Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Friday, January 25, 2013
T,R 9:50am class
23 comments:
Wayne
said...
After reading the 6 articles of the different ideas of Atheism I find the article "Don't Replace Religion; End It" by Penn Jillette is a bit contradicting. He implies that atheism is not a religion because it has no faith and faith is belief without evidence. But to my understanding atheism believes there is no god, the belief that there is no god itself is a type of faith. We cannot prove or disprove the existence of gods. We can only follow our faith in telling us if he does or doesn’t exist. In addition he mentions that Religion is not morality, correct religion is not morality but it can guide or teach people to have morality. Not everywhere in the world has the same standards of morality of what’s right or wrong based on culture but religion is able to give a standard to what’s right or wrong. Like the reviewer from his article says there is a difference of being atheist and non-religious. I personally see myself as a non-religious person, because I don’t pray, go to church, temple or any religious rituals or events. But I do believe in anything that teaches people to do good no matter if it’s using religion or not.
The six different viewpoints/articles, while interesting, of course fall prey to the same flaws as anyone can fall due to the argument/debate itself: Is Atheism a religion? That is now the new question, next to these classics: Is God real? Why do we need Religion? Although, there’s another question that’s not asked too much: Why? Why is it so important to believe or to not believe? Does it really matter at the end of the day? Why should I care about Heaven, in the first place? Does it validate anyone’s life or lifestyle choice, if we all end up dead anyway? More than anything else, can we, as flawed human beings, really decree what morality is, anyway? Same goes with The Bible: how is any of its religious teachings consistent if it’s all right to own slaves or to beat women or to stone non-believers or to harass homosexuals? Atheist, non-religious, religious: the lines of justified true belief between the three are slim, at best. I honestly don’t really care if God is real or not real, it holds no importance to me, personally.
After reading the 6 articles I believe that they are all flawed in some way. In “Don’t replace religion,” the last sentence of the section is a contradiction in itself. If you don’t have religion then you have atheism, and vice versa. I believe though that both religion and atheism both advocate for better lives. Even without a spiritual being (or absence) they both are a way of dealing with the world. And even if someone is religious, their actions portray otherwise. Same goes for atheists. The main conflicting point here is an omniscient being, if he/she/it exists or not. Why can’t people believe what they want to believe and stop harassing others into joining their group? No one is really right until we have enough missing facts filled in, or unless we group the two opposing views to create new answers. Or at least make an effort in taking in each side of the argument.
After reading those six articles, I've realized that atheism should be considered a religion. A religion is based on having faith and believing in something and that's exactly what atheist do, they believe that there's no existence of a god of any sort. So why shouldn't it be a religion? Not a lot of people go to church or practice the religion they say they belong to. Why should anyone care about atheism? Let them be whoever they want to be and build a church if they want to as well, they should have the right to practice their own beliefs. I believe that people should be more open to welcoming and embracing new ideas in the century that we're living in. In the article "Show Atheism the Respect That Religions Get," proves some points about society in general, society itself doesn't embrace new ideas sometimes and it's wrong. Look at homosexuals, they are segregated from people just because they don't believe in what they feel is right when it comes to falling in love with the same sex. Embrace it people! We are living in a new generation. Stop saying "same as my parents or family" when you're asked about what religion you're from! Speak your mind! The True is that we're all skeptic!
Jose Gabriel Quintero said... My ideology and beliefs are based on Christianity. Although, most people, including myself, find “God” during a crisis, and I know this is hypocritical, I still find peace knowing that I can find a place, kneel, (or sit) and find comfort. Whether it’s through prayer, or listen to a preacher give an inspirational speech. My faith in a superior being gives me comfort. Perhaps my troubles may not go away, but for that moment, I do not feel alone. I looked at the dictionary definition of “Religion”. It says the following: “Religion is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system….” “The service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.” {www.wikipedia.com} {http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion}. That begs the question. Is atheism a religion? Based on the articles, I learned different perspectives about the topic. However, I still believe that atheism is not a religion. Although, Atheism is a philosophy by which to live, that does not qualify it as a religion. According to the articles, Atheists have no religious beliefs in God, or any superior being. It should be noted, the dictionary definition of Religion (and my personal view of Religion) is the belief in a supernatural being or God. I am a person with faith. I think we all need faith. My personal view may be archaic, but I stand by them.
I've thought about this topic often simply because if Religion is a belief, then atheism is also a belief. It is the belief in the absence of something. In the definition of Religion in itself is "the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices" and so what is the distinction between the belief in higher being, and "doctrine or belief that there is not God"?
I first began by asking myself what Religion is to me. I concluded that religion is a community in which, together, one bonds and further explores God in unison. However, as a personal challenge I decided that I needed to shorten that definition and so I asked myself again what I thought religion was.
"A belief."
I then thought to myself, "Well, if religion is a belief, then what is Atheism?" A belief in the absence of a God.
I decided to come back to that thought later and moved onward in asking myself what I considered was an appropriate definition for "Church" and I decided that a church is a place where one practices their religion, a place to nurture one's belief with others. However, it can be agreed that you're given the idea of God through the teachings in church. For example, you shouldn't kill someone, you shouldn't lie, you shouldn't steal, you shouldn't steal, etc. But can you not have those without religion? Does being an atheist directly correlate with the lack of? Of course, my immediate answer to that was "No!" Atheist believe in Humanity. You live your life in your own accord with no higher being dictating whether or not your decisions were good or bad while still contributing to society in good-nature. It would be ludicrous to say that the absence of God does directly correlates with the absence of morals.
