Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Friday, January 25, 2013
MWF, 11am class
44 comments:
Karina Moran
said...
Atheism is an extremely contraversial topic. Atheists believe there is no god. Everyone has a different idea of what religion is. Religion is defined as the belief in and worship of god. Those two words appear contradicting, however, believing there is no god is still a faith because it's the belief in the non-existence of god. To many people, a church is a place to worship god. But in reality, it is just another building for public worship in general. Even though most people attend mass to worship god, it is still a group of people who share the same interest. Many people are opposed to Atheism having its own church, but the way I see the entire subject about the first Atheist Church is just as a group of people to be part of the community aspect of church that they miss, and get together to be open minded and discuss and debate similar ideas without being judged.
Atheism can be a religion depending on how one defines religion. Religion can either be based on one's beliefs of the existence of a higher power or deity that they worship. It can also be defined as a set of beliefs or customs that one chooses to live by. Atheists do not believe in God or worship but they do have strong opinions about why they choose not to believe and want to live their lives as nonbelievers. My opinion is that atheists are not considered religious when it comes to certain aspects of what religion is but some people believe they are. Meanwhile, categorizing atheism as a religion is a debate because atheism tries to eliminate the concept of religion. They have a lack of belief and want to free themselves from the ideas of religion. The fact that they have these opinions and beliefs against religion cannot justify them as having a religion. It is a contradiction with what they believe in which is nothing. In order for atheism to be considered a religion, they will to have to believe but they do not so therefore, atheism is not a religion.
I think that atheism has become in fact one of the many religions that exist in the world. And their take on religion being a big problem is in fact a take on God, and Christianity being the problem. Religion by definition is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. The claims of atheism are that there are no gods, whatsoever, and that is what they believe in, but surprisingly not all religion believes in a special god or goddess. Some religions believe in a higher power, with no special name, some religions believe in living in harmony with oneself and nature, for instance Taoism. So the belief that atheism has that there is no god, or any higher power guiding their paths, is in fact making them into a religion, which is a collection of belief systems etc. And now having an atheism church or Sunday assembly as they call it is, first a mockery of the real definition of what a church really is, and it is a proof that atheism is and wants to be a religion, among many others.
My idea of atheism itself, provoked by the disbeliefs of religion itself, to be honoring something of such belief. There has to be proof of worthy examinations in practice. Church itself claims the bible to be fact and none other than the truth yet the five books of Moses are doubted and claimed to be false by scholars like Umberto Cassuto, who studied the bible for years or others like Gleason Archer. There are no proven facts that the bible is legitimate, therefore it comes to the questioning of the holy bible. Atheism itself is a religion, a religion of disbelief of religion. It all comes down to religion when stating your beliefs and acts. Religion itself is a state of what you should believe and how you should act. None other than atheism creating a church for its beliefs. It all just keeps revolving in a circle and going around until people will realize that we all have a religion and that we shouldn't call it atheism, we should call it by our names and state our beliefs. Not all of us follow the commandments of the bible or Koran. Religion doesn't make us, we make religion. Atheism is just another word for believing in yourself, same with Satanism. Baphomet is an iconic and controversial figure for the ignorant minded yet for those who know about the laws of life from the book of LaVey, where he explains that Baphomet is just an image. Just like Marilyn Monroe or famous painter Salvador Dali. Satanism itself is atheism in the way that you should believe in yourself. If there is something to prove, Prove it.
I can definitively say that atheism is a religion because religion has many meanings . One meaning states that religion is a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects. Another meaning does state that religion consists of believing in a god, but does not say that you MUST believe in a god. Since a group of atheist already have gotten together and are practicing their belief, they have the right to call atheism a religion. I can understand why other religious groups do not want atheism to be considered a religion. They feel threatened in the idea that if the numbers grow to a certain point, atheism will be the most practiced religion in the world. The only contradicting issue that has arisen from the atheist who are practicing their belief is by having a church. A church is where Christianity is worshiped and only shall Christianity be practiced inside a church.
The false inclusion of atheism into the pool of religion is an attempt by the religious to place atheism "in the ring" so to speak. For example, if you've spent your whole life believing in a system, and then someone comes along who believes in not having a system at all, your mind is conditioned to see that belief as just another system. There exists atheistic religions such as Buddhism and raëlianism, but atheism itself doesn't constitute a religion. A Religion composes of the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, an institution to express belief in a divine power etc, and atheism doesn't have these qualities. It would be better to drop the word atheism altogether and call us defaults, since atheism is the default worldview we all begin with. Atheism is as much of a religion as bald is a hair color.
Isms. Just as religion, atheism is also another system that has been growing up and raising their voice through times. The negation of the existence of something brings up the idea of the thing, which contradicts the first. An atheist church abolishes the former atheist ideal, transforming the atheism into a new religion, creating new anti god gods, or just a no god god. All individuals, by default, have their own belief system, there is always something to believe in, either predetermined gods, science, art, life and death, the external environment or nothing, but even nothing is something, the nothing occupies a place, either in the space or in our thoughts. This is definitely one of those matters that are extremely hard to concord one with another because our human condition. The idea of an atheist church is going to bother a lot of people, but it actually has a sense to exist, since at the end of the day atheism is the belief of no god, and if they want to get together to celebrate their belief of non believing, they are free to gather and throw their own parties on any subjects and even determine a new dress code, one in which there is no dress code.
The definition of religion is “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons; a ritual observance of faith”. Atheism is the belief that there is no God, so I would definitely argue that atheism is indeed a religion. Why? Well simply because in any religion, one must believe something, have faith in something. So, in believing in nothing you are actually believing in something. In not believing in a superior God, you are believing that there is no superior God, which makes that your belief. I could even go as far as saying, it takes more faith to believe in nothing that it does to believe in something. There are many strong atheist, which comparing them to Christians (usually the main opposing religion), they do just about the same when it comes to speaking their beliefs to others. Just ask Christians proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, atheist proclaim that there is no such God, that it is logically impossible for such God to exist, bringing evidence that they have found a revelation about truth. -Hessie Hernandez
The answer to this question is not clear nor is it straight forward. There are many circumstances and points of views that we must take into consideration. Be that as it may, there are several aspects of atheism that are similar to religion but the one that stands out the most is the fact that both atheism and religion consist of a group of individuals that come together and have the same basic opinion on the subject of the existence of a greater being. Both sides believe they are the ones who have the true answer, and they will battle tooth and nail to prove it. However, in the case of the atheist church, it seems as though atheists are emphasizing their worship to not worship. Of course they have a right to assemble people and enjoy what life gives them, but why do it as the counterpart of a Sunday service? Atheism is clear in its definition—the doctrine or belief that there is no God—so I see it as such. Therefore, it is not a religion. However, if people continue to mold their atheism in similar ways as religion, then it might eventually become one, regardless of how much the atheists themselves don’t want it to.
Atheism has become a subject of debate worldwide. Atheists are defined as individuals who do not believe in god or worship a higher power. Religion is characterized as a set of beliefs, customs and views that relate to spiritual and moral values. To consider atheism as a religion, it should meet those requirements. In my opinion, atheism is not a religion. Although atheists’ disbelief of a god or higher power is a type of faith, it contradicts the definition of faith. Faith is the absolute trust or confidence of someone or something; therefore, it’s eliminating the concept of religion. Atheism ridicules religions by having an atheist church and Sunday Assembly to “sing songs and celebrate life,” as if attending mass or any religious gathering were a concert or live comedy show. Uniting with fellow believers should be a sacred experience. It shows respect to the god or higher power we have faith in. Bottom line, the fact that atheists have particular opinions against religions and disbeliefs doesn’t justify them as a religion.
To begin with, Atheism is the belief that there is no God. In the other hand, religion is the service and worship of God or the supernatural. Religion is a also defined as a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Saying all that, I believe that atheism is a religion because it is a belief in something. In this case they don't believe there is a God. I mean for me it's wrong to believe that there isn't a God because in my opinion there is one, but it's their choice and that choice should be respected just like any other religion. There is also another point of view in which religion as defined as "worship of God," and atheists don't believe in any God, so there's also the case of atheism not being a religion. This topic is very controversial and many different people have many different opinions in this. -Stephanie Idiaquez
“Religion cannot and should not be replaced by atheism. Religion needs to go away and not be replaced by anything. Atheism is not a religion. It’s the absence of religion, and that’s a wonderful thing.” -Penn Jillette For many years, people have been trying to define what atheism really is. Some claim it’s a religion. Others, like Penn Jillette, share the common belief that atheism is the absence of religion. So, the question that many are wondering is: Is atheism a religion?
According to dictionary.com, religion is defined as “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects”. Therefore, if there’s a group who share the same beliefs and practices they have a religion. The first atheist meeting was held on a Sunday in a church in London, England. During the meeting, they sang and discussed topics such as: '”beginnings”; welcoming the year and avoiding “mental booby traps.” No “man upstairs” was mentioned during the meeting. By definition, atheism is technically a religion.
