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G0ddess · F
“In the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles—is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.”
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@G0ddess You got that wrong.
For instance - the fact that I exist means there's at least one exception to your impression.
I've never worshipped anything. I was raised atheist, and neither of my parents ever worshipped anything, nor their circle of friends.
In my circle of acquaintances and friends I count Buddhists, Taoists, Vedantists, the atheists and agnostics but none who believe in any form of the Biblical religions.
Some of the Vedantists practise a monthly Kirtan (chanting circle). The Kirtans might seem to be a form of worship but are not practised for the meanings of the words. They are practised as a form of awareness meditation. Their idea of a god is a universal consciousness which is neutral and has no interest in any particular life or life form. Although Vedantists aim for the experience of becoming one with universal consciousness, they certainly don't worship it.
If you believe everyone [i]worships[/i] someone or something at some point in their lives, you either have an unusually broad definition of worship (like a passion for ice-cream or heroin), or you haven't talked in depth with people from a wide range of cultural and educational backgrounds.
~
For instance - the fact that I exist means there's at least one exception to your impression.
I've never worshipped anything. I was raised atheist, and neither of my parents ever worshipped anything, nor their circle of friends.
In my circle of acquaintances and friends I count Buddhists, Taoists, Vedantists, the atheists and agnostics but none who believe in any form of the Biblical religions.
Some of the Vedantists practise a monthly Kirtan (chanting circle). The Kirtans might seem to be a form of worship but are not practised for the meanings of the words. They are practised as a form of awareness meditation. Their idea of a god is a universal consciousness which is neutral and has no interest in any particular life or life form. Although Vedantists aim for the experience of becoming one with universal consciousness, they certainly don't worship it.
If you believe everyone [i]worships[/i] someone or something at some point in their lives, you either have an unusually broad definition of worship (like a passion for ice-cream or heroin), or you haven't talked in depth with people from a wide range of cultural and educational backgrounds.
~
ElwoodBlues · M
[b]Definition:[/b] noun: religion
the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.
[b]Another[/b]: Religion is a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal god or another supernatural being.
[b] Britannica:[/b] religion, human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. It is also commonly regarded as consisting of the way people deal with ultimate concerns about their lives and their fate after death.
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Nope. My understanding of atheism doesn't fit any of these definitions or explanations of religion.
Full disclosure: I'm agnostic not atheist.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.
[b]Another[/b]: Religion is a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal god or another supernatural being.
[b] Britannica:[/b] religion, human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. It is also commonly regarded as consisting of the way people deal with ultimate concerns about their lives and their fate after death.
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Nope. My understanding of atheism doesn't fit any of these definitions or explanations of religion.
Full disclosure: I'm agnostic not atheist.
SW-User
@ElwoodBlues Don't go by dictionary definitions. The original definition for religion allows the agency to be either natural or supernatural. This means that a religion can be atheistic, and half of the time this is true. Still, 'atheistic' would fail to adequately describe any of the main tenets of an atheistic religion- and so atheism itself is never a religion.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@Pikachu ok
No.
1.
Different atheists choose their position based on a variety of different factors:
Logic - a single god cannot be simultaneously omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and good.
Science - there is an overwhelming weight of physical evidence about how the universe and life came into existence.
Archeology - we now know there were never any Jewish slaves in Egypt. The idea of Yahweh grew slowly out of the son (& later consort) of the goddess Shekinah.
History - evidence now shows the Judaism is a relatively modern invention developing from around 1,000 BCE.
Comparative Religion - religions (other than those that grew out of the Bible) demonstrate that there are countless beliefs.
Emotional reaction - some atheists have grown up in a religious family and have rejected religion due to witnessing hypocrisy or experiencing child abuse and cruelty.
Ethics - it is not necessary to have faith of any kind in order to be an honest, kind and responsible person.
2.
Atheism has none of the essential features of any religion.
No authority in charge of a specific set of dogmas.
No commandments.
No threats or punishments.
No weekly meetings, rituals or life-stage celebrations.
No sects.
No capacity for excommunication.
Has never committed an inquisition or organised any war.
Does not collect money to fund its existence.
1.
Different atheists choose their position based on a variety of different factors:
Logic - a single god cannot be simultaneously omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and good.
Science - there is an overwhelming weight of physical evidence about how the universe and life came into existence.
Archeology - we now know there were never any Jewish slaves in Egypt. The idea of Yahweh grew slowly out of the son (& later consort) of the goddess Shekinah.
History - evidence now shows the Judaism is a relatively modern invention developing from around 1,000 BCE.
Comparative Religion - religions (other than those that grew out of the Bible) demonstrate that there are countless beliefs.