However, despite what was said, this does not mean that because atheists can be just as good-natured and moralistic as any other religious person around the globe (this is, of course, not to say that neither atheist or catholic can't lack in morals and in good nature) Atheism is automatically now to be considered a religion. It's quite the opposite, although both the belief in a god and the belief in the absence of one are both intangible - there's a difference. Religion is, among other things, the sole belief in one higher being.
It then begs the question; if God, himself, came down from the sky and he became a tangible being - that would give religious people all the more reason to believe in him, correct? In following that same train of thought; People exist, and we are and have been tangible for many years now. Does that not mean that if Atheism were a religion - it would be more concrete than that of a catholic church? In which case rendering the Atheist church justifiable?
To me, that is undeniable, but I still argue against it. Despite my stance in the matter, I still ask why atheism is not a religion. My conclusion lies in the following that one prerequisite that Catholics, Buddhist, Jehovah witnesses, etc have that atheism does not is the possible existence theist. As opposed to that of an atheist where the belief in humanity is one which we all should have. It's safe to say that we all believe we should live, and appreciate our lives and live it in the way we see it best fitting for us. It's impossible to argue that people do not exist because we are tangible, but we are also plural. In religion there is only one that is all knowing, one creator, one perfect being which makes religion what it is, and atheism what it is not.
In my opinion atheists cannot have a church because they do not believe in anything; they do not even have faith. I believe a church was created to venerate God not to contradict the existence of God. An atheist is already convince or sure that God does not exist, so there is not point on going to a church to listen to a man or lady that is giving a speech over the in-existence of God. Atheism is not a religion because they do not believe in God; consequently, why should they have a church? Creating a church is like creating a religion, atheism should not be a replacement for religion it is just a form to let the rest of the people know that you do not believe in the existence of God. Moreover, men cannot predicate or convince other people that God does not exist just by speeches, unless he is scientist and have the evidence to prove it. I do not think is necessary to go to a church to believe that God doesn't exist, every person just can go through the internet or books and read what scientist had discover about how life was created. Ixchel Larios
Like Jillette explain in Don’t replace religion; End it, “ Religion is a faith. Faith is a belief without evidence.” In addition, is has been well known that atheist don’t believe in anything that can’t be proven; therefore, they have no faith. Personally, I truly believe in god;In fact, I feel like I have a strong relationship with god. But I don’t believe in religions. I think that religions is just a way for many to justify their many sins, he/ she commits on regular basis . I believe that atheist came about this idea of creating their own religion, as a form of rebellion, if not to prove a point. Like mention previously, a religion is formed by a group of people, who follow rituals according to there religion or faith. Therefore, why can’t athiest too create rituals and their own beliefs from what they believe is the truth. All in all, atheist may just be trying to proof that religions are just a joke, if religious people don’t have to prove their faith. Why should they, atheist prove what their beliefs are.- Adriana Adams
Atheism is not a religion, because atheists don’t believe in anything supernatural. Atheism is the rejection of the belief of gods, spirits, deities, or a hyper power; they reject the fact that there is no god. If they don’t see or touch it they don’t believe that it exists. Atheists know that there is a God out there but they don’t believe that it exists. Even though atheist doesn't believe in a type of god they accept the fact that there are others that do. Atheists don’t have a certain drive towards a particular idea or thing meaning they have no faith. Religion and faith are what makes those that worship Gods believers and gives them reassurance that there something beyond that they can’t see. Religion refers to a "belief in, or the worship of, a god or gods" or the "service and worship of God or the supernatural.” Religious people practice what they belief in, by going to church, speaking about it or studying it. In this case if you don’t believe there is no religion.
After summarizing , and reading the six articles in my opinion Atheism is not a religion. In the other hand , I don't believe in religion but I do believe in God. Religion divides cultures, people , and the community all over the world. Each religion individually has it's own set of rules and standards to determine if you are suitable to go to heaven. In reality, we all come from one God , we are all equal brothers and sisters. No one has the right to decide who goes to heaven or not because of "their" beliefs. So in conclusion both Atheism and religion are both a negative. Joe perez
What is religion? Well, according to Google’s dictionary, it is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods.” Not one legitimate religion lacks a supreme essence: Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Daoism, and, heck, even Scientology has an omniscient being /(s) that participated in human affairs since the beginning of time. However, atheism lacks a substratum of an all-powerful entity to worship; Therefore, I believe atheism is not a religion.
The issue on whether atheism is a religion is analogous to the issue on whether black is a color. Both subjects lack an element; Atheism lacks God, and the color black lacks light which is necessary to produce a certain hue in the color spectrum. Thus, the lacking quality of a God diminishes the potential for atheism being a legitimate religion.
Because atheism and its followers can meet up and incorporate qualities that make up a church(or other religious sanctuary), some say that worshipping God is not necessary in order to have a religion; Atheists can come together to sing, dance, and worship the aspect of not worshipping a divine being and can instead celebrate science and cold hard FACTS. However, this just sounds like a party to me, not like a religious gathering.
Religion is supposed to be based on spirituality; It is based on the intangible doctrine called “faith” and on some sort of afterlife. Religion contains allegorical scriptures and most importantly of all, ARCHETYPES. These archetypes such as the scapegoat, godly father, wise fool, virgin, devil , and so on are present in almost all religions.