Although there is clear evidence that by definition atheism is a religion, people still say otherwise. Penn Jillette argues, “Religion is faith. Faith is belief without evidence. Belief without evidence cannot be shared. Faith is a feeling.” He claims religion and faith are one. He goes on to say that we cannot share the same belief without evidence. According to Jillette, faith is a feeling. According to Jillette and many other atheist, atheism is not a religion, it is the absence of religion.
Atheism by definition is the disbelief of god or gods. Now the question that emerges is can atheism be considered a religion? Atheist don't believe in god or gods due to scientific breakthrough like evolution that gives evidence that human and animals weren't created as they are today but evolved through time by natural selection, or mutation. This contradicts the religious belief that god created the universe and everything in it, which includes of course earth, and everything in it. Take into account the biblical story of Adam and Eve which were the first people created. They had opposable thumps and upright backs. As you see religion and atheism are very different. Deriving from these points, religion is defined as, the belief in and worship of a god or gods. Since atheists do not believe in god or gods they can't be called a religion. Therefore by definition alone atheism can't be a religion.
From my perspective I would have to say that Atheism is a religion because although they do not believe in God, they still have a strong belief. Hence, religion falls under beliefs and there are many different religions that each has different beliefs. Yet, they all believe and worship some type of God; meanwhile Atheists do not believe in any God. With this in mind, if you believe something and there is group that believes the same then it can be considered as a religion. Even though Atheists don’t have written rules or principles they still have moral reasoning. In fact Atheists believe that the world was created during the Big Bang. By all means, religion is defined by believing and worshiping in a higher one, but it is essentially about having a strong belief. Under those circumstances, Atheists have a strong belief that there isn’t any God, so they certainly can be a religion.
An atheist believes that god(s) do not exist. They tend to interpret their understanding of the supernatural as nonexistent in this world. Even though their belief clashes with those of others, they still have a belief in which no one can ignore or reject because of their right to voice or practice in whatever they choose. There is a vast population who share these same feelings and ideas. Just as theists have the comfort of gathering amongst one another, atheist deserve such rights to do so as well, as long as they are not violating or imposing their beliefs unto anyone who does not agree with their principles. Granted that atheism is frowned upon by extreme religious beings, their ideology can have great logical understanding if given a chance. Atheists believe in the potential of humanity, in the power of reason, in the comfort of love, and in the value of truth. They also believe in the beauty and joy of human experience, and the nearly unlimited power of the human will to endure almost any hardship or solve almost any problem.
When i was younger, just bursting into the teenage years, i always use to think that atheism was this "no-no" thing. At that time, i didnt have a set religion to believe in. Ive never been a religious person because we never practiced it in my household. I always had the notion and the idea that there was a god and that people prayed to him for help and that he created this world - this knowledge coming from overhearing conversations, etc. As ive grown older, my views on religion in general have changed quite some and have probably pushed me more to the nontheist side if anything. Through the years, ive heard the bible stories, participated in saturday morning church, and heard others views upon religion. I was very naive into thinking what i thought upon atheism, not knowing that i contained a lot of the way they think in my very own self, while also still holding some of that belief i had when i was younger. As stated in one of the articles, the idea that religion can basically have this background of "sacred story" and "narrative thrust" and "beauty" is just that. Atheism creates an entire world of wonder on its own, which is its own story in itself and the fact that many other atheists out there may believe something a little different than another person is just another unheard story. Just because you dont have a strong belief in a god, doesnt mean you dont have a belief. You choose whether to believe in something or not. So is atheism a religion? It is. But it is the lesser evil in a sense. Atheism = You. As a being. What you think and not what a story or what your parents believe or anything else. The only reason its claimed "not religious" is because its deemed as no belief. But technically, you believe something, just not by the book so to speak.
First start off with the definition of atheism and religion. Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. Religion is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. The fact that they all have organized collection of beliefs, world views, and sometimes moral values makes atheism a religion. In irony atheism is a religion in which in fact go against religion itself. It’s interesting that Atheist reject the existence of deities because they think that there is no evidence or proof of deities or in my case there is a Lord my God when in fact there is no proof that there isn’t either. It is in fact that we know deep down that there is something or someone bigger than us that we can call to, to help us. Our souls long to be with our father God that’s why in fact we feel empty and we try to look for something or someone to try to fill us up without him we will never feel whole. In the case of an atheist they reject emotion which concludes why they would think there isn’t a deity or in my case a Lord my God. -Zaneta St.Cloud
Atheism is the absence of belief in the existence of god or gods due to lack of evidence. By definition, atheism is not a religion because religion is the belief in the supernatural due to faith and morality. It's said that since atheist don't believe in the supernatural, they don't have faith; this is where I would disagree. There's faith involved in trusting ourselves, trusting others; there's a hope and risk that you wont get deceived along the way, that people are reliable or trustworthy. Ecological statements don't shin a light on the worlds inner beauty and this is why a true atheist would lack of see the beauty in the world, the beauty in things. Without hope, there would be no encouragement to motivate us. Though atheism isn't considered a religion, I believe that everyone has the ability to see the beauty in life due to their own set of beliefs and faith which helps us get through what seems to be the most miserable situations; and this belief makes atheism a religion.
Although atheism could be considered a religion since atheists tend to want to separate themselves from the crowd, I don't think it's one because individuals who are atheist share no common ground and don't believe in supernatural beings. They don't put faith into anything unless they have proof. They are more logic based rather than faith based. Atheism lacks the requirements for being a true religion because it follows no doctrine . It cannot stand by itself as a religion.
By definition Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In other words, without gods. Religion is defined as an organized collection of belief systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and sometimes to moral values. So the question at hand is the following "Is Atheism a Religion". Yes, I believe Atheism is indeed a religion. Based off the fact it satisfies Religions first definiton which is that it is organized collection of belief systems. The beliefs that exist within Atheism are based off the belief that their is no God. Generally speaking most people's idea of Atheism is one of coldness and incredulity. Based off that generalization and the idea that it may contradict their personal religious beliefs, I could see how they would negate Atheism as being classified a religion. However, as 19th-century German philosopher Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach suggests, Atheism should focus less on heavenly righteousness and more on human justice thru all that is best in humankind-love, compassion, kindness. Here we see a completely different representation of Atheism. Which we see is even present within the largest religions where two different points of view or approach may be different such as in the case of Christianity where you have different denominations such as Methodists, Babtist's and so on. And based off this second representation of Atheism, it seems that it would satisfy religions second definition which is that it relates humanity to spirituality and moral value.
According to the article titled An Atheist Church, No Faith Required, an atheist church exists – The Sunday Assembly, which was founded by Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones in London. In my opinion, if a group of people is gathering to celebrate in a church, whether it is God or ‘the gift of life,’ as stated by the article, it should be considered a religion. However, I am not convinced that Atheism is a religion; on the contrary, I believe it to be the lack of said religion. I have always considered Atheists to believe in a higher power, whether it is God or someone/something else, they just do not agree with organized religion. The articles have mentioned that Atheists do not believe in God, so where do we draw the line between an Atheist and an Agonistic, who also have no belief in God. The topic of religion is one that is very controversial. Theologians, Atheists, Agnostics, et cetera have been arguing religion and lack there of for years. It is ultimately up to each individual for him or her to decide whether or not what he or she believes, or does not believe, is a religion.
Religion by definition is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. By this, Atheism can be considered a religion. Atheism is a lack of belief in God, believing in something makes it a religion. It is a growing movement that is becoming more aggressive, more demanding, and less tolerant of anything other than itself. They believe that the idea of Gods existence is illogical and contrary to the evidence at hand. Atheism fits that bill, Religion is a philosophy of life, and they have leaders and preachers of its tenets. Although there are weak atheists simply exercise no faith in God. The weak atheist might be better explained as a person who lacks belief in God the way a person might lack belief or not believe it and not be considered to practice any religion, just not a believer. zoe-rodriguez
the most common definition of religion is something like, “the service and worship of God or the supernatural.” and the definition of Atheism is the disbelief that God exist. i believe that it is not a religion because they don't believe in supernatural. Belief is the acceptance of the truth or actuality of anything without certain proof. Belief is a mental conviction. To believe is to accept something as true or real. It is to accept the truth, existence, value, worth, of something: to believe in freedom. It can denote strong emotional feelings such as "to believe" in a friend's innocence. One of the primary meanings of "to believe" is to have religious faith. Religious faith is belief in the supernatural (God) and atheists don't have that belief.
