belief system.
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MethDozer · M
@Celine I answered already. I don't repeat myself.
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