What is my idea? The two articles that stuck me or stood out to me the must and I guess stimulated me or got me to put my thinking cap on have to be “Don’t Replace Religion; End It” and “Show Atheism the Respect That Religion Gets.” Why? I felt a bit of understanding and logic coming from Penne Jillette’s article, seemed like a better explanation than any I’ve ever gotten from any religious gathering I’ve attended, not saying I’m an atheist because it clearly states I’m a Roman Catholic on the dog tags I wear daily around my neck. Although Penne Jillette might have come off as one of the atheist heterodoxy clingers Cord Jefferson mentioned in his piece, oh well. Back to my dog tags, this brings me to why I found Jason Torpy’s piece so enthralling. Being part of the US ARMY Reserves I go to these gathering where the Chaplain states he has an open door policy, gives his speech and preaches a bit about faith and the brother hood but never have I witnessed any actual support for atheists other than a V.A. hospital. The way I see it, it’s a matter of respect, if atheist want or don’t want to call their beliefs a religion more power to them; to each its own.
In reading the six articles, I came to the conclusion that for athiestes to have a church or a place to gather is nothing but absurd and seems to be nothing more than a desire to create controversy. First of all I HATE religion and religious people and if you are an atheist why would you waste your time imitating such customs? For to have a belief that there is not God would mean that you have a doctrine in which there would be no law, no order , no hope and moral values which would seem appopiated to our own standars. Second, the church is not the temple but the people themselves make up the church, for God abides in the heart of the believer, so the question is this; what God might abide in the heart of a man who belives in the now? Who believes there is no hope? Or life after death? Who has no god but himself? And no im not a religious person, but someones who has asked himself what is the purposed of life? Or why am I here? Is there a God?. Third athiestm cannot be a faith and no im not gonna quote from wikie pedia or any source but from a scriptural verse from the book of hebrews 11:1 “faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us the assurance of things we cannot see”. What does this mean? Well atheism cannot be a faith because they hope for nothing and only believe in what they see now. I mean is not such a complicated argument and is not multiple choice. Of course I only know this because im a History and theology major plus a person with a curious mind who seeks thruth and answers. My last point I would like to make is that when u have study and made your reasearch is that I have found that Realigion=Death and there is no salvation in it, or in is traditions of the the faith the beliver practices.
Reading the six different debates brought me to the conclusion that I have always believed in, but they just reaffirmed it. Atheism is not a religion. Atheism, like Author Diana Butler says is a worldview not a religion and atheists should be taken at their word. And I agree, religion is a different creature one where morality is enforced because of religious doctrine and the belief that a god or gods exist. Religion is the faith that there is a god, even without proof. While atheism is belief that there is no god because they feel there is no proof. It is evident that atheists are not concerned with doctrine but with the world itself. An atheist said: “We do want our fellow citizens to respect our deeply held conviction that the absence of an afterlife lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth." Both beliefs deal with morality but with different perceptions. It does not mean that one is right and one is wrong. They are separate beliefs; therefore atheism cannot be classified as a religion.
The idea of Atheism as a religion has been debated over the years, and the opening of an "Atheist church" has fueled the debates even more. Is Atheism a religion? My answer is no but it can adopt the benefits of religion. Religion requires faith, belief that is not based on proof. Religion is the celebration of a higher power and the belief that the high power in some way, shape, or form governs your life. Atheism is the rejection of belief in god or gods, in favor for concrete evidence. According to "Atheism Can Have the Worst Traits of Religion" by Cord Jefferson, When atheism is done right, it eschews baseless certitude in favor of curious exploration and exclusion in favor of embracement. Religion has its downsides such as "a reverence for blind faith over evidence, puritanical sexual hang-ups, insistences in codified bigotry that vilified gay people and subjugated women." (Jefferson.) Although, many of its "traditions" are favorable as stated in the article "At Atheist Church, No Faith Required" , "Church has so many awesome things going for it ..." and goes on to list many great qualities of religion and church, such as the camaraderie it brings and the idea of a moment to contemplate your life. In essence atheist wish for people to live better, help often and wonder more without the limitations of religion. Therefore, Atheism should not be considered a religion, because "to say something has religious-like properties is not the same thing as saying it is a religion" as so beautifully said by Diana Butler Bass.
Although all six articles have an interesting take on the matter, I remain on my standing point that Atheism is not a religion. Ironically, Atheists (me included) seek to detach themselves as much as possible from the limitations, worships, prejudices, and moral obligations/commands religion imposes. To try to label Atheism as a religion and have "religious gatherings" does nothing but put them under the same path they were probably trying to escape from, in the first place. Another issue presented with this concept is that Atheists only have one assured common ground: the lack of belief in a deity. They do not follow a particular set of rules, commands, worships, rituals, fasting, praying, perspectives, and so on and so forth. So this leaves us with the question, what would this "religion" even consist of? Ultimately, I do not personally believe the abolition of religion in its entirety is the particular solution to our social issues but I do believe our main focus should go to coexisting as a global community, independent from religion (or lack of it, for that matter).