Atheism is not a religion. By definition religion is: "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."Within its very name atheism claims to be without theism. Theism is an umbrella term that covers every god and religion from A-Z. When you place an A in front of theism, you are describing a the lack of theism. This idea that atheism is a religion of its own because having religion is the only way for an individual to be moral is completely fallacious. Things like altruism, morality, and community are not concepts created by religion. Humans partake in these actions because man is a social animal. People do not act out of line because of a fear of god. Atheist is just a word to describe an individual who does not believe in god. The variation in beliefs between two atheists is tremendous. To be an atheist only entails that you do not believe in any deities. There is no set way that an atheist must live his or her life, and there is no agreed upon world view. Atheism can never be a religion. At best, two atheists have as much in common as two people who don't believe in UFOs.
In my opinion, I think atheism follows both sides. Atheism is the theory or belief that there is no God; however the definition of religion is to believe in something. So in a way atheism is a religion without trying because even though they don’t believe in a higher power or God, it still believes in morality. However they choose not to be defined as a religion because the whole purpose of atheism is to live life without a God. So in a sense, the whole topic of atheism is very contradicting because you can’t call atheism a religion because they don’t really believe in a religion to begin with, but at the same time, they decision to believe in nothing mixed with the fact that they share similar worldviews with other religions makes them a religion nonetheless. I think that religion and atheism are like distant cousins. They share the same bond but are totally different and really have no clue about each other.
Now my teacher gave me an assignment to talk about the idea of Atheism; which I had to read six different opinions on the topic. I really wish we could have more class discussions rather then homework, I have seen great knowledge that can be obtained for these methods. But Atheism is not a religion nor a cult. Its a belief not to believe, for example the weather man comes on TV at six-pm every night. The weather man says every night that its going to rain but very day it doesn't rain. Every person who watched TV always brought an umbrella with them every where they went. Now the people who didn't watch the weather man got to enjoy an nice day without carrying an umbrella. Do you see? It doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as your not hurting anybody, you could believe that John Wayne cured cancer, you could believe that world will end tomorrow. It doesn't matter because no one has the right tell you whos' your GOD or that your not your own GOD. And that is IDEA of atheism.
FEED your MIND ( would you rather believe in God, to die and find out that there is no GOD! or would you rather not believe in GOD to die and find out there is ONE!)
My teacher gave me an assignment to explain the idea of atheism; which is a great topic for a class discussion. This is my second time writing this because the first time I didn't save it before I pressed publish but no worries because if you see the time I posted this its like four in the MORNING the night before. I have seen Great knowledge that has been passed around through class discussions & less homework.( just keep that in mind) Atheism is a belief not to believe. For example every night at 5-pm the weather man comes on TV and saying its going to rain but every day it doesn't rain. Now the people who watch the weather man always bring an umbrella with them every where they go. But the people who don't watch the weather enjoy the beautiful day and don't carry an umbrella with them. Do you see? You can't tell someone that what they believe is not good for them. If I wanted to believe that I wrote the raven, or that John Wayne is my GOD, there is no reason why I can't. IF a society wants to not believe that fine with me but since every society can't have there cake and eat it too. Every one has to tell the other person that there Belief/God isn't good but I am here to tell you that who ever your God is, if its Brad Pit or Jesus Christ and you believe in them, great. But no one should tell which God to believe in because some people believe that their there own GOD.
FEED your MIND ( Would you rather Believe in GOD and die to find out there is no GOD! or Would you rather not believe and die and find out there is ONE!)
Atheism is defined as the rejection and lack of belief in God or Gods. . An atheist person is someone who’s belief in the supernatural is absent. This is an issue that many people have different opinions and arguments about in the world. Religion is a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. In my opinion I see atheism as a religion because they still have strong beliefs that there is no God, and a religion is a belief in something. Atheists are trying to make atheism into a new religion, and prove their argument that there’s no God. I personally have a strong belief in God, but if other people think otherwise why not support their idea? This topic relates to multi-culturalism, how we/you think is often different from a different cultural perspective. Every individual should be open minded and avoid temptation to be biased. We should all be connected and accept other peoples point of view whether their right or wrong.
According to my understanding, atheism is not or cannot be a religion because looking at the definition of the word it is a belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, of a personal god or gods. Meaning if there is no belief in something there cannot be a religion. Also from my opinion, it is irrelevant to have an assembly because the question is that what is the purpose of atheist meetings? Well as Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones said it has to celebrate the incredible gift of life, have fun and having a deeper connection within neighbors and us. However, to me that is not all, because the gift of life that they are celebrating for who gave it to them. For instance, you wake up a morning and you notice you are in a big house that does not belong to you. Yet you start bragging and celebrating with friends and families every day, as if it was the fruit of something you worked for. It is not fair because it is not yours; you just happen to be in it and never have anybody asking you any questions about it. Therefore, you cannot rejoice of something that is not yours, which happen to be life that was giving to you.
This topic has many controversial and many different point of views. To start of religion is the belief of and worship of a superhuman controlling power such as a God. Religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, ect. they all believe and have worship one person. Even though a Atheism person doesn’t belief in a God, it should still be respected just like the other religions. Because atheism doesn’t have the same concept of what a religion is described to be, an atheist person still have their own belief just a different way of how their churches are. The way how I see this situation is that if you believe in something and another person does too is because they can explain to you why they believe in that, so believing in something is a something a religion does. So in my perspective I do believe atheism is a religion, not everyone has the same thought, but as long as you strongly belief then it can become a religion. -Mary Palacio
Is atheism a religion? Yes. Most religions out there are monotheistic religions, which is that they only believe in one higher being or God in this case. The one thing that all religions have in common is living their live the way it is interpreted by a holy bible or something sacred in similarity under the belief of monotheism. If you look at the case of atheism, you have the same common factor in this so called “religion”: they have beliefs interpreted through social or personal encounters through life that have shaped how they interpret religion as a whole. Being an atheist you deny the existence of god, but there’s something that an atheist believes in, what that is depends on the individual as their choice of belief is not universal. Can atheism be considered a religion? If there is a belief in something that is a substitute towards god in the way they live their lives spiritually then yes atheism can be considered a religion, atheism can be considered to be a derivation or a subcategory of religion itself.
I remember being young and my catholic grandmother taking me to church. I would be in there like wondering who these people were singing too and standing up on every other word for. I felt so confused. Now as I am older I see that torture I was put through. Atheist is a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings. I don’t believe atheist is a new religion, and if so what do they have belief in? I consider myself atheists always have and my parents disagree with me. I tell them this, “If I don’t see it, I don’t believe it. When the supreme being comes down and shows himself to all his devoted followers. I will change my mind but for now I believe more in UFO.” The fact that atheist are making a religion out of nothing that they believe in is silly. They might as well just go to a regular catholic church and join them in their prayers. I don’t think atheist is a religion at all is just a belief itself. If atheists want to get together and discuss what they think, there’s nothing wrong with that. But meeting in a church and signing songs seems like a mimic to religions. If they want to believe in something might as well just believe in the supreme being.
Religion is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe-as well as the creation of life. It carries with it the characteristics of human devotion (to a higher being), ritualistic practices, and a set of ethical guidelines. All of these traits, however, are performed differently according to our cultural and societal realities. Even within our own western cultures and societies, we are so open to the idea of free thinking that it can be argued that the possibilities as far as faith and beliefs go are endless. The real question here, “Is atheism a religion,” asks us something that is more opinion than fact. The reality, on the other hand, is that by definition, atheism is the theory or belief that a higher being does not exist. So where does this leave us? Atheists claim to base their thinking on belief with evidence or proof. Religion, although not the same as spirituality, is based on belief and a shared feeling of unity or attachment to others and a higher being, or the universe, as well as shared morals and sometimes even social norms (or ancient manuscripts). Even scientology, which centers on the fact that through knowledge we can attain the power to do what we need for ourselves, shares a belief in a God. Buddhism, on the other hand was born through a humble man who reached enlightenment-and there are still people who believe and practice in temples by commemorating their beliefs in the Buddha’s teachings. Atheism definitely has similar characteristics to religion in general-but those similar characteristics or conditions of a religion that atheism shares with it are not necessary for atheism to be a religion. On top of that, since atheism is based more off of fact and evidence, it would be contradictory for an atheist to say that, by definition, they are the same as a religion. Had it not been for that fact that atheism was so against the belief of there not being a higher power, then maybe I could have said that it is…and although I strongly believe that everything is open to interpretation and that things are constantly changing -I would have to say that atheism in the end is not a religion. Does that mean that atheists can’t have a church? Of course, not! Perhaps it may seem controversial, but to have a religion, is not a necessary condition for a community of people to come together in order to share and celebrate their like-mindedness.