Emotional reaction - some atheists have grown up in a religious family and have rejected religion due to witnessing hypocrisy or experiencing child abuse and cruelty.
Ethics - it is not necessary to have faith of any kind in order to be an honest, kind and responsible person.
2.
Atheism has none of the essential features of any religion.
No authority in charge of a specific set of dogmas.
No commandments.
No threats or punishments.
No weekly meetings, rituals or life-stage celebrations.
No sects.
No capacity for excommunication.
Has never committed an inquisition or organised any war.
Does not collect money to fund its existence.
GeistInTheMachine · 31-35, M
Nope. But scientific materialism can become dogmatic and stuck in its own paradigm akin to a pseudo-religion, but it is not the same.
"Atheism" or an interpretation of it can become like a social ideology unto itself, where the strict definition of the world is not the same as how it is expressed.
"Atheism" or an interpretation of it can become like a social ideology unto itself, where the strict definition of the world is not the same as how it is expressed.
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DeWayfarer · 61-69, M
DeWayfarer · 61-69, M
@Pikachu you might not yet that doesn't mean others do or not!
Your morals often are unthought through ritual practices! Like the nudity taboo! Go see the Zo'é tribe of Brazil.
Not only nudity but as well polygamy!
Your morals often are unthought through ritual practices! Like the nudity taboo! Go see the Zo'é tribe of Brazil.
Not only nudity but as well polygamy!
DeWayfarer · 61-69, M
@Pikachu [quote]Well my understanding is that atheism is a description of a single position: lack of belief or disbelief in a god or gods.[/quote]
then you place taoism as atheistic belief.
then you place taoism as atheistic belief.
Bandit2398 · 51-55, M
@Bandit2398
[quote]. Most of their arguments are just redefining words.[/quote]
That's definitely my experience when someone tries to convince me that atheism is a religion.
[quote]. Most of their arguments are just redefining words.[/quote]
That's definitely my experience when someone tries to convince me that atheism is a religion.
ChadJNSD · 31-35, M
If Atheists, really didn't' believe in God, they wouldn't go around all the time telling everyone they can that they don't believe in God. "Atheism" is absurdity, like saying "I don't believe in the wind".
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
@ChadJNSD We have tangible evidence for wind that can be repeatability tested through the scientific method to verify its existence. This is more like going around saying that invisible faeries are not responsible for making flowers bloom. But people who do believe faeries make flowers bloom are in the majority. So they start passing laws against picking flowers or mowing grass that contains wildflowers.
As an a-faerie-ist, do you want society passing those laws? Are you okay with your neighbors deciding it is a crime to step on a dandelion?
That's why atheists have to make themselves known. Otherwise we have to deal with religious people trampling our rights.
As an a-faerie-ist, do you want society passing those laws? Are you okay with your neighbors deciding it is a crime to step on a dandelion?
That's why atheists have to make themselves known. Otherwise we have to deal with religious people trampling our rights.
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Mistakesmakeus · M
Atheism is a religion for non belief is still belief in the non xD
Mistakesmakeus · M
@Pikachu only as much wodd as a wood chuck could've chucked if he theoretically could've chucked the wood that was provided to him to chuck. Why?
Mistakesmakeus · M
@Pikachu im as freedom loving american as my favorite food, hamberders
pdxlinux · 41-45, M
describing yourself as atheist is not as accurate as describing yourself as ignostic/ightheistic. or precise. richard dawkins is atheist, but, he isn't going to deny repeatable, reliable and observed evidence for any specific phenomena. that's scientific materialism on its face but it is not because scientists who aren't fetishizing science, are using science to solve a specific problem. so i anticipate that the opposition to admitting the truth about scientific revelation would claim that it causes materialism, nihilism, and direct people away from the actual question that you are making.
dubum · 51-55, M
Since atheism is an opposition to belief in deities, and belief in deities is Religion, then atheism is on it's fate to be a religion too.
Some of them even built a church as well, an atheist church. 😁
Some of them even built a church as well, an atheist church. 😁
SW-User
There are only four belief classes and three of them are atheistic. It would then be foolish to combine all three and call it it a religion.
ElwoodBlues · M
@SW-User Interesting. Have you got a pointer or a list to these belief classes?
SW-User
@ElwoodBlues
(1) THEISTIC:
magical afterlife
(3) ATHEISTIC:
natural afterlife
natural cessation
magical cessation
(1) THEISTIC:
magical afterlife
(3) ATHEISTIC:
natural afterlife
natural cessation
magical cessation
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RedBaron · M
Why does it matter?
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
All hail Lord Pikachu!
ViciDraco · 36-40, M
I'd imagine a good number of the people who would say yes probably have you blocked by now 🤔
Human1000 · M
No, and my case is a cheeseburger is not a tuna fish sandwich.