The concept of atheism has already spilled out a lot of ink and continues to flow even today much ink throughout the world. Can we see atheism as a religion in our today society? On what sense can we approach this matter? A clear and exhaustive analysis regarding this question can allow us to bring forth light on this issue throughout the development of this subject. What is atheism? By definition, it is a theory or a belief that claims God does not exist. According to the above definition, I am feeling very perplex to start my point of view regarding this matter because almost everybody knows that religion is a belief in, and a worship of a superhuman controlling power over others as their personal God or gods. If we should yes that atheism is a religion; what would be their god or gods then? To clarify this question, Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones who are co-founders of The Sunday Assembly, an atheist church in London has published an article in the New York, and they claim the following: at their Atheist Church, no faith is required they don’t believe in God of course, however; they are ready to change their minds the as soon as the evidence changes. According to their point of view; it is not a question of faith. If God can God step through their door now and say “Stop that atheist church business at once,” they are willing to do so immediately. Moreover, they would believe in God. From my point of view it is a way for them to reinforce that God does not exist. Atheism is not a religion and it not their concern also to replace or make it religion. They have started The Sunday Assembly because they think of it as part foot-stomping show, part atheist church because the idea of meeting once a month to sing songs, hear from great speakers and commemorate the incredible present of life seems like a amusing, and valuable, thing to do, say Evans and Sanderson in their article. Even though they may have some similarities in doing as such thing churches have been doing, that does not make atheism a church or a religion. Even people who do not believe in any God or Gods have the right to meet together in other to talk, share their concern so forth and so on…. In summary, the concept of atheism still leaves a big room for discussion in our society. I also do believe some people have become too reliant on such things like religions. I also realize however, religion has his place in society and could be effective when it used efficiently.
Work cited:
Evans , Pippa , and Sanderson Jones. "At Atheist Church in London, No Faith Required - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. .
after reading all of the six articles. I still feel that atheism is not a religion. Atheism is a non belief in a higher power. atheist also do not meet the different standards that most religions are held to. such as having a unified belief system as well as cultural and moral values." Although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere" (Wikipedia; "Atheism"). furthermore, I have noticed that in most cases of religion there is usually an idea of having to sacrifice no matter what the religion even in the case of cults. which leads me to believe that atheism is simply a belief and nothing more. not to mention if we accept the idea that atheism a religion we also accept the idea of a religion not needing organization, and that living your life by your own accord is "religious".
After reading the six arguments about atheism being a religion, I decided to research the literal definition of religion and atheism. What I found helped solidify my answer which is that atheism can possibly be a religion. Mind you, I am not an atheist in no way, shape, or form but I entertain the concept of it possibly being a religion because of the basic definition of religion. Religion according to my perceptions of different definitions is basically belief in a concept. Atheism is the belief that there is no higher power that governs life. Even if most religions have sacred texts and have been around for thousands of years, all share one common thing with atheism and that is simply belief in a concept. It may be true that religion has many definitions but that is subjective to all individuals. The concept of a church of atheism is contradictory, but it is revolutionary in its own right.
Reflecting on the six articles, my opinion about atheism not being a religion still remains intact, though I believe the articles provide points worthy of analyzing. Out of all the articles, I can say that I agree with what Phyllis Tickle has to say, which is that “No, atheism is not a religion. Like a religion, it can offer community and common cause to its adherents. It can have a powerful and solid moral code and even, under cordial circumstances, may develop a body of oral and written material that is analogous to, or is a form of, wisdom literature. In all this, it resembles religion.” This is not to say that atheists can’t form groups where they join and practice their beliefs, but not to the extent of them forming their own church. If atheists do not worship God or anything else that might be up there or available in the afterlife, then why should they be able to have their own church? This is not to say that atheists can’t practice their beliefs and even live for making the world as of right now richer and more profound. What I am merely stating is that churches are places of worship, not places where a group of people can worship not worshipping together.
In another article, Diana Butler Bass states “Atheists themselves insist that their worldview is not a religion, and they need to be taken at their word.” Unfortunately, not all atheists think the same; some may even believe that what they practice is some sort of “faith.” One of the definitions that Merriam Webster online provides for faith is that it is “belief and trust in and loyalty to God,” which negates the statement that atheism could ever even be a religion; and without faith you cannot necessarily have a religion. In the end, the argument of whether atheism is a religion does not come down to what your personal opinion or preference is, but whether a conclusion is formed by understanding and analyzing the true meanings of words such as “faith” that pertain to what religion really is.
After reading what each person had to say about Atheism, I have to say that Atheism should be considered as a religion. Diana Butler defines religion as institutional or organized belief and rituals. To simply put it, Atheist don’t believe in god. They believe in concrete evidence. In Atheism can have the worst traits of religion, Cord Jefferson said “18 percent of adults are not aligning themselves with a particular faith. But for a growing number of Millennials, the existence of God is dubious.” If adults doubt the existence of god, then what do they belief in? Atheism should be an optional religion available to the public. I grew up going to a Mormon church but slowly started to question my own beliefs. Next thing I knew I stopped attending and started to doubt the existence of god even after I spent almost my whole life believing in one. Although I’m not saying I am an atheist myself, I would like to one day have the option to check my religious preference as Atheist.
After reading the six different article my opinion is as follows. Every religion is just faith and believes. The jojoba witness, the catholics, the Jewish, and so forth all believe in something different, something they think exist. I personally believe that atheism is a religion. Atheism is the rejection to believe there is a god. For example, I myself believe in god but I attend no type of religion. I wouldn’t call myself a catholic, because my family thought me to believe that god does exist, although they never thought it was necessary to put their children in no type of specific religion. They always told us that when we grow up we wanted to join a religion than to go ahead, but they would never choose for us. Many people believe there is no god, those are the ones that might think “I wont believe until I see it” and those in this case might specify themselves as atheistic. In some cases religious people base their entire lives revolving around what their "god" thinks is "ok" to do. I personally do not have a certain believe in any religion, besides myself and my loved ones. I believe one has to do good for themselves, rather than others.