Can atheism be considered a religion? That's interesting to me considering that religion is to worship a God and they don't believe in any. To emulate the very thing you come against and worship around the idea of their being no existence of a God is ridiculous to me, but I feel they are free to do as they please just as those that do believe are free to. I don't understand however the concept of making a religion for the belief of nothing. What is there to do? Why take so much energy to worship the nothing. In my opinion to sit there and deny the existence of something all day and make a religion out of it is a bit insane because if it doesn't exist then it doesn't exist. I feel you acknowledge God's presence by trying to prove that he isn't real so much. Then to make a religion out of it I feel is even the more acknowledging him unless its a way to mock believers. However if they feel its a genuine religion then it makes no sense and seems contradictory to me but to each their own. Its their decision and choice but I feel atheism isn't a religion. It just doesn't make sense to me. Don't emulate the very thing you set out to say isn't real it makes me feel you are confused.
A lot of people would agree that atheism is not a religion. Most of us have been taught that if you are an atheist you don’t believe in God. Also that every religion includes believing in God. I actually disagree with that statement because I believe that a religion is having a strong belief in a superhuman that encourages having faith and hope. I agree with Penn Jillette when he says “we need to get rid religion” because human beings are believing in some “strong belief” that is supposed to be the “right” thing to do the rest of your life, but why? Everyone that believes strongly on a “religion” is a sinner some way or another. So what’s the point of a religion? Just to pick out everyone else’s flaws when they were the same ones going against their own religion. What if atheism being a religion is way healthier than Christianity or Catholicism? What if atheists are so much happier and healthier? No I don’t agree that it’s okay to not believe in God but we all are unique in our own ways. So if you believe so much in your own religion you should know you shouldn't be judging. - Kathy Diaz
Is atheism a religion? This topic is a very controversial one, but in my opinion, atheism is not a religion. Atheism means the non-believe in any supernatural beings or God. Some people define it as a "doctrine or position that rejects theism", that mean the belief on, at least, one supernatural being or God. The term atheism include those people who show a lack of belief in any God. According to the historian Francisco Diez de Velasco, "be an atheist or reject the existence of a God or Gods do not necessarily mean that they do not belong to any religion. Some religion as the Buddhism deny the existence of God or at least they don´t mention the existence of any God". In addition, according to the definition of atheism the Buddhist are atheist or better said non-theists. The tenets of atheism are contrary to those who hold religious beliefs and involve a critique of religion.
In order to get a conclusion of whether atheism is a religion or not, I will quote a post made by Luke Muehlhauser in his Intro to Religion blog. He declares some conditions required for religion and if most of this conditions are met, we can say that practice is a religion. First, interaction with the supernatural. Second, diagnosis of something essentially wrong with the human condition, and the prescription for salvation or liberation from it. Third, regular, repeated behavior or ritual. Fourth, community practice. From this we can see that Christianity has all of the requirements, so it is a religion. Buddhism in the same hand, fulfill all the requirements except the first, the interaction with the supernatural. Now lets examine Atheism. The first requirement is completely not met because of the simple definition of atheism. With the second condition things get tricky. In the post in the N Y times of Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones. They state that “in essence we want to help people to live better, help often and wonder more”. By this phrase I get the sense that they meet for a goal of improving society, which satisfy the second condition for religion. Third, regular, repeated behavior or ritual. In the moment that Atheist start meeting in this “Sunday Assembly's”, it automatically satisfy the third condition. And for the last condition, about the community practice I say it is fulfilled. Because in the moment that the Atheist church opens the doors for the community and start receiving people that want to attend to this assembly, this last condition is fulfilled. This showed that Atheism have three of the four condition, just like Buddhism and Jainism. For this reason I will consider Atheism a religion.
Here is the link for the blog of Intro to Religion: http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=5006
Regardless of what most athiests report, athiesm is seeming more of a religion than just a way of thinking towards life. One article said that faith in religion is belief without evidence, in regards to athiesm is it not in the same category? The belief in a God non existing, without evidence to back up the claim. Athiests are convinced, mostly through science, that the claims of an existing God are false. However, who's to say that science isn't just deduced explanations for God's work? Church is not defined as a place specifically to go worship, it is defined as a group of people getting together celebrate their beliefs. Once again, the belief a God doesn't exist. Which ties back into Athiesm actually being a religion on its own. It has a rich following with places being made to celebrate the belief. In my eyes, athiesm has traits of a religion so far.
Atheism may be a selfish position itself because by just rejecting the existence of a Creator or even that Creation comes from nothing it is like negating the existence of life in the Universe just because it has not been found yet by humans with the available technology. Einstein felt religions as “infantile superstitions” but he could never proof scientifically the non existence of God. Atheist defend their position stating religions in general are made by humans themselves trying to portray God with the qualities we lack, like immortality or the desire of convincing ourselves that there is life after death when in reality everything ends once life is over. The debate has been always passionate for both believers and non believers and it looks it will continue. In my opinion religion is not only about life or death, good or bad but a set of principles to guide our behavior towards others.
Many argue that Atheism is an explicit denial of religion. In fact, according to the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: atheism is the theory or belief that God does not exist. Personally I belief that Atheism should be considered as a religion just like Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the rest. Religion has more than one definition, if you define it as the service and worship of God or the supernatural then obviously Atheism will not be considered a religion however, there is “religion” as a sense of morality. This is similar to the use of the adjective form of the word: religious. If someone is described as “religious,” you usually think of a person who goes to church to worship some almighty power. But “religious” also has the definition of “passionate” or “zealous,” and “scrupulous,” as well. Atheism means that you do not believe in a God but it doesn't necessarily mean that you don't belief in something. A religion doesn't have to mean that you believe in a God. You can be Atheist and have morality, and be passionate too. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly stated that Atheism warrants the same protection as all other religions.
I believe that atheism is a religion and should be treated as so. Religion in any sense is faith, faith is belief without evidence. In Christianity the Christian lives his life through faith in God, something that cannot be proven or dis-proven. Atheist believe that there is no god. Atheism is also a faith without evidence. If atheism is a faith without evidence and religion is also faith without evidence then it is safe to say that the belief that there is no god and the belief that there is a god are both religions. The opposition may say that atheism doesn't meet necessary criteria’s to be classified as a religion. This criteria’s are transcendence and beauty as well as sacred story and narrative thrust. This are all characteristic that define religion at a religious point of view. An atheist can counter this by saying the fact that they believe there is no god is a sacred narrative thrust in their beliefs of disbelief. as for beauty , beauty is define by the beholder . Therefor atheism to an atheist can have its beautiful aspects.
“Even nonbelievers can get together to sing songs, hear good speakers and celebrate the incredible gift of life”
Is atheism a religion? This is a well- discussed issue not only in philosophy classes, but around the globe. Then you have people that claim that it really comes down to the definition of ‘religion’. We are not here to discuss semantics, yet many emphasize the belief in and/or worshipping of a superhuman controlling power, God or gods. Atheism is the idea that there is no higher power involved in life, simply because there is no metaphysical evidence to believe there is. Could atheism then still be marked a religion? Yes it can, because when we look at the broad spectrum of how religion can be interpreted we need to look beyond Catholicism, Judaism or Islam as religions simply because they are centered on the belief of a higher power. What about Buddhism, that gives a central role to the doctrine of karma or Confucianism, a belief that emphasizes that we should be concerned with the welfare and well being of the people and that human nature is intrinsically good. These religions are some examples of religions that not profoundly focus on supernatural matters. Instead, a better approach to classify a religion would be to focus on the multiple characteristics that religions have in common, as you so you will be able to classify atheism as religion as well.
Atheism is not a religion. It is the belief in the lack of belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power. However, if Atheists want to create a “church”, where they gather together to share their common views, all the power to them. This country supports freedom of religion as well as freedom to not adhere to any religion. It’s ridiculous to say Atheism is a religion. By its very definition, it would negate its main principle. Atheists want many of the things that one would receive at a church, temple, mosque, etc. but without the heaping of religion being thrown at them. People have the right to practice whatever they want. Theirs just happens to be their disbelief in religion. They want that sense of community and of belonging to a group, which they would have had at a place of worship. Atheists will get the opportunity to worship their ideals and meet new people with the same values they share. Discriminating against people for their lack of belief is just as bad as discriminating against people for their belief. -Salma Moona
The definition of religion is a set of belief concerning the cause, nature concerning the purpose of the universe. Religion is commonly practiced with devotional and ritual observance. For my perspective I believe atheism is a religion. The believe that there is no god is a set of belief that pertains to a specific practice. Like Christianity, Judaism and Islam atheist have followers and you can go as far to say they preach in trying to convert other to their view point on life. In the first atheist church in Britain their objective is to unify humans without worshiping a supreme being, like any other religion they offer a better living, happiness, joy and comfort in their ideology. These are all the characteristics of a religion
44 comments:
Atheism is an extremely contraversial topic. Atheists believe there is no god. Everyone has a different idea of what religion is. Religion is defined as the belief in and worship of god. Those two words appear contradicting, however, believing there is no god is still a faith because it's the belief in the non-existence of god. To many people, a church is a place to worship god. But in reality, it is just another building for public worship in general. Even though most people attend mass to worship god, it is still a group of people who share the same interest. Many people are opposed to Atheism having its own church, but the way I see the entire subject about the first Atheist Church is just as a group of people to be part of the community aspect of church that they miss, and get together to be open minded and discuss and debate similar ideas without being judged.
