• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Is atheism a religion[W:711:831]

Is atheism a religion


  • Total voters
    119
Re: Is atheism a religion

I'd say it's a religion, if we define a religion as a belief system about mankind's place in the omniverse.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

My parents wanted me to do a lot of things that I ended up rejecting later in life. I'm not buying this at all, just speculation and anecdotal nonsense. Provide some evidence.
The decision that controls one's "eternal fate" is one that is much larger than career decisions, partner choices, parent's visions, alcohol & drugs or other taboo subjects. It's why atheists are still the most distrusted and invisible minorities in American public life ... even more than gays (like me), Muslims, immigrants or you name the out group.

Beyond that? The simple truth of the matter is that if you were born in Viking Scandinavia, modern Saudi Arabia, Incan Peru or almost any part of India; you'd believe in Odin, Allah, Viracocha or Brahman respectively. However you were born here in the wonderful modern Western world, and that means your god is God.

You don't think religion is a big enough part of people's lives that they would take the time, in adulthood, to examine their beliefs?
No. It takes a rare person to completely change a core belief. Especially when it's a belief so fundamental, it holds most people together.

I mean, if your beliefs in God are challenged ... it's an attack on your idea that there's a personal savior, guiding you through your life. It's the denial that you'll be able to see your loved ones again, that you will see a better, eternal life or that justice actually exists in the world (i.e. evildoers will eventually be punished). That your community is cobbled together by a mistaken thought. That the one thing you did ten years ago that still makes you feel guilty (remember it?) CANNOT actually be resolved, forgotten and forgiven by a simple thought in your head. It is a challenge to your definition of "life's purpose" ... and most importantly, it is an attack on how you define your character.

People are not brave enough to embrace that level of repercussion.
 
Last edited:
Re: Is atheism a religion

Most atheists don't believe that no god exists.

They simply don't believe claims made by the religious, because there's no evidence for them.

Rejecting someone else's positive claim is not a belief.

wrong what you described is Agnosticism which believes it has not been proven one way or the other
an Atheist believes there is no god period
 
Last edited:
Re: Is atheism a religion

The bible is folklore, why? Because you say so? You make a claim, and don't provide a single strand of supporting evidence for your claim.

I know that human beings wrote the Bible. Not a Christian around will dispute that. So what?

So then you have no argument that the bible was written by men. Thats good.

So what do you think the term folklore means?

For the bible to be more than just folklore you would need faith in the bible to believe that it isnt fiction. No faith and the entire book becomes a bit disturbing with all the millions of people that this biblical go killed and tortured. Raping a virgin minor girl and suicide by cop. Treating women as slaves and on and on. All that turns into something else when the reader has faith in the bible though. The followers always make that claim that you must give your heart to god before you can even start to understand the lords message.

I dont expect you to understand that the bible is just a book but then why should I believe that it is anything more than just a book? A book is full of words and nothing more. Its those words that followers try to use as a way to convince others to believe those words. Personally I find the bible extremely primitive as if it were written by uneducated half wits. I cannot figure out why people would believe such a load of crap and fight over it to boot.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

wrong what you described is Agnosticism which believes it has not been proven one way or the other
an Atheist believes there is no god period

He is correct, you are wrong.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

So then you have no argument that the bible was written by men. Thats good.

So what do you think the term folklore means?

For the bible to be more than just folklore you would need faith in the bible to believe that it isnt fiction. No faith and the entire book becomes a bit disturbing with all the millions of people that this biblical go killed and tortured. Raping a virgin minor girl and suicide by cop. Treating women as slaves and on and on. All that turns into something else when the reader has faith in the bible though. The followers always make that claim that you must give your heart to god before you can even start to understand the lords message.

I dont expect you to understand that the bible is just a book but then why should I believe that it is anything more than just a book? A book is full of words and nothing more. Its those words that followers try to use as a way to convince others to believe those words. Personally I find the bible extremely primitive as if it were written by uneducated half wits. I cannot figure out why people would believe such a load of crap and fight over it to boot.

Well, many Christians believe that the Bible was written by divine inspiration......which I can buy......to an extent. There's just too much exclusiveness to it(or most holy books) to accept that.

I believe that there are universal truths that span almost all religions.....and that most of the differences are cultural/dogmatic.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

No. Just no.

Febrile: Having a fever. A - Febrile: Not having a fever.
Tonal: Having tone. A-Tonal. Not having tone.
Theism: Belief in a god or gods. A-Theism: Not having a belief in a god or gods.

See how that works? Atheists don't believe there are no gods, they just don't have a belief that there are any, which is the default position.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Febrile: Having a fever. A - Febrile: Not having a fever.
Tonal: Having tone. A-Tonal. Not having tone.
Theism: Belief in a god or gods. A-Theism: Not having a belief in a god or gods.

