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Is Atheism a Religion?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
This is something I've been wondering about for a while now...

Is Atheism a Religion?

What do you think?
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd say no. Religion is based around belief in a God, or Gods, and atheism is based around the lack of belief.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No it isn't.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No it's not. Atheism has no set rules of practice, which are fundamental parts of a religion.

    It's just a belief system.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, it's the opposite of a religion by definition.
    kira wrote: »
    It's just a belief system.

    I'd even question this. There's this very slight change in language between believing something doesn't exist, and not believing something does exist, but the difference can be actually quite marked. It's like not being a fan of Glee. Now you may have seen the show and not like it, or you may have never seen the show. Either way, you're not a fan of Glee. In both cases, you haven't seen any evidence that suggests you should be a fan to your own satisfaction, although obviously the person who has been presented with the evidence and doesn't accept it is probably going to make more of a point of it than the person who hasn't seen it. You have definite opinions about the arguments, but you still don't have that belief system that the religious do. If you were to pick out something as a belief system, then it would probably be whatever philosophy underpins your opinions. You might be a materialist, for example (whether you know it or not), and this may lead you to lack belief in a god, but the lack of belief in itself isn't a belief system, if you get me.

    Of course people's definition of atheism will vary, which is where most of the semantic confusion occurs. You'll often get questions like, "how can you know that there is no god?" And the simple answer is that I don't. A lot of people (including a lot of people who call themselves agnostic) seem to be of the opinion that atheism is claiming to know there is no god, theism is claiming to know there is a god, or having faith that there is, and anything in the middle is agnosticism. In other words, if you even so much as accept the possibility, however minute, that a god could potentially exist, you're an agnostic, not an atheist. I've only ever come across a single person who calls themselves an atheist who claims to know there is no god, and the rest are just of the opinion that they haven't seen any positive evidence for a god, and therefore they lack belief.

    But the other issue with the idea of atheism as a belief system is that its flawed from the outset, because it requires you to define the god you don't believe in. Which then leaves an infinite number of other definitions to deal with.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, it is not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nope.
    Xx
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    As far as I'm aware, it's the absence of a belief, rather than a belief in an absence.

    That said, as with all personal values, atheism means different things to different people.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    As far as I'm aware, it's the absence of a belief, rather than a belief in an absence.

    As IWS says, I think it covers both. I've heard it defined as strong and weak atheism, which isn't a bad way of looking at.

    But no, it clearly isn't a religion; it's not an "ism".

    You'll often hear religious folks claiming it is, but that's because they think it's useful to do so for rhetorical purpose.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So the resounding answer is 'NO!'. Next thread! ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Of course people's definition of atheism will vary, which is where most of the semantic confusion occurs. You'll often get questions like, "how can you know that there is no god?" And the simple answer is that I don't. A lot of people (including a lot of people who call themselves agnostic) seem to be of the opinion that atheism is claiming to know there is no god, theism is claiming to know there is a god, or having faith that there is, and anything in the middle is agnosticism. In other words, if you even so much as accept the possibility, however minute, that a god could potentially exist, you're an agnostic, not an atheist. I've only ever come across a single person who calls themselves an atheist who claims to know there is no god, and the rest are just of the opinion that they haven't seen any positive evidence for a god, and therefore they lack belief.

    :yes:

    This one always stumps me and is probably the root cause of all arguments about atheism :D. It depends how you define atheism.

    Either way it's not a belief system as there is no doctrine or anything like that - even if some atheists choose to adopt a pseudo-belief system. If all As are Bs, that doesn't mean all Bs are As after all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What everyone else have said. No religion.

    /thread.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No...

    But preachy atheists are every bit as annoying as preachy religious types.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Namaste wrote: »
    No...

    But preachy atheists are every bit as annoying as preachy religious types.

    I've never seen an atheist in a pulpit...

    There should probably be a winky-face after that. I'm just loathed to add them sometimes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've never seen an atheist in a pulpit...

    There should probably be a winky-face after that. I'm just loathed to add them sometimes.
    You don't have to be in a pulpit to preach.

    You just have to force your opinion on people, or claim moral high ground or superiority, which undoubtedly, some atheists do).

    Disclaimer: before anybody throws their toys out of the pram, I said 'some' atheists... Everybody must know at least one individual with a superiority complex about their atheism... But then they probably have it about other things too. lol
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Namaste wrote: »
    You don't have to be in a pulpit to preach.

    You just have to force your opinion on people, or claim moral high ground or superiority, which undoubtedly, some atheists do).