23 comments:
After reading the 6 articles of the different ideas of Atheism I find the article "Don't Replace Religion; End It" by Penn Jillette is a bit contradicting. He implies that atheism is not a religion because it has no faith and faith is belief without evidence. But to my understanding atheism believes there is no god, the belief that there is no god itself is a type of faith. We cannot prove or disprove the existence of gods. We can only follow our faith in telling us if he does or doesn’t exist. In addition he mentions that Religion is not morality, correct religion is not morality but it can guide or teach people to have morality. Not everywhere in the world has the same standards of morality of what’s right or wrong based on culture but religion is able to give a standard to what’s right or wrong. Like the reviewer from his article says there is a difference of being atheist and non-religious. I personally see myself as a non-religious person, because I don’t pray, go to church, temple or any religious rituals or events. But I do believe in anything that teaches people to do good no matter if it’s using religion or not.
Wayne Lei
The six different viewpoints/articles, while interesting, of course fall prey to the same flaws as anyone can fall due to the argument/debate itself: Is Atheism a religion? That is now the new question, next to these classics: Is God real? Why do we need Religion? Although, there’s another question that’s not asked too much: Why? Why is it so important to believe or to not believe? Does it really matter at the end of the day? Why should I care about Heaven, in the first place? Does it validate anyone’s life or lifestyle choice, if we all end up dead anyway? More than anything else, can we, as flawed human beings, really decree what morality is, anyway? Same goes with The Bible: how is any of its religious teachings consistent if it’s all right to own slaves or to beat women or to stone non-believers or to harass homosexuals? Atheist, non-religious, religious: the lines of justified true belief between the three are slim, at best. I honestly don’t really care if God is real or not real, it holds no importance to me, personally.
Ismael Santos
After reading the 6 articles I believe that they are all flawed in some way. In “Don’t replace religion,” the last sentence of the section is a contradiction in itself. If you don’t have religion then you have atheism, and vice versa. I believe though that both religion and atheism both advocate for better lives. Even without a spiritual being (or absence) they both are a way of dealing with the world. And even if someone is religious, their actions portray otherwise. Same goes for atheists. The main conflicting point here is an omniscient being, if he/she/it exists or not. Why can’t people believe what they want to believe and stop harassing others into joining their group? No one is really right until we have enough missing facts filled in, or unless we group the two opposing views to create new answers. Or at least make an effort in taking in each side of the argument.
After reading those six articles, I've realized that atheism should be considered a religion. A religion is based on having faith and believing in something and that's exactly what atheist do, they believe that there's no existence of a god of any sort. So why shouldn't it be a religion? Not a lot of people go to church or practice the religion they say they belong to. Why should anyone care about atheism? Let them be whoever they want to be and build a church if they want to as well, they should have the right to practice their own beliefs. I believe that people should be more open to welcoming and embracing new ideas in the century that we're living in. In the article "Show Atheism the Respect That Religions Get," proves some points about society in general, society itself doesn't embrace new ideas sometimes and it's wrong. Look at homosexuals, they are segregated from people just because they don't believe in what they feel is right when it comes to falling in love with the same sex. Embrace it people! We are living in a new generation. Stop saying "same as my parents or family" when you're asked about what religion you're from! Speak your mind! The True is that we're all skeptic!
Jose Gabriel Quintero said...
My ideology and beliefs are based on Christianity. Although, most people, including myself, find “God” during a crisis, and I know this is hypocritical, I still find peace knowing that I can find a place, kneel, (or sit) and find comfort. Whether it’s through prayer, or listen to a preacher give an inspirational speech. My faith in a superior being gives me comfort. Perhaps my troubles may not go away, but for that moment, I do not feel alone.
I looked at the dictionary definition of “Religion”. It says the following:
“Religion is an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system….” “The service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.” {www.wikipedia.com} {http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion}.
That begs the question. Is atheism a religion? Based on the articles, I learned different perspectives about the topic. However, I still believe that atheism is not a religion. Although, Atheism is a philosophy by which to live, that does not qualify it as a religion. According to the articles, Atheists have no religious beliefs in God, or any superior being. It should be noted, the dictionary definition of Religion (and my personal view of Religion) is the belief in a supernatural being or God. I am a person with faith. I think we all need faith. My personal view may be archaic, but I stand by them.
Jose Gabriel Quintero
I've thought about this topic often simply because if Religion is a belief, then atheism is also a belief. It is the belief in the absence of something. In the definition of Religion in itself is "the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices" and so what is the distinction between the belief in higher being, and "doctrine or belief that there is not God"?
I first began by asking myself what Religion is to me. I concluded that religion is a community in which, together, one bonds and further explores God in unison. However, as a personal challenge I decided that I needed to shorten that definition and so I asked myself again what I thought religion was.
"A belief."
I then thought to myself, "Well, if religion is a belief, then what is Atheism?" A belief in the absence of a God.
I decided to come back to that thought later and moved onward in asking myself what I considered was an appropriate definition for "Church" and I decided that a church is a place where one practices their religion, a place to nurture one's belief with others. However, it can be agreed that you're given the idea of God through the teachings in church. For example, you shouldn't kill someone, you shouldn't lie, you shouldn't steal, you shouldn't steal, etc. But can you not have those without religion? Does being an atheist directly correlate with the lack of? Of course, my immediate answer to that was "No!" Atheist believe in Humanity. You live your life in your own accord with no higher being dictating whether or not your decisions were good or bad while still contributing to society in good-nature. It would be ludicrous to say that the absence of God does directly correlates with the absence of morals.