See how that works? Atheists don't believe there are no gods, they just don't have a belief that there are any, which is the default position.

But some religions aren't theist: Confucianism, Daoism. I mean...you agree they're religions, yes? I mean, regardless of what you believe, they're typically considered religions. So are Confucianism and Daoism not religions? Or are religions a set of beliefs about mankind's place in...everything? Cause if they are, atheism is one.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Febrile: Having a fever. A - Febrile: Not having a fever.
Tonal: Having tone. A-Tonal. Not having tone.
Theism: Belief in a god or gods. A-Theism: Not having a belief in a god or gods.

See how that works? Atheists don't believe there are no gods, they just don't have a belief that there are any, which is the default position.

But it's not just the "unbelief" with some of you....it's the insistence that others believe as you do....that's the part where it almost becomes dogmatic and a "religion" itself. It's really no different than a Christian or a Muslim saying "you're wrong"....the only difference is that Atheism doesn't have the reward/punishment afterlife that religions do.

Do YOU see where I am coming from?

You can quote definitions all day long and I can quote you scripture all day long.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

But some religions aren't theist: Confucianism, Daoism. I mean...you agree they're religions, yes? I mean, regardless of what you believe, they're typically considered religions. So are Confucianism and Daoism not religions? Or are religions a set of beliefs about mankind's place in...everything? Cause if they are, atheism is one.

Havng lost the argument you shift ground. Not A-typical.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Havng lost the argument you shift ground. Not A-typical.

I never shifted ground. Do you know how to read? Read my first post in this thread. If you don't know how to read, what are you doing? If there's some middle ground between them, why are being accusatory when you clearly didn't do your homework? Hmm. Weird. Do better next time, you're pathetic:

I'd say it's a religion, if we define a religion as a belief system about mankind's place in the omniverse.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

But it's not just the "unbelief" with some of you....it's the insistence that others believe as you do....that's the part where it almost becomes dogmatic and a "religion" itself. It's really no different than a Christian or a Muslim saying "you're wrong"....the only difference is that Atheism doesn't have the reward/punishment afterlife that religions do.

Do YOU see where I am coming from?

You can quote definitions all day long and I can quote you scripture all day long.

It's not my definition. Believers applied it in a derogatory way to people who did not share their belief. Who else but a-theists are defined by what they are not?

"Often a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other parts of the world, about the motions and orbits of the stars and even their sizes and distances,... and this knowledge he holds with certainty from reason and experience. It is thus offensive and disgraceful for an unbeliever to hear a Christian talk nonsense about such things, claiming that what he is saying is based in Scripture. We should do all that we can to avoid such an embarrassing situation, which people see as ignorance in the Christian and laugh to scorn." -St. Augustine
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

I never shifted ground. Do you know how to read? Read my first post in this thread. If you don't know how to read, what are you doing? If there's some middle ground between them, why are being accusatory when you clearly didn't do your homework? Hmm. Weird. Do better next time, you're pathetic:

We were correcting your false impression that atheists "Believe there is no god" I schooled you on the fact that they simply lack such a belief, which is not the same thing.
You shifted ground. Predictably.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

I'd say it's a religion, if we define a religion as a belief system about mankind's place in the omniverse.

So you accept Jedi-ism as a religion?

Atheism is not a religion by your definition as it makes no statements or beliefs upon mankind's place in the omniverse
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

It's not my definition. Believers applied it in a derogatory way to people who did not share their belief. Who else but a-theists are defined by what they are not?

"Often a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other parts of the world, about the motions and orbits of the stars and even their sizes and distances,... and this knowledge he holds with certainty from reason and experience. It is thus offensive and disgraceful for an unbeliever to hear a Christian talk nonsense about such things, claiming that what he is saying is based in Scripture. We should do all that we can to avoid such an embarrassing situation, which people see as ignorance in the Christian and laugh to scorn." -St. Augustine

I don't.....I am cool with you and your fellow atheists not believing....

I do realize that I am in the minority though.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Atheism is a religion like bald is a hair colour.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

We were correcting your false impression that atheists "Believe there is no god" I schooled you on the fact that they simply lack such a belief, which is not the same thing.
You shifted ground. Predictably.

You didn't school me about anything. I didn't shift ground. Shifting means changing. Did you know that? Oh ****, did I just school you?!?!
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

So you accept Jedi-ism as a religion?

Sure, just like Taoism is.

Atheism is not a religion by your definition as it makes no statements or beliefs upon mankind's place in the omniverse

Sure it does. It says that what is is what is. And that's all.
 
Back
Top Bottom