-Karina Moran
Atheism can be a religion depending on how one defines religion. Religion can either be based on one's beliefs of the existence of a higher power or deity that they worship. It can also be defined as a set of beliefs or customs that one chooses to live by. Atheists do not believe in God or worship but they do have strong opinions about why they choose not to believe and want to live their lives as nonbelievers. My opinion is that atheists are not considered religious when it comes to certain aspects of what religion is but some people believe they are. Meanwhile, categorizing atheism as a religion is a debate because atheism tries to eliminate the concept of religion. They have a lack of belief and want to free themselves from the ideas of religion. The fact that they have these opinions and beliefs against religion cannot justify them as having a religion. It is a contradiction with what they believe in which is nothing. In order for atheism to be considered a religion, they will to have to believe but they do not so therefore, atheism is not a religion.
I think that atheism has become in fact one of the many religions that exist in the world. And their take on religion being a big problem is in fact a take on God, and Christianity being the problem. Religion by definition is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. The claims of atheism are that there are no gods, whatsoever, and that is what they believe in, but surprisingly not all religion believes in a special god or goddess. Some religions believe in a higher power, with no special name, some religions believe in living in harmony with oneself and nature, for instance Taoism. So the belief that atheism has that there is no god, or any higher power guiding their paths, is in fact making them into a religion, which is a collection of belief systems etc. And now having an atheism church or Sunday assembly as they call it is, first a mockery of the real definition of what a church really is, and it is a proof that atheism is and wants to be a religion, among many others.
My idea of atheism itself, provoked by the disbeliefs of religion itself, to be honoring something of such belief. There has to be proof of worthy examinations in practice. Church itself claims the bible to be fact and none other than the truth yet the five books of Moses are doubted and claimed to be false by scholars like Umberto Cassuto, who studied the bible for years or others like Gleason Archer. There are no proven facts that the bible is legitimate, therefore it comes to the questioning of the holy bible. Atheism itself is a religion, a religion of disbelief of religion. It all comes down to religion when stating your beliefs and acts. Religion itself is a state of what you should believe and how you should act. None other than atheism creating a church for its beliefs. It all just keeps revolving in a circle and going around until people will realize that we all have a religion and that we shouldn't call it atheism, we should call it by our names and state our beliefs. Not all of us follow the commandments of the bible or Koran. Religion doesn't make us, we make religion. Atheism is just another word for believing in yourself, same with Satanism. Baphomet is an iconic and controversial figure for the ignorant minded yet for those who know about the laws of life from the book of LaVey, where he explains that Baphomet is just an image. Just like Marilyn Monroe or famous painter Salvador Dali. Satanism itself is atheism in the way that you should believe in yourself. If there is something to prove, Prove it.
I can definitively say that atheism is a religion because religion has many meanings . One meaning states that religion is a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects. Another meaning does state that religion consists of believing in a god, but does not say that you MUST believe in a god. Since a group of atheist already have gotten together and are practicing their belief, they have the right to call atheism a religion. I can understand why other religious groups do not want atheism to be considered a religion. They feel threatened in the idea that if the numbers grow to a certain point, atheism will be the most practiced religion in the world. The only contradicting issue that has arisen from the atheist who are practicing their belief is by having a church. A church is where Christianity is worshiped and only shall Christianity be practiced inside a church.
-Franklin Baez
The false inclusion of atheism into the pool of religion is an attempt by the
religious to place atheism "in the ring" so to speak. For example, if you've spent
your whole life believing in a system, and then someone comes along who
believes in not having a system at all, your mind is conditioned to see that belief
as just another system. There exists atheistic religions such as Buddhism and
raëlianism, but atheism itself doesn't constitute a religion. A Religion composes of
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, an institution to
express belief in a divine power etc, and atheism doesn't have these qualities. It
would be better to drop the word atheism altogether and call us defaults, since
atheism is the default worldview we all begin with. Atheism is as much of a
religion as bald is a hair color.
- Smith Pena
Frances Dalla Torre
Isms. Just as religion, atheism is also another system that has been growing up and raising their voice through times. The negation of the existence of something brings up the idea of the thing, which contradicts the first. An atheist church abolishes the former atheist ideal, transforming the atheism into a new religion, creating new anti god gods, or just a no god god. All individuals, by default, have their own belief system, there is always something to believe in, either predetermined gods, science, art, life and death, the external environment or nothing, but even nothing is something, the nothing occupies a place, either in the space or in our thoughts. This is definitely one of those matters that are extremely hard to concord one with another because our human condition. The idea of an atheist church is going to bother a lot of people, but it actually has a sense to exist, since at the end of the day atheism is the belief of no god, and if they want to get together to celebrate their belief of non believing, they are free to gather and throw their own parties on any subjects and even determine a new dress code, one in which there is no dress code.
The definition of religion is “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons; a ritual observance of faith”. Atheism is the belief that there is no God, so I would definitely argue that atheism is indeed a religion. Why? Well simply because in any religion, one must believe something, have faith in something. So, in believing in nothing you are actually believing in something. In not believing in a superior God, you are believing that there is no superior God, which makes that your belief. I could even go as far as saying, it takes more faith to believe in nothing that it does to believe in something. There are many strong atheist, which comparing them to Christians (usually the main opposing religion), they do just about the same when it comes to speaking their beliefs to others. Just ask Christians proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, atheist proclaim that there is no such God, that it is logically impossible for such God to exist, bringing evidence that they have found a revelation about truth.
-Hessie Hernandez
The answer to this question is not clear nor is it straight forward. There are many circumstances and points of views that we must take into consideration. Be that as it may, there are several aspects of atheism that are similar to religion but the one that stands out the most is the fact that both atheism and religion consist of a group of individuals that come together and have the same basic opinion on the subject of the existence of a greater being. Both sides believe they are the ones who have the true answer, and they will battle tooth and nail to prove it. However, in the case of the atheist church, it seems as though atheists are emphasizing their worship to not worship. Of course they have a right to assemble people and enjoy what life gives them, but why do it as the counterpart of a Sunday service? Atheism is clear in its definition—the doctrine or belief that there is no God—so I see it as such. Therefore, it is not a religion. However, if people continue to mold their atheism in similar ways as religion, then it might eventually become one, regardless of how much the atheists themselves don’t want it to.
-Caitlin Martinez
Atheism has become a subject of debate worldwide. Atheists are defined as individuals who do not believe in god or worship a higher power. Religion is characterized as a set of beliefs, customs and views that relate to spiritual and moral values. To consider atheism as a religion, it should meet those requirements. In my opinion, atheism is not a religion. Although atheists’ disbelief of a god or higher power is a type of faith, it contradicts the definition of faith. Faith is the absolute trust or confidence of someone or something; therefore, it’s eliminating the concept of religion. Atheism ridicules religions by having an atheist church and Sunday Assembly to “sing songs and celebrate life,” as if attending mass or any religious gathering were a concert or live comedy show. Uniting with fellow believers should be a sacred experience. It shows respect to the god or higher power we have faith in. Bottom line, the fact that atheists have particular opinions against religions and disbeliefs doesn’t justify them as a religion.
- Rodrigo Villa-Garcia
To begin with, Atheism is the belief that there is no God. In the other hand, religion is the service and worship of God or the supernatural. Religion is a also defined as a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Saying all that, I believe that atheism is a religion because it is a belief in something. In this case they don't believe there is a God. I mean for me it's wrong to believe that there isn't a God because in my opinion there is one, but it's their choice and that choice should be respected just like any other religion. There is also another point of view in which religion as defined as "worship of God," and atheists don't believe in any God, so there's also the case of atheism not being a religion. This topic is very controversial and many different people have many different opinions in this.
-Stephanie Idiaquez
“Religion cannot and should not be replaced by atheism. Religion needs to go away and not be replaced by anything. Atheism is not a religion. It’s the absence of religion, and that’s a wonderful thing.” -Penn Jillette For many years, people have been trying to define what atheism really is. Some claim it’s a religion. Others, like Penn Jillette, share the common belief that atheism is the absence of religion. So, the question that many are wondering is: Is atheism a religion?
According to dictionary.com, religion is defined as “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects”. Therefore, if there’s a group who share the same beliefs and practices they have a religion. The first atheist meeting was held on a Sunday in a church in London, England. During the meeting, they sang and discussed topics such as: '”beginnings”; welcoming the year and avoiding “mental booby traps.” No “man upstairs” was mentioned during the meeting. By definition, atheism is technically a religion.