    Disclaimer: before anybody throws their toys out of the pram, I said 'some' atheists... Everybody must know at least one individual with a superiority complex about their atheism... But then they probably have it about other things too. lol

    Maybe it should have been a grinning face. Or whatever face denotes me not really being serious. :d
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, atheism is not a relgion, it's an ism! :yes: I'm done here! Next question: Is cheese a vegetable? :eek2:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    super147 wrote: »
    No, atheism is not a relgion, it's an ism! :yes: I'm done here! Next question: Is cheese a vegetable? :eek2:

    No, but there's a custard fruit

    1797937-Custard_Apple_Fruit-Pulau_Libaran.jpg

    Hrmmm... maybe Buddhism is a custard fruit.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, it's not a religion.

    Humanism and Buddism are atheist religions.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Big Gay wrote: »
    No, it's not a religion.

    Humanism and Buddism are atheist religions.

    Humanism isn't a religion. Unless you want to get super-fucking-loose with the term religion, at which point pretty much every identifiable group of people become a religion and the term becomes largely meaningless.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Humanism isn't a religion. Unless you want to get super-fucking-loose with the term religion, at which point pretty much every identifiable group of people become a religion and the term becomes largely meaningless.

    Agree. It's more of a philosophy.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just picked up a big harback book on Humanism from local charity shop for 20p, it has sections on types of definitions of humanist that include 'religious humanism' and 'atheist humanism' so you can have either, apparently.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    I just picked up a big harback book on Humanism from local charity shop for 20p, it has sections on types of definitions of humanist that include 'religious humanism' and 'atheist humanism' so you can have either, apparently.

    I always understood Humanism to be an explicit rejection of the supernatural and religion. Maybe I'm off on my understanding of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    I just picked up a big harback book on Humanism from local charity shop for 20p, it has sections on types of definitions of humanist that include 'religious humanism' and 'atheist humanism' so you can have either, apparently.

    I wonder if that 'link' between the two is a bit tenuous though, if not an oxymoron?

    If you use the word in the less commonly associated context with the 'active pursuit of a cause or principle', then yes, it could be. But the usual use of the word regarding a 'system grounded in a belief and worship of a deity', then I would say 'no'.

    What is the book's definition of 'religious humanism', as a matter of interest?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    hmm, opens book... one min. The first one is by Herbert W. Schneider, missed that off the flicks. There you go, read it yourself if you're interested. I need to tidy my rooooooooom.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    hmm, opens book... one min. The first one is by Herbert W. Schneider, missed that off the flicks. There you go, read it yourself if you're interested. I need to tidy my rooooooooom.

    Aw, you're so sweet to scan all of that. :)

    Hmmmmm, well, if my understanding of the first page is correct, they term themselves 'religious humanists' just to break away from the labels and constrictions of religious dogma etc. I'm still not convinced that they are actually 'humanist' - but more anti-organised religion.

    Oh, by the way, Katralla. You missed a bit. There. Under the window sill. The dust? See? *points* :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    *sneezes* the fucking dust! I've been tkaing down a bed and moving shit around. *sneezes again* Thes second article is a different take on humanist religion me thinkith. off to dentist now - woohoo, so still not going to read it. And, I have other things that I HAVE to read so I always feel guilty reading other things first, unless it's forums or facbook - then it's ok of course ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Big Gay wrote: »
    No, it's not a religion.

    Humanism and Buddism are atheist religions.
    I'm afraid I have to disagree...

    I don't think Buddhism is exclusively atheist and I'm not sure if I believe it's a religion either.

    But then that's my experience of Buddhism. Siddhartha Guatama had followers of his philosophy, but Buddhism is taught through experience. He said that whilst his own spiritual journey has helped him become a Buddha (awake), that people should try it for themselves.

    So you see differences in different schools of Buddhism... Some of which I guess we could relate to more as religions. For example, Theravada Buddhism tends to be more monastic in practice, in that the monks are themselves trying to reach enlightenment (and only they can do so)... Mahayana Buddhist practice is different, in that the aim is to alleviate suffering for all sentients...

    ^ Obviously a gross over-simplification... :chin:

    I'm exploring Buddhism at this point in my life and I don't really see it as a religion or as atheism. My view of atheism is rejecting the spiritual and it feels too black and white for Buddhism... Also, reincarnation features a lot in Buddhism, as does karma. Depending on how you practice and interpret the texts, there are mentioned to be Gods and other supernatural deities. However, these may not always literally be believed to exist...

    I think that it just depends...

    But I feel like it's more of a manual for life.
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    One can be an atheist and belong to a religion (potentially; I'm not sure whether any existing religions qualify) or one can believe in a deity and not belong to any religion.
    "Belief in a deity" and "religion" are logically independent of each other and atheism is an option in the former, therefore it can't be a religion.

    EDIT: To be honest, I just realised the above moments before typing it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    "An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support"

    John Buchan
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No. Well, not unless your name is Dastardly Dick Dawkins, anyway.

    richard-dawkins-on-south-park.gif
    Dawkins with some shit on his face yesterday.
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