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Is atheism a religion[W:711:831]

Is atheism a religion


  • Total voters
    119
Re: Is atheism a religion

But that makes the "belief" a testable thing, it changes to a known quantity.
There's no but about it. You can believe in testable things. Who told you otherwise? I believe water will boil at 212 degrees fahrenheit. Test it all day. I still believe it.

I did not say otherwise, non-sequitur.

Did I say you did? Do you believe I did?


YouYou are still stuck, it is non-evident, an unknown.

Is that something you believe?
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

How is it "not true". It is the common understanding of belief.

Because you can believe things that have evidence in their favor. Who made this rule that people can only believe things that they have no evidence of? Say that out loud. "People can only believe things that they have no evidence of." That makes no sense

This atheist is, stop negating without argument, this is just bring contrary.

Ah, so it's fine if you bluntly say something is true, but you don't like when I bluntly say it's not?
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

You are playing a semantic game, if you cannot use belief/faith with understanding that it represents the concept of holding to a construct without evidence....as opposed to knowing a testable thing.....then this conversation is going nowhere. We have to be able to distinguish belief from knowledge for the purpose of argument.

I'm playing a semantic game? You're the one that just said no one can believe anything that has any evidence in its favor.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Do you believe there is no god?
A) Yes
B) No
C) I don't know

Please define this concept you're inquiring about "no god", so we can see if the question can be answered.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Please define this concept you're inquiring about "no god", so we can see if the question can be answered.

I can't define everyone's concept of god or no god. There's probably as many concepts as there are people in the world.

But I'm sure every person can answer that question for themselves. Whether they want to in public here is another story, I guess.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

I'm playing a semantic game? You're the one that just said no one can believe anything that has any evidence in its favor.
No I did not, I said for the purpose of this debate we have to agree on terms. You are playing a semantic game when you want to use "belief/faith" to apply to known and unknown quantities. If you can't make a distinction, then we will need to find some other term.

The point still remains that this atheist is operating without the need to construct imaginary entities to explain unknowns. I am comfortable living with the understanding that unknowns exist, I don't need imaginary supernatural entities to quell some fear of the unknown.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

There's no but about it. You can believe in testable things. Who told you otherwise? I believe water will boil at 212 degrees fahrenheit. Test it all day. I still believe it.
No, you know at STP water will boil at 212F. Unless we find some other alternative universe, that physical property holds. It goes beyond faith.



Did I say you did?
You gave a response implying I said otherwise, it was straw, it was a non-sequitur.


Do you believe I did?
I know you are trying every game in the book to score points in this debate, you have not been debating in good faith, you have been using terms loosely, you are giving non-sequiturs.




Is that something you believe?
I know your argument is going in circles because of what I just described.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

No I did not

Yes, you did. Need I quote it for you? Be warned, I have a meeting and won't get to it until later, though.

I said for the purpose of this debate we have to agree on terms. You are playing a semantic game when you want to use "belief/faith" to apply to known and unknown quantities. If you can't make a distinction, then we will need to find some other term.

There's nothing semantic about it. People believe in testable things.

The point still remains that this atheist is operating without the need to construct imaginary entities to explain unknowns. I am comfortable living with the understanding that unknowns exist, I don't need imaginary supernatural entities to quell some fear of the unknown.

So? Me too. Why is that your point when I'm not even discussing that? Did you even mean to quote me? I don't believe in god, so what?*

*I almost added an "either" there, but of course I can't, because you have yet to simply say you don't believe in god.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Huh. Really? I couldn't tell from the pages of people all saying you're wrong.



Neither B or C are religions. No matter how you redefine religion.

No, not religious; A simile would be like equating religion and atheism with a plane and a helicopter; however, is a belief, is an ideology.

Any ideology is allowed in government except religion...
Atheism, Wiccanism, maybe Islam, but not religion.. And the Constitution (1st amendment in the Bill of Rights) says nothing about restricting religion in government - just that the government shouldn't name one religion as the government religion....
 
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Re: Is atheism a religion

No, you know at STP water will boil at 212F. Unless we find some other alternative universe, that physical property holds. It goes beyond faith.

I believe I know, yes


You gave a response implying I said otherwise, it was straw, it was a non-sequitur.

Now why would I do that? Think about it.


I know you are trying every game in the book to score points in this debate, you have not been debating in good faith, you have been using terms loosely, you are giving non-sequiturs

You believe you know. I'm trying to get you to think, here.

I know your argument is going in circles because of what I just described.

Yeah, you believe you know. I got it.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

No, not religious; would be like equating a plane with a helicopter; however, is a belief, is an ideology.
Exactly. A religious belief, no less.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Yes, you did. Need I quote it for you? Be warned, I have a meeting and won't get to it until later, though.
You can use any distraction from the point you like, however your accusation about what I said is false, and you never need permission to try and prove a claim.



