Is it just me or is Atheism a religion?

Philosphy Forum ^ | FR Post 12-6-2003 | "A Sloth"

[vannrox]

This is a subject near to my heart and my own spiritual journey, and I'd like to discuss it with as many intelligent minds as possible as I ponder it. It seems to me as though the most basic, intrinsic aspect of a religious philosophy is faith. I have been talking to a lot of Christians lateley, so I'm not sure if that is the prevailing veiw among people of other persuasions. Anyways, it seems to me as though a religion can really be boiled down to beliving that it is THE answer, and it seems to me as though atheism is no exception.

But this is where I came to realize there many different brands of thought given the title of Atheist, each with their own twists. Here are some categories that i have run across, and my opinion(just roll with me on this one):

Spiritual Atheists Some people claim to be "spiritual" but not "religious," disavowing belief in a god persay in favor of just not thinking about the issue. It sounds just lazy to me. They get the "all good people go to heaven" feeling without defining good, heaven, or even feeling itself. This may work for some, but it seems to lack any real thought into the matter.

Non-Practicing Atheists And there are the "Catholics" like my parents who dont buy a word the church says, but are so afraid of what it means to be atheist that they desperately cling to a religion that offers them no real meaning.

Deist Atheists Some people use Atheism to describe a sense of disbelief in the major established world religions, which to me sounds like it could still be a throwback to the deism of the 18th century. Basically it can be summed up as: There is some kind of god, hes a pretty decent guy, dont be an ass and everything will turn out ok somehow, once again, a little too lazy for me.

Orthodox Atheists Then there are the Atheists so absolutly steadfast in their disbelief in god that they would have made an excellent Christian in another life (THAT's an interesting turn of phase!). They dont buy the proof that the various religions offer, but the seem to narrowmindedly rule out any possiblities except absolute soulless oblivion. I have a friend like this, and i have yet to figure out how he can 100% FOR SURE rule out a higher power of any type...

Agnostics This is the only one that really makes sense to me. I mean, maybe there's a god. Probably not one of the big religion's vengeful, mythical "gods" with their spotty and doubtfully accurate "historical records," I doubt reincarnation that doesnt work well with the increasing entropy of the universe, and the evidence for it is even less credible than the rest ... But prove to me god's not just hiding...

Thats where i'm at right now. I would appreciate any input, even religious propaganda. I want to know the truth, even if it means the complete destruction of my current schema for faith.

I would even go so far as to recommend two such books, The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith, to anyone who is openminded enough to consider Christianity. I almost bought into it after reading those, but to me, there are still holes (i'll probably talk about those later) If your already Christian, they will strengthen your faith, and if not, they will rock your world...

[vannrox]

Interesting and open for conjecture.

[P8riot]

I don't believe in atheists. There's no such thing.

[miloklancy]

Religions aspouse the belief in God(s). Atheists don't believe in God(s). So to answer your question, no it is not a religion.

[RogueIsland]

Atheism is a belief, not a religion. IIRC, there are certain specific criteria a belief system must meet to rise to the level of religion. I think a formalize canon is one of them, but there are others if I recall.

[danneskjold]

I don't believe in atheists. There's no such thing.

...and I refuse to decide on the existance of agnostics...

[LiteKeeper]

comment later

[danneskjold]

existance existence

damn

[lelio]

Is Buddhism a "religion"? As I understand it there's no God like figure, nor any stories about how the universe was created. Is that a prerequisite for a religion?

[E Rocc]

It is not a religion, but it is a religious belief. Therefore it's subject to the same restrictions on government support or inhibition as any other.

-Eric

[skraeling]

Religions aspouse the belief in God(s). Atheists don't believe in God(s). So to answer your question, no it is not a religion.

Really? Does a religion need to have a (singular) God? Is not a "belief structure" enough to qualify?

[stanz]

Atheism is just what it says..."a" lack of.... "theism" belief in a God. Atheists generally do not congregate for purpose of furthering their beliefs and for the most part are not organized in any definitive body. (although there are splinter groups dedicated to atheistic principles from state to state)It's just a philosophy like any other.

[Chummy]

I agree with the premise: atheists do in fact have belief -- in nothing.

An aside: there is a group known as the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" based in the People's Republic of Madison, Wisconsin. Every year in reaction to the Christmas tree placed in the rotunda lobby of the State Capitol building, FFRF has taken to placing a sign proclaiming there is no God, there is no religion, blahblah blahblah blah blah.

It was either last Christmas or the one previous when someone apparently removed the sign.

FFRF went ape-bananas. Why, they even wrote and issued a scathing Press Release calling for, in part, the return of their sign, as well as denouncing the "theft."

How's that for irony? In the world they've invented, one that is free of religion, they balk at a "theft" of their sign.

When's the last time you read a Press Release from a young wolf when the alpha male makes off with its prey?

What it is that FFRF, atheists et al worship and revere is "no religion."

But even that so-called "nothing" therefore exists, created by its proponents.

[familyofman]

Put me down as an Orthodox atheist.
"...absolutly steadfast in their disbelief in god ...."

That includes any/all gods; christian, hindu, budhist, greek, or egyptian. They are all the same to me.

[miloklancy]

Note the use of (s) after the word God, hence referring to polytheists and monotheists. Many polytheistic forms of mysticism have a belief structure as you term it, which involves the influence of it's multiple Gods.

[looscnnn]

Don't you mean there is no scientific proof?

[EdReform]

BTTT

read later...

[whattajoke]

Is it just me or is Atheism a religion?

It's just you.

[whattajoke]

Here in CT, basketball is referred to as a religion on a daily basis in print or on the radio.

[PeterPrinciple]

The central questions that any worldview must answer:

1) Creation - Where did we come from and who are we?
2) Fall - What has gone wrong with the world?
3) Redemption - What can we do to fix it?


From: How Now Shall We Live by Chuck Colsen

Even an atheist has answers to these question.

[fqued]

The word "religion" is rather too amorphous.
I prefer to speak of a person's "World and Life View". [or in German, his/her Weltenshaung (sorry if I spelled it wrong)], or just "world view"

EVERYONE has a world view. Whether he be an athiest, agnostic, evangelical Christian, Buddhist, etc.
World views can be evaluated and judged on various criteria:

1) consistency and coherence
2) whether it comports with what we know and understand about humans and the world around us. (e.g. any world view that denies that there is any good and evil could be immediate suspect because all humans act as if there is such a thing as good and evil, and act as if there is an external moral code)
3) can this world view be lived out in community with other people? (solipsism clearly is unliveable in society--every person who considers himself a solipsist yet lives and acts as if other people really do exist, etc.)

This gets around the semantic issues of what qualifies as a "religion". So think in terms of "world view" which we can equate with the word "religion" used quite broadly.