im sure this has been discussed but im to lazy to find it.

ok, so is atheism a religion? i googled it and just people saying it isent and that it is.

nope

Define "religion".

Atheism is not a religion. Some atheists may invest emotional energy into the concept, to make it a belief, to have faith in it, but atheism itself is not a religion.

It all depends on your definition of "religion." Generally the definition is a belief in a supernatural power, so in that case atheism is not a religion.

Atheism is not a religion, just as theism is not a religion. Atheism literally means "no belief in god". It has nothing to do with lifestyle, other beliefs, practices. Theism is the belief in god, but not all people who believe in a god are religious.

I think of a religion as a set of beliefs about the existence of a god or gods, so by that definition Atheism is a religion. (To a few of the people before me, Buddhists are generally atheist, but Buddhism's a religion, right? So I don't think it's necessarily a belief in a God)

Buddhism Is a life philosophy much like nihilism.

Religion



1.

1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.

3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

The definition of religion is vague, but in a sense atheism can be defined as a religion, excluding the definitions with supernatural or spiritual in them.

except that even the most hardcore atheism isn't 4 of the five definitions

Is anarchy a form of government?

...lol

quote:Originally posted by Fundokiller:

except that even the most hardcore atheism isn't 4 of the five definitions



I think you meant to say, atheism isn't 4 of the 4 definitions

quote:Originally posted by Inti:



I think you meant to say, atheism isn't 4 of the 4 definitions

No, there are five there. 2 is listed twice. Try literacy.

But yeah, atheism only fits as a religion under the broadest definition, which would also include any belief pattern such as "conservatism."

My tongue just drew blood, I'm biting it so much...

atheism is teh absence of religion

quote:Originally posted by Psykadelic:

atheism is teh absence of religion

Atheism isn't the absence of religion, atheism means you don't believe in a god. You can believe in a god while still not having a religion.

Phantasm already covered this.

I think Int was being sarcastic

1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

The life or condition of a person in a religious order.

3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

The fourth definition is subject to interpretation as far atheism is concerned.

"the life and/or condition of a person in a religious order" is a new definition.

The only reason I ask is because Secular Humanism is a form of atheism. Humanists often associate themselves with being religious in their own way. And that way is seperate from any deity.

that's areligiious theism

quote:Originally posted by Fundokiller:

that's areligiious theism

Theism would involve a deity of some type. But think of it as them believeing that man is the pinnacle of achievment, and therefore, are gods. Well, here, I'll let them tell you what they believe. The point being that every human beings have a tendency toward religion. there is something innate in man to seek God/god/gods/godesses...

First: Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.

Second: Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process.

Third: Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected.

Fourth: Humanism recognizes that man's religious culture and civilization, as clearly depicted by anthropology and history, are the product of a gradual development due to his interaction with his natural environment and with his social heritage. The individual born into a particular culture is largely molded by that culture.

Fifth: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relations to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.

Sixth: We are convinced that the time has passed for theism, deism, modernism, and the several varieties of "new thought".

Seventh: Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and experiences which are humanly significant. Nothing human is alien to the religious. It includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation -- all that is in its degree expressive of intelligently satisfying human living. The distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained.

Eight: Religious Humanism considers the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man's life and seeks its development and fulfillment in the here and now. This is the explanation of the humanist's social passion.

Ninth: In the place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being.

Tenth: It follows that there will be no uniquely religious emotions and attitudes of the kind hitherto associated with belief in the supernatural.

Eleventh: Man will learn to face the crises of life in terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and manly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom. We assume that humanism will take the path of social and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes and wishful thinking.

Twelfth: Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life.

Thirteenth: Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfillment of human life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control, and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows, in order to function effectively in the modern world.

Fourteenth: The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world.

Fifteenth and last: We assert that humanism will: (a) affirm life rather than deny it; (b) seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from them; and (c) endeavor to establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for the few. By this positive morale and intention humanism will be guided, and from this perspective and alignment the techniques and efforts of humanism will flow.

So stand the theses of religious humanism. Though we consider the religious forms and ideas of our fathers no longer adequate, the quest for the good life is still the central task for mankind. Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement. He must set intelligence and will to the task.

If you are looking at this logically, then atheism is not a religion. This is so becuase webster defines religion as "the service and/or worship of a god or of the supernatural" In atheism their is no god or supernatural force, therefore atheism is not a religion. (it was turned into its modern day form by the USSR)

i am an atheist, you cannot spend your whole life learning about truth and reality and not be an atheist.

i also think religion should be wiped out, i would say i am one of the most extreme atheists i have ever met or seen on totse.