There's nothing semantic about it. People believe in testable things.
You are not working towards a solution to this semantic issue, you just keep repeating your problem.



So? Me too. Why is that your point when I'm not even discussing that? Did you even mean to quote me? I don't believe in god, so what?*

*I almost added an "either" there, but of course I can't, because you have yet to simply say you don't believe in god.
I wasn't debating YOUR "beliefs", and no, you don't agree with me because we have a VERY different understanding of just the grammar being used. You DO NOT AGREE WITH ME ON JUST BASIC WORDS, so how you think you know that you agree with me is just baffling.

FFS.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

I believe I know, yes
You just continue to play games, you are not interested in reaching an understanding, and you are fine allowing the debate to get hung up on semantics. It is an infantile tactic to avoid getting to an understanding.




Now why would I do that? Think about it.
I don't have to think about it, it is self evident that you are afraid to move the discussion forward, I have given you plenty of chances to choose a word relating to belief that differentiates from knowledge. You won't make a choice.




You believe you know. I'm trying to get you to think, here.
No, as I explained, you are in a comfort zone, this is the extent of your capabilities and you can't go forward.



Yeah, you believe you know. I got it.
You keep proving my point, you won't move forward.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

I can't define everyone's concept of god or no god.
I didn't ask you to define everyone's concept. If you want to ask your question, but refuse to explain it, or better simply "don't know", there's nothing to answer.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

You can use any distraction from the point you like, however your accusation about what I said is false, and you never need permission to try and prove a claim.

Excellent.

No, belief/faith are convictions absent testable proof.
This means that if there is testable proof, people may no longer believe in it. Now, when you make such a ludicrous claim, I can only come to the conclusion that, in light of this post:
You DO NOT AGREE WITH ME ON JUST BASIC WORDS

that your understanding of basic words is a little incomplete.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

You just continue to play games, you are not interested in reaching an understanding, and you are fine allowing the debate to get hung up on semantics. It is an infantile tactic to avoid getting to an understanding.

Stop playing games.

I don't have to think about it, it is self evident that you are afraid to move the discussion forward, I have given you plenty of chances to choose a word relating to belief that differentiates from knowledge. You won't make a choice.

You are ****ing horrible at this.

No, as I explained, you are in a comfort zone, this is the extent of your capabilities and you can't go forward.

No, you seem pretty comfortable, though.

You keep proving my point, you won't move forward.

You won't move forward.

Do you see what I did in that post? The exact same things you're doing.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

I didn't ask you to define everyone's concept.

Okay? Did I offer to?

If you want to ask your question, but refuse to explain it, or better simply "don't know", there's nothing to answer.

If you need an explanation for that simple question? lol

Okay, I wouldn't want your answer anyway then.

"Hey, who do you think would win in a game of basketball between prime Roberto Clemente and a prime Floyd Mayweather?"

"...what's a basketball?"

"oh....nevermind dude!"
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

This means that if there is testable proof, people may no longer believe in it..
No, it doesn't.

Faith based belief - requires no evidence/observation
Reasoned belief - requires evidence/observation
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

If you need an explanation for that simple question?

You're forfeiting. I accept it.

And no, it's not a simple question, as evidenced by the countless debaters, philosophers, apologists, authors, who consistently misunderstand and misrepresent the philosophical implications of that question.

Any time you want to ask a question that you refuse to clarify, I submit that you shouldn't bother asking the question...
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

No, it doesn't.

Faith based belief - requires no evidence/observation
Reasoned belief - requires evidence/observation

Right. Belief. I'm not talking about faith or reason. But thanks, that was helpful of you.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

You're forfeiting.

What am I forfeiting?

I accept it.

Okay?

And no, it's not a simple question, as evidenced by the countless debaters, philosophers, apologists, authors, who consistently misunderstand and misrepresent the philosophical implications of that question.

Any time you want to ask a question that you refuse to clarify, I submit that you shouldn't bother asking the question...

I submit that I don't care? If you can't answer whether you yourself believe a god exists, believe a god doesn't exist, or believe that you don't know, you might as well be the basketball in question.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

This means that if there is testable proof, people may no longer believe in it.
You just absolutely refuse to make the distinction between knowing and not knowing, you refuse to bring the conversation to the point of yourself using a word that describes the construct of holding to an idea without proof.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

You just absolutely refuse to make the distinction between knowing and not knowing

Am I? I that why I specifically have three options, to include 'not knowing'?

you refuse to bring the conversation to the point of yourself using a word that describes