Although there is clear evidence that by definition atheism is a religion, people still say otherwise. Penn Jillette argues, “Religion is faith. Faith is belief without evidence. Belief without evidence cannot be shared. Faith is a feeling.” He claims religion and faith are one. He goes on to say that we cannot share the same belief without evidence. According to Jillette, faith is a feeling. According to Jillette and many other atheist, atheism is not a religion, it is the absence of religion.
-Elizabeth Garcia
Atheism by definition is the disbelief of god or gods. Now the question that emerges is can atheism be considered a religion? Atheist don't believe in god or gods due to scientific breakthrough like evolution that gives evidence that human and animals weren't created as they are today but evolved through time by natural selection, or mutation. This contradicts the religious belief that god created the universe and everything in it, which includes of course earth, and everything in it. Take into account the biblical story of Adam and Eve which were the first people created. They had opposable thumps and upright backs. As you see religion and atheism are very different. Deriving from these points, religion is defined as, the belief in and worship of a god or gods. Since atheists do not believe in god or gods they can't be called a religion. Therefore by definition alone atheism can't be a religion.
From my perspective I would have to say that Atheism is a religion because although they do not believe in God, they still have a strong belief. Hence, religion falls under beliefs and there are many different religions that each has different beliefs. Yet, they all believe and worship some type of God; meanwhile Atheists do not believe in any God. With this in mind, if you believe something and there is group that believes the same then it can be considered as a religion. Even though Atheists don’t have written rules or principles they still have moral reasoning. In fact Atheists believe that the world was created during the Big Bang. By all means, religion is defined by believing and worshiping in a higher one, but it is essentially about having a strong belief. Under those circumstances, Atheists have a strong belief that there isn’t any God, so they certainly can be a religion.
An atheist believes that god(s) do not exist. They tend to interpret their understanding of the supernatural as nonexistent in this world. Even though their belief clashes with those of others, they still have a belief in which no one can ignore or reject because of their right to voice or practice in whatever they choose. There is a vast population who share these same feelings and ideas. Just as theists have the comfort of gathering amongst one another, atheist deserve such rights to do so as well, as long as they are not violating or imposing their beliefs unto anyone who does not agree with their principles. Granted that atheism is frowned upon by extreme religious beings, their ideology can have great logical understanding if given a chance. Atheists believe in the potential of humanity, in the power of reason, in the comfort of love, and in the value of truth. They also believe in the beauty and joy of human experience, and the nearly unlimited power of the human will to endure almost any hardship or solve almost any problem.
-Jeffriy Garay
When i was younger, just bursting into the teenage years, i always use to think that atheism was this "no-no" thing. At that time, i didnt have a set religion to believe in. Ive never been a religious person because we never practiced it in my household. I always had the notion and the idea that there was a god and that people prayed to him for help and that he created this world - this knowledge coming from overhearing conversations, etc.
As ive grown older, my views on religion in general have changed quite some and have probably pushed me more to the nontheist side if anything. Through the years, ive heard the bible stories, participated in saturday morning church, and heard others views upon religion. I was very naive into thinking what i thought upon atheism, not knowing that i contained a lot of the way they think in my very own self, while also still holding some of that belief i had when i was younger.
As stated in one of the articles, the idea that religion can basically have this background of "sacred story" and "narrative thrust" and "beauty" is just that. Atheism creates an entire world of wonder on its own, which is its own story in itself and the fact that many other atheists out there may believe something a little different than another person is just another unheard story. Just because you dont have a strong belief in a god, doesnt mean you dont have a belief. You choose whether to believe in something or not. So is atheism a religion? It is. But it is the lesser evil in a sense. Atheism = You. As a being. What you think and not what a story or what your parents believe or anything else. The only reason its claimed "not religious" is because its deemed as no belief. But technically, you believe something, just not by the book so to speak.
First start off with the definition of atheism and religion. Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. Religion is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. The fact that they all have organized collection of beliefs, world views, and sometimes moral values makes atheism a religion. In irony atheism is a religion in which in fact go against religion itself. It’s interesting that Atheist reject the existence of deities because they think that there is no evidence or proof of deities or in my case there is a Lord my God when in fact there is no proof that there isn’t either. It is in fact that we know deep down that there is something or someone bigger than us that we can call to, to help us. Our souls long to be with our father God that’s why in fact we feel empty and we try to look for something or someone to try to fill us up without him we will never feel whole. In the case of an atheist they reject emotion which concludes why they would think there isn’t a deity or in my case a Lord my God.
-Zaneta St.Cloud
Atheism is the absence of belief in the existence of god or gods due to lack of evidence. By definition, atheism is not a religion because religion is the belief in the supernatural due to faith and morality. It's said that since atheist don't believe in the supernatural, they don't have faith; this is where I would disagree. There's faith involved in trusting ourselves, trusting others; there's a hope and risk that you wont get deceived along the way, that people are reliable or trustworthy. Ecological statements don't shin a light on the worlds inner beauty and this is why a true atheist would lack of see the beauty in the world, the beauty in things. Without hope, there would be no encouragement to motivate us. Though atheism isn't considered a religion, I believe that everyone has the ability to see the beauty in life due to their own set of beliefs and faith which helps us get through what seems to be the most miserable situations; and this belief makes atheism a religion.
-Gabi Hernandez
Although atheism could be considered a religion since atheists tend to want to separate themselves from the crowd, I don't think it's one because individuals who are atheist share no common ground and don't believe in supernatural beings. They don't put faith into anything unless they have proof. They are more logic based rather than faith based. Atheism lacks the requirements for being a true religion because it follows no doctrine . It cannot stand by itself as a religion.
Zhalika Pasley
By definition Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In other words, without gods. Religion is defined as an organized collection of belief systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and sometimes to moral values.
So the question at hand is the following "Is Atheism a Religion".
Yes, I believe Atheism is indeed a religion. Based off the fact it satisfies Religions first definiton which is that it is organized collection of belief systems. The beliefs that exist within Atheism are based off the belief that their is no God. Generally speaking most people's idea of Atheism is one of coldness and incredulity. Based off that generalization and the idea that it may contradict their personal religious beliefs, I could see how they would negate Atheism as being classified a religion. However, as 19th-century German philosopher Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach suggests, Atheism should focus less on heavenly righteousness and more on human justice thru all that is best in humankind-love, compassion, kindness. Here we see a completely different representation of Atheism. Which we see is even present within the largest religions where two different points of view or approach may be different such as in the case of Christianity where you have different denominations such as Methodists, Babtist's and so on.
And based off this second representation of Atheism, it seems that it would satisfy religions second definition which is that it relates humanity to spirituality and moral value.
According to the article titled An Atheist Church, No Faith Required, an atheist church exists – The Sunday Assembly, which was founded by Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones in London. In my opinion, if a group of people is gathering to celebrate in a church, whether it is God or ‘the gift of life,’ as stated by the article, it should be considered a religion. However, I am not convinced that Atheism is a religion; on the contrary, I believe it to be the lack of said religion. I have always considered Atheists to believe in a higher power, whether it is God or someone/something else, they just do not agree with organized religion. The articles have mentioned that Atheists do not believe in God, so where do we draw the line between an Atheist and an Agonistic, who also have no belief in God. The topic of religion is one that is very controversial. Theologians, Atheists, Agnostics, et cetera have been arguing religion and lack there of for years. It is ultimately up to each individual for him or her to decide whether or not what he or she believes, or does not believe, is a religion.
Stephanie Interian
Religion by definition is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. By this, Atheism can be considered a religion. Atheism is a lack of belief in God, believing in something makes it a religion. It is a growing movement that is becoming more aggressive, more demanding, and less tolerant of anything other than itself. They believe that the idea of Gods existence is illogical and contrary to the evidence at hand. Atheism fits that bill, Religion is a philosophy of life, and they have leaders and preachers of its tenets. Although there are weak atheists simply exercise no faith in God. The weak atheist might be better explained as a person who lacks belief in God the way a person might lack belief or not believe it and not be considered to practice any religion, just not a believer.
zoe-rodriguez
the most common definition of religion is something like, “the service and worship of God or the supernatural.” and the definition of Atheism is the disbelief that God exist. i believe that it is not a religion because they don't believe in supernatural. Belief is the acceptance of the truth or actuality of anything without certain proof. Belief is a mental conviction. To believe is to accept something as true or real. It is to accept the truth, existence, value, worth, of something: to believe in freedom. It can denote strong emotional feelings such as "to believe" in a friend's innocence. One of the primary meanings of "to believe" is to have religious faith. Religious faith is belief in the supernatural (God) and atheists don't have that belief.