However, despite what was said, this does not mean that because atheists can be just as good-natured and moralistic as any other religious person around the globe (this is, of course, not to say that neither atheist or catholic can't lack in morals and in good nature) Atheism is automatically now to be considered a religion. It's quite the opposite, although both the belief in a god and the belief in the absence of one are both intangible - there's a difference.
Religion is, among other things, the sole belief in one higher being.
It then begs the question; if God, himself, came down from the sky and he became a tangible being - that would give religious people all the more reason to believe in him, correct? In following that same train of thought; People exist, and we are and have been tangible for many years now. Does that not mean that if Atheism were a religion - it would be more concrete than that of a catholic church? In which case rendering the Atheist church justifiable?
To me, that is undeniable, but I still argue against it. Despite my stance in the matter, I still ask why atheism is not a religion. My conclusion lies in the following that one prerequisite that Catholics, Buddhist, Jehovah witnesses, etc have that atheism does not is the possible existence theist. As opposed to that of an atheist where the belief in humanity is one which we all should have. It's safe to say that we all believe we should live, and appreciate our lives and live it in the way we see it best fitting for us. It's impossible to argue that people do not exist because we are tangible, but we are also plural. In religion there is only one that is all knowing, one creator, one perfect being which makes religion what it is, and atheism what it is not.
In my opinion atheists cannot have a church because they do not believe in anything; they do not even have faith. I believe a church was created to venerate God not to contradict the existence of God. An atheist is already convince or sure that God does not exist, so there is not point on going to a church to listen to a man or lady that is giving a speech over the in-existence of God. Atheism is not a religion because they do not believe in God; consequently, why should they have a church? Creating a church is like creating a religion, atheism should not be a replacement for religion it is just a form to let the rest of the people know that you do not believe in the existence of God. Moreover, men cannot predicate or convince other people that God does not exist just by speeches, unless he is scientist and have the evidence to prove it. I do not think is necessary to go to a church to believe that God doesn't exist, every person just can go through the internet or books and read what scientist had discover about how life was created.
Ixchel Larios
Like Jillette explain in Don’t replace religion; End it, “ Religion is a faith. Faith is a belief without evidence.” In addition, is has been well known that atheist don’t believe in anything that can’t be proven; therefore, they have no faith.
Personally, I truly believe in god;In fact, I feel like I have a strong relationship with god. But I don’t believe in religions. I think that religions is just a way for many to justify their many sins, he/ she commits on regular basis . I believe that atheist came about this idea of creating their own religion, as a form of rebellion, if not to prove a point. Like mention previously, a religion is formed by a group of people, who follow rituals according to there religion or faith. Therefore, why can’t athiest too create rituals and their own beliefs from what they believe is the truth. All in all, atheist may just be trying to proof that religions are just a joke, if religious people don’t have to prove their faith. Why should they, atheist prove what their beliefs are.- Adriana Adams
Atheism is not a religion, because atheists don’t believe in anything supernatural. Atheism is the rejection of the belief of gods, spirits, deities, or a hyper power; they reject the fact that there is no god. If they don’t see or touch it they don’t believe that it exists. Atheists know that there is a God out there but they don’t believe that it exists. Even though atheist doesn't believe in a type of god they accept the fact that there are others that do. Atheists don’t have a certain drive towards a particular idea or thing meaning they have no faith. Religion and faith are what makes those that worship Gods believers and gives them reassurance that there something beyond that they can’t see. Religion refers to a "belief in, or the worship of, a god or gods" or the "service and worship of God or the supernatural.” Religious people practice what they belief in, by going to church, speaking about it or studying it. In this case if you don’t believe there is no religion.
After summarizing , and reading the six articles in my opinion Atheism is not a religion. In the other hand , I don't believe in religion but I do believe in God. Religion divides cultures, people , and the community all over the world. Each religion individually has it's own set of rules and standards to determine if you are suitable to go to heaven. In reality, we all come from one God , we are all equal brothers and sisters. No one has the right to decide who goes to heaven or not because of "their" beliefs. So in conclusion both Atheism and religion are both a negative.
Joe perez
What is religion? Well, according to Google’s dictionary, it is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods.” Not one legitimate religion lacks a supreme essence: Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Daoism, and, heck, even Scientology has an omniscient being /(s) that participated in human affairs since the beginning of time. However, atheism lacks a substratum of an all-powerful entity to worship; Therefore, I believe atheism is not a religion.
The issue on whether atheism is a religion is analogous to the issue on whether black is a color. Both subjects lack an element; Atheism lacks God, and the color black lacks light which is necessary to produce a certain hue in the color spectrum. Thus, the lacking quality of a God diminishes the potential for atheism being a legitimate religion.
Because atheism and its followers can meet up and incorporate qualities that make up a church(or other religious sanctuary), some say that worshipping God is not necessary in order to have a religion; Atheists can come together to sing, dance, and worship the aspect of not worshipping a divine being and can instead celebrate science and cold hard FACTS. However, this just sounds like a party to me, not like a religious gathering.
Religion is supposed to be based on spirituality; It is based on the intangible doctrine called “faith” and on some sort of afterlife. Religion contains allegorical scriptures and most importantly of all, ARCHETYPES. These archetypes such as the scapegoat, godly father, wise fool, virgin, devil , and so on are present in almost all religions.