Atheism is not a religion. By definition religion is: "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs."Within its very name atheism claims to be without theism. Theism is an umbrella term that covers every god and religion from A-Z. When you place an A in front of theism, you are describing a the lack of theism. This idea that atheism is a religion of its own because having religion is the only way for an individual to be moral is completely fallacious. Things like altruism, morality, and community are not concepts created by religion. Humans partake in these actions because man is a social animal. People do not act out of line because of a fear of god. Atheist is just a word to describe an individual who does not believe in god. The variation in beliefs between two atheists is tremendous. To be an atheist only entails that you do not believe in any deities. There is no set way that an atheist must live his or her life, and there is no agreed upon world view. Atheism can never be a religion. At best, two atheists have as much in common as two people who don't believe in UFOs.
-Shannen Walters
In my opinion, I think atheism follows both sides. Atheism is the theory or belief that there is no God; however the definition of religion is to believe in something. So in a way atheism is a religion without trying because even though they don’t believe in a higher power or God, it still believes in morality. However they choose not to be defined as a religion because the whole purpose of atheism is to live life without a God. So in a sense, the whole topic of atheism is very contradicting because you can’t call atheism a religion because they don’t really believe in a religion to begin with, but at the same time, they decision to believe in nothing mixed with the fact that they share similar worldviews with other religions makes them a religion nonetheless. I think that religion and atheism are like distant cousins. They share the same bond but are totally different and really have no clue about each other.
-Jared Johnson
Now my teacher gave me an assignment to talk about the idea of Atheism; which I had to read six different opinions on the topic. I really wish we could have more class discussions rather then homework, I have seen great knowledge that can be obtained for these methods. But Atheism is not a religion nor a cult. Its a belief not to believe, for example the weather man comes on TV at six-pm every night. The weather man says every night that its going to rain but very day it doesn't rain. Every person who watched TV always brought an umbrella with them every where they went. Now the people who didn't watch the weather man got to enjoy an nice day without carrying an umbrella. Do you see? It doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as your not hurting anybody, you could believe that John Wayne cured cancer, you could believe that world will end tomorrow. It doesn't matter because no one has the right tell you whos' your GOD or that your not your own GOD. And that is IDEA of atheism.
FEED your MIND ( would you rather believe in God, to die and find out that there is no GOD! or would you rather not believe in GOD to die and find out there is ONE!)
Ryan Alexander Ferreira
My teacher gave me an assignment to explain the idea of atheism; which is a great topic for a class discussion. This is my second time writing this because the first time I didn't save it before I pressed publish but no worries because if you see the time I posted this its like four in the MORNING the night before. I have seen Great knowledge that has been passed around through class discussions & less homework.( just keep that in mind) Atheism is a belief not to believe. For example every night at 5-pm the weather man comes on TV and saying its going to rain but every day it doesn't rain. Now the people who watch the weather man always bring an umbrella with them every where they go. But the people who don't watch the weather enjoy the beautiful day and don't carry an umbrella with them. Do you see? You can't tell someone that what they believe is not good for them. If I wanted to believe that I wrote the raven, or that John Wayne is my GOD, there is no reason why I can't. IF a society wants to not believe that fine with me but since every society can't have there cake and eat it too. Every one has to tell the other person that there Belief/God isn't good but I am here to tell you that who ever your God is, if its Brad Pit or Jesus Christ and you believe in them, great. But no one should tell which God to believe in because some people believe that their there own GOD.
FEED your MIND ( Would you rather Believe in GOD and die to find out there is no GOD! or Would you rather not believe and die and find out there is ONE!)
Ryan Alexander Ferreira
Atheism is defined as the rejection and lack of belief in God or Gods. . An atheist person is someone who’s belief in the supernatural is absent. This is an issue that many people have different opinions and arguments about in the world. Religion is a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. In my opinion I see atheism as a religion because they still have strong beliefs that there is no God, and a religion is a belief in something. Atheists are trying to make atheism into a new religion, and prove their argument that there’s no God. I personally have a strong belief in God, but if other people think otherwise why not support their idea? This topic relates to multi-culturalism, how we/you think is often different from a different cultural perspective. Every individual should be open minded and avoid temptation to be biased. We should all be connected and accept other peoples point of view whether their right or wrong.
-Shery Lopez
According to my understanding, atheism is not or cannot be a religion because looking at the definition of the word it is a belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, of a personal god or gods. Meaning if there is no belief in something there cannot be a religion. Also from my opinion, it is irrelevant to have an assembly because the question is that what is the purpose of atheist meetings? Well as Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones said it has to celebrate the incredible gift of life, have fun and having a deeper connection within neighbors and us. However, to me that is not all, because the gift of life that they are celebrating for who gave it to them. For instance, you wake up a morning and you notice you are in a big house that does not belong to you. Yet you start bragging and celebrating with friends and families every day, as if it was the fruit of something you worked for. It is not fair because it is not yours; you just happen to be in it and never have anybody asking you any questions about it. Therefore, you cannot rejoice of something that is not yours, which happen to be life that was giving to you.
Kessy Felix
This topic has many controversial and many different point of views. To start of religion is the belief of and worship of a superhuman controlling power such as a God. Religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, ect. they all believe and have worship one person. Even though a Atheism person doesn’t belief in a God, it should still be respected just like the other religions. Because atheism doesn’t have the same concept of what a religion is described to be, an atheist person still have their own belief just a different way of how their churches are. The way how I see this situation is that if you believe in something and another person does too is because they can explain to you why they believe in that, so believing in something is a something a religion does. So in my perspective I do believe atheism is a religion, not everyone has the same thought, but as long as you strongly belief then it can become a religion.
-Mary Palacio
Is atheism a religion? Yes. Most religions out there are monotheistic religions, which is that they only believe in one higher being or God in this case. The one thing that all religions have in common is living their live the way it is interpreted by a holy bible or something sacred in similarity under the belief of monotheism. If you look at the case of atheism, you have the same common factor in this so called “religion”: they have beliefs interpreted through social or personal encounters through life that have shaped how they interpret religion as a whole. Being an atheist you deny the existence of god, but there’s something that an atheist believes in, what that is depends on the individual as their choice of belief is not universal. Can atheism be considered a religion? If there is a belief in something that is a substitute towards god in the way they live their lives spiritually then yes atheism can be considered a religion, atheism can be considered to be a derivation or a subcategory of religion itself.
-Hasmaik
I remember being young and my catholic grandmother taking me to church. I would be in there like wondering who these people were singing too and standing up on every other word for. I felt so confused. Now as I am older I see that torture I was put through. Atheist is a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings. I don’t believe atheist is a new religion, and if so what do they have belief in? I consider myself atheists always have and my parents disagree with me. I tell them this, “If I don’t see it, I don’t believe it. When the supreme being comes down and shows himself to all his devoted followers. I will change my mind but for now I believe more in UFO.” The fact that atheist are making a religion out of nothing that they believe in is silly. They might as well just go to a regular catholic church and join them in their prayers. I don’t think atheist is a religion at all is just a belief itself. If atheists want to get together and discuss what they think, there’s nothing wrong with that. But meeting in a church and signing songs seems like a mimic to religions. If they want to believe in something might as well just believe in the supreme being.
-Bethzaida Campos
Religion is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe-as well as the creation of life. It carries with it the characteristics of human devotion (to a higher being), ritualistic practices, and a set of ethical guidelines. All of these traits, however, are performed differently according to our cultural and societal realities. Even within our own western cultures and societies, we are so open to the idea of free thinking that it can be argued that the possibilities as far as faith and beliefs go are endless. The real question here, “Is atheism a religion,” asks us something that is more opinion than fact. The reality, on the other hand, is that by definition, atheism is the theory or belief that a higher being does not exist. So where does this leave us? Atheists claim to base their thinking on belief with evidence or proof. Religion, although not the same as spirituality, is based on belief and a shared feeling of unity or attachment to others and a higher being, or the universe, as well as shared morals and sometimes even social norms (or ancient manuscripts). Even scientology, which centers on the fact that through knowledge we can attain the power to do what we need for ourselves, shares a belief in a God. Buddhism, on the other hand was born through a humble man who reached enlightenment-and there are still people who believe and practice in temples by commemorating their beliefs in the Buddha’s teachings. Atheism definitely has similar characteristics to religion in general-but those similar characteristics or conditions of a religion that atheism shares with it are not necessary for atheism to be a religion. On top of that, since atheism is based more off of fact and evidence, it would be contradictory for an atheist to say that, by definition, they are the same as a religion. Had it not been for that fact that atheism was so against the belief of there not being a higher power, then maybe I could have said that it is…and although I strongly believe that everything is open to interpretation and that things are constantly changing -I would have to say that atheism in the end is not a religion. Does that mean that atheists can’t have a church? Of course, not! Perhaps it may seem controversial, but to have a religion, is not a necessary condition for a community of people to come together in order to share and celebrate their like-mindedness.
-Veronica Gomez Musa
Can atheism be considered a religion? That's interesting to me considering that religion is to worship a God and they don't believe in any. To emulate the very thing you come against and worship around the idea of their being no existence of a God is ridiculous to me, but I feel they are free to do as they please just as those that do believe are free to. I don't understand however the concept of making a religion for the belief of nothing. What is there to do? Why take so much energy to worship the nothing. In my opinion to sit there and deny the existence of something all day and make a religion out of it is a bit insane because if it doesn't exist then it doesn't exist. I feel you acknowledge God's presence by trying to prove that he isn't real so much. Then to make a religion out of it I feel is even the more acknowledging him unless its a way to mock believers. However if they feel its a genuine religion then it makes no sense and seems contradictory to me but to each their own. Its their decision and choice but I feel atheism isn't a religion. It just doesn't make sense to me. Don't emulate the very thing you set out to say isn't real it makes me feel you are confused.
-Denise Collins
A lot of people would agree that atheism is not a religion. Most of us have been taught that if you are an atheist you don’t believe in God. Also that every religion includes believing in God. I actually disagree with that statement because I believe that a religion is having a strong belief in a superhuman that encourages having faith and hope. I agree with Penn Jillette when he says “we need to get rid religion” because human beings are believing in some “strong belief” that is supposed to be the “right” thing to do the rest of your life, but why? Everyone that believes strongly on a “religion” is a sinner some way or another. So what’s the point of a religion? Just to pick out everyone else’s flaws when they were the same ones going against their own religion. What if atheism being a religion is way healthier than Christianity or Catholicism? What if atheists are so much happier and healthier? No I don’t agree that it’s okay to not believe in God but we all are unique in our own ways. So if you believe so much in your own religion you should know you shouldn't be judging.
- Kathy Diaz
Is atheism a religion? This topic is a very controversial one, but in my opinion, atheism is not a religion. Atheism means the non-believe in any supernatural beings or God. Some people define it as a "doctrine or position that rejects theism", that mean the belief on, at least, one supernatural being or God.
The term atheism include those people who show a lack of belief in any God. According to the historian Francisco Diez de Velasco, "be an atheist or reject the existence of a God or Gods do not necessarily mean that they do not belong to any religion. Some religion as the Buddhism deny the existence of God or at least they don´t mention the existence of any God". In addition, according to the definition of atheism the Buddhist are atheist or better said non-theists.
The tenets of atheism are contrary to those who hold religious beliefs and involve a critique of religion.
- Alberto Mateo -
In order to get a conclusion of whether atheism is a religion or not, I will quote a post made by Luke Muehlhauser in his Intro to Religion blog. He declares some conditions required for religion and if most of this conditions are met, we can say that practice is a religion. First, interaction with the supernatural. Second, diagnosis of something essentially wrong with the human condition, and the prescription for salvation or liberation from it. Third, regular, repeated behavior or ritual. Fourth, community practice. From this we can see that Christianity has all of the requirements, so it is a religion. Buddhism in the same hand, fulfill all the requirements except the first, the interaction with the supernatural. Now lets examine Atheism. The first requirement is completely not met because of the simple definition of atheism. With the second condition things get tricky. In the post in the N Y times of Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones. They state that “in essence we want to help people to live better, help often and wonder more”. By this phrase I get the sense that they meet for a goal of improving society, which satisfy the second condition for religion. Third, regular, repeated behavior or ritual. In the moment that Atheist start meeting in this “Sunday Assembly's”, it automatically satisfy the third condition. And for the last condition, about the community practice I say it is fulfilled. Because in the moment that the Atheist church opens the doors for the community and start receiving people that want to attend to this assembly, this last condition is fulfilled. This showed that Atheism have three of the four condition, just like Buddhism and Jainism. For this reason I will consider Atheism a religion.
Here is the link for the blog of Intro to Religion: http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=5006
Alessandro Tasca
Regardless of what most athiests report, athiesm is seeming more of a religion than just a way of thinking towards life. One article said that faith in religion is belief without evidence, in regards to athiesm is it not in the same category? The belief in a God non existing, without evidence to back up the claim. Athiests are convinced, mostly through science, that the claims of an existing God are false. However, who's to say that science isn't just deduced explanations for God's work? Church is not defined as a place specifically to go worship, it is defined as a group of people getting together celebrate their beliefs. Once again, the belief a God doesn't exist. Which ties back into Athiesm actually being a religion on its own. It has a rich following with places being made to celebrate the belief. In my eyes, athiesm has traits of a religion so far.
- Jonnathan Pierre
Atheism may be a selfish position itself because by just rejecting the existence of a Creator or even that Creation comes from nothing it is like negating the existence of life in the Universe just because it has not been found yet by humans with the available technology.
Einstein felt religions as “infantile superstitions” but he could never proof scientifically the non existence of God.
Atheist defend their position stating religions in general are made by humans themselves trying to portray God with the qualities we lack, like immortality or the desire of convincing ourselves that there is life after death when in reality everything ends once life is over.
The debate has been always passionate for both believers and non believers and it looks it will continue.
In my opinion religion is not only about life or death, good or bad but a set of principles to guide our behavior towards others.
Many argue that Atheism is an explicit denial of religion. In fact, according to the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: atheism is the theory or belief that God does not exist. Personally I belief that Atheism should be considered as a religion just like Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the rest. Religion has more than one definition, if you define it as the service and worship of God or the supernatural then obviously Atheism will not be considered a religion however, there is “religion” as a sense of morality. This is similar to the use of the adjective form of the word: religious. If someone is described as “religious,” you usually think of a person who goes to church to worship some almighty power. But “religious” also has the definition of “passionate” or “zealous,” and “scrupulous,” as well. Atheism means that you do not believe in a God but it doesn't necessarily mean that you don't belief in something. A religion doesn't have to mean that you believe in a God. You can be Atheist and have morality, and be passionate too. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has repeatedly stated that Atheism warrants the same protection as all other religions.
-Laura Correal
I believe that atheism is a religion and should be treated as so. Religion in any sense is faith, faith is belief without evidence. In Christianity the Christian lives his life through faith in God, something that cannot be proven or dis-proven. Atheist believe that there is no god. Atheism is also a faith without evidence. If atheism is a faith without evidence and religion is also faith without evidence then it is safe to say that the belief that there is no god and the belief that there is a god are both religions.
The opposition may say that atheism doesn't meet necessary criteria’s to be classified as a religion. This criteria’s are transcendence and beauty as well as sacred story and narrative thrust. This are all characteristic that define religion at a religious point of view. An atheist can counter this by saying the fact that they believe there is no god is a sacred narrative thrust in their beliefs of disbelief. as for beauty , beauty is define by the beholder . Therefor atheism to an atheist can have its beautiful aspects.
“Even nonbelievers can get together to sing songs, hear good speakers and celebrate the incredible gift of life”
Riva McCoy
Is atheism a religion?
This is a well- discussed issue not only in philosophy classes, but around the globe. Then you have people that claim that it really comes down to the definition of ‘religion’. We are not here to discuss semantics, yet many emphasize the belief in and/or worshipping of a superhuman controlling power, God or gods. Atheism is the idea that there is no higher power involved in life, simply because there is no metaphysical evidence to believe there is. Could atheism then still be marked a religion? Yes it can, because when we look at the broad spectrum of how religion can be interpreted we need to look beyond Catholicism, Judaism or Islam as religions simply because they are centered on the belief of a higher power. What about Buddhism, that gives a central role to the doctrine of karma or Confucianism, a belief that emphasizes that we should be concerned with the welfare and well being of the people and that human nature is intrinsically good. These religions are some examples of religions that not profoundly focus on supernatural matters. Instead, a better approach to classify a religion would be to focus on the multiple characteristics that religions have in common, as you so you will be able to classify atheism as religion as well.
- Nick Kalf
Atheism is not a religion. It is the belief in the lack of belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power. However, if Atheists want to create a “church”, where they gather together to share their common views, all the power to them. This country supports freedom of religion as well as freedom to not adhere to any religion. It’s ridiculous to say Atheism is a religion. By its very definition, it would negate its main principle. Atheists want many of the things that one would receive at a church, temple, mosque, etc. but without the heaping of religion being thrown at them. People have the right to practice whatever they want. Theirs just happens to be their disbelief in religion. They want that sense of community and of belonging to a group, which they would have had at a place of worship. Atheists will get the opportunity to worship their ideals and meet new people with the same values they share. Discriminating against people for their lack of belief is just as bad as discriminating against people for their belief.
-Salma Moona
The definition of religion is a set of belief concerning the cause, nature concerning the purpose of the universe. Religion is commonly practiced with devotional and ritual observance. For my perspective I believe atheism is a religion. The believe that there is no god is a set of belief that pertains to a specific practice. Like Christianity, Judaism and Islam atheist have followers and you can go as far to say they preach in trying to convert other to their view point on life. In the first atheist church in Britain their objective is to unify humans without worshiping a supreme being, like any other religion they offer a better living, happiness, joy and comfort in their ideology. These are all the characteristics of a religion
Jocelyn Hurtado
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