What is my idea? The two articles that stuck me or stood out to me the must and I guess stimulated me or got me to put my thinking cap on have to be “Don’t Replace Religion; End It” and “Show Atheism the Respect That Religion Gets.” Why? I felt a bit of understanding and logic coming from Penne Jillette’s article, seemed like a better explanation than any I’ve ever gotten from any religious gathering I’ve attended, not saying I’m an atheist because it clearly states I’m a Roman Catholic on the dog tags I wear daily around my neck. Although Penne Jillette might have come off as one of the atheist heterodoxy clingers Cord Jefferson mentioned in his piece, oh well. Back to my dog tags, this brings me to why I found Jason Torpy’s piece so enthralling. Being part of the US ARMY Reserves I go to these gathering where the Chaplain states he has an open door policy, gives his speech and preaches a bit about faith and the brother hood but never have I witnessed any actual support for atheists other than a V.A. hospital. The way I see it, it’s a matter of respect, if atheist want or don’t want to call their beliefs a religion more power to them; to each its own.
In reading the six articles, I came to the conclusion that for athiestes to have a church or a place to gather is nothing but absurd and seems to be nothing more than a desire to create controversy. First of all I HATE religion and religious people and if you are an atheist why would you waste your time imitating such customs? For to have a belief that there is not God would mean that you have a doctrine in which there would be no law, no order , no hope and moral values which would seem appopiated to our own standars. Second, the church is not the temple but the people themselves make up the church, for God abides in the heart of the believer, so the question is this; what God might abide in the heart of a man who belives in the now? Who believes there is no hope? Or life after death? Who has no god but himself? And no im not a religious person, but someones who has asked himself what is the purposed of life? Or why am I here? Is there a God?. Third athiestm cannot be a faith and no im not gonna quote from wikie pedia or any source but from a scriptural verse from the book of hebrews 11:1 “faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us the assurance of things we cannot see”. What does this mean? Well atheism cannot be a faith because they hope for nothing and only believe in what they see now. I mean is not such a complicated argument and is not multiple choice. Of course I only know this because im a History and theology major plus a person with a curious mind who seeks thruth and answers. My last point I would like to make is that when u have study and made your reasearch is that I have found that Realigion=Death and there is no salvation in it, or in is traditions of the the faith the beliver practices.
David F. Arias
Reading the six different debates brought me to the conclusion that I have always believed in, but they just reaffirmed it. Atheism is not a religion. Atheism, like Author Diana Butler says is a worldview not a religion and atheists should be taken at their word. And I agree, religion is a different creature one where morality is enforced because of religious doctrine and the belief that a god or gods exist. Religion is the faith that there is a god, even without proof. While atheism is belief that there is no god because they feel there is no proof. It is evident that atheists are not concerned with doctrine but with the world itself. An atheist said: “We do want our fellow citizens to respect our deeply held conviction that the absence of an afterlife lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth." Both beliefs deal with morality but with different perceptions. It does not mean that one is right and one is wrong. They are separate beliefs; therefore atheism cannot be classified as a religion.
The idea of Atheism as a religion has been debated over the years, and the opening of an "Atheist church" has fueled the debates even more. Is Atheism a religion? My answer is no but it can adopt the benefits of religion. Religion requires faith, belief that is not based on proof. Religion is the celebration of a higher power and the belief that the high power in some way, shape, or form governs your life. Atheism is the rejection of belief in god or gods, in favor for concrete evidence. According to "Atheism Can Have the Worst Traits of Religion" by Cord Jefferson, When atheism is done right, it eschews baseless certitude in favor of curious exploration and exclusion in favor of embracement. Religion has its downsides such as "a reverence for blind faith over evidence, puritanical sexual hang-ups, insistences in codified bigotry that vilified gay people and subjugated women." (Jefferson.) Although, many of its "traditions" are favorable as stated in the article "At Atheist Church, No Faith Required" , "Church has so many awesome things going for it ..." and goes on to list many great qualities of religion and church, such as the camaraderie it brings and the idea of a moment to contemplate your life. In essence atheist wish for people to live better, help often and wonder more without the limitations of religion. Therefore, Atheism should not be considered a religion, because "to say something has religious-like properties is not the same thing as saying it is a religion" as so beautifully said by Diana Butler Bass.
Haroldo Mendizabal
Although all six articles have an interesting take on the matter, I remain on my standing point that Atheism is not a religion. Ironically, Atheists (me included) seek to detach themselves as much as possible from the limitations, worships, prejudices, and moral obligations/commands religion imposes. To try to label Atheism as a religion and have "religious gatherings" does nothing but put them under the same path they were probably trying to escape from, in the first place. Another issue presented with this concept is that Atheists only have one assured common ground: the lack of belief in a deity. They do not follow a particular set of rules, commands, worships, rituals, fasting, praying, perspectives, and so on and so forth. So this leaves us with the question, what would this "religion" even consist of? Ultimately, I do not personally believe the abolition of religion in its entirety is the particular solution to our social issues but I do believe our main focus should go to coexisting as a global community, independent from religion (or lack of it, for that matter).
The concept of atheism has already spilled out a lot of ink and continues to flow even today much ink throughout the world. Can we see atheism as a religion in our today society? On what sense can we approach this matter? A clear and exhaustive analysis regarding this question can allow us to bring forth light on this issue throughout the development of this subject.
What is atheism? By definition, it is a theory or a belief that claims God does not exist. According to the above definition, I am feeling very perplex to start my point of view regarding this matter because almost everybody knows that religion is a belief in, and a worship of a superhuman controlling power over others as their personal God or gods. If we should yes that atheism is a religion; what would be their god or gods then? To clarify this question, Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones who are co-founders of The Sunday Assembly, an atheist church in London has published an article in the New York, and they claim the following: at their Atheist Church, no faith is required they don’t believe in God of course, however; they are ready to change their minds the as soon as the evidence changes. According to their point of view; it is not a question of faith. If God can God step through their door now and say “Stop that atheist church business at once,” they are willing to do so immediately. Moreover, they would believe in God. From my point of view it is a way for them to reinforce that God does not exist.
Atheism is not a religion and it not their concern also to replace or make it religion. They have started The Sunday Assembly because they think of it as part foot-stomping show, part atheist church because the idea of meeting once a month to sing songs, hear from great speakers and commemorate the incredible present of life seems like a amusing, and valuable, thing to do, say Evans and Sanderson in their article. Even though they may have some similarities in doing as such thing churches have been doing, that does not make atheism a church or a religion. Even people who do not believe in any God or Gods have the right to meet together in other to talk, share their concern so forth and so on….
In summary, the concept of atheism still leaves a big room for discussion in our society. I also do believe some people have become too reliant on such things like religions. I also realize however, religion has his place in society and could be effective when it used efficiently.
Work cited:
Evans , Pippa , and Sanderson Jones. "At Atheist Church in London, No Faith Required - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. .
Gerald Cherubin
02/01/2013
PHI2010 T-TH 9:50-11:05
after reading all of the six articles. I still feel that atheism is not a religion. Atheism is a non belief in a higher power. atheist also do not meet the different standards that most religions are held to. such as having a unified belief system as well as cultural and moral values." Although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere" (Wikipedia; "Atheism"). furthermore, I have noticed that in most cases of religion there is usually an idea of having to sacrifice no matter what the religion even in the case of cults. which leads me to believe that atheism is simply a belief and nothing more. not to mention if we accept the idea that atheism a religion we also accept the idea of a religion not needing organization, and that living your life by your own accord is "religious".
Hamidi Haughton
After reading the six arguments about atheism being a religion, I decided to research the literal definition of religion and atheism. What I found helped solidify my answer which is that atheism can possibly be a religion. Mind you, I am not an atheist in no way, shape, or form but I entertain the concept of it possibly being a religion because of the basic definition of religion. Religion according to my perceptions of different definitions is basically belief in a concept. Atheism is the belief that there is no higher power that governs life. Even if most religions have sacred texts and have been around for thousands of years, all share one common thing with atheism and that is simply belief in a concept. It may be true that religion has many definitions but that is subjective to all individuals. The concept of a church of atheism is contradictory, but it is revolutionary in its own right.
Rodney W. Pierre
Reflecting on the six articles, my opinion about atheism not being a religion still remains intact, though I believe the articles provide points worthy of analyzing. Out of all the articles, I can say that I agree with what Phyllis Tickle has to say, which is that “No, atheism is not a religion. Like a religion, it can offer community and common cause to its adherents. It can have a powerful and solid moral code and even, under cordial circumstances, may develop a body of oral and written material that is analogous to, or is a form of, wisdom literature. In all this, it resembles religion.” This is not to say that atheists can’t form groups where they join and practice their beliefs, but not to the extent of them forming their own church. If atheists do not worship God or anything else that might be up there or available in the afterlife, then why should they be able to have their own church? This is not to say that atheists can’t practice their beliefs and even live for making the world as of right now richer and more profound. What I am merely stating is that churches are places of worship, not places where a group of people can worship not worshipping together.
In another article, Diana Butler Bass states “Atheists themselves insist that their worldview is not a religion, and they need to be taken at their word.” Unfortunately, not all atheists think the same; some may even believe that what they practice is some sort of “faith.” One of the definitions that Merriam Webster online provides for faith is that it is “belief and trust in and loyalty to God,” which negates the statement that atheism could ever even be a religion; and without faith you cannot necessarily have a religion. In the end, the argument of whether atheism is a religion does not come down to what your personal opinion or preference is, but whether a conclusion is formed by understanding and analyzing the true meanings of words such as “faith” that pertain to what religion really is.
-Melissa Maccarini
After reading what each person had to say about Atheism, I have to say that Atheism should be considered as a religion. Diana Butler defines religion as institutional or organized belief and rituals. To simply put it, Atheist don’t believe in god. They believe in concrete evidence. In Atheism can have the worst traits of religion, Cord Jefferson said “18 percent of adults are not aligning themselves with a particular faith. But for a growing number of Millennials, the existence of God is dubious.” If adults doubt the existence of god, then what do they belief in? Atheism should be an optional religion available to the public. I grew up going to a Mormon church but slowly started to question my own beliefs. Next thing I knew I stopped attending and started to doubt the existence of god even after I spent almost my whole life believing in one. Although I’m not saying I am an atheist myself, I would like to one day have the option to check my religious preference as Atheist.
Piero Caceres
After reading the six different article my opinion is as follows. Every religion is just faith and believes. The jojoba witness, the catholics, the Jewish, and so forth all believe in something different, something they think exist. I personally believe that atheism is a religion. Atheism is the rejection to believe there is a god. For example, I myself believe in god but I attend no type of religion. I wouldn’t call myself a catholic, because my family thought me to believe that god does exist, although they never thought it was necessary to put their children in no type of specific religion. They always told us that when we grow up we wanted to join a religion than to go ahead, but they would never choose for us. Many people believe there is no god, those are the ones that might think “I wont believe until I see it” and those in this case might specify themselves as atheistic. In some cases religious people base their entire lives revolving around what their "god" thinks is "ok" to do. I personally do not have a certain believe in any religion, besides myself and my loved ones. I believe one has to do good for themselves, rather than others.
Wendy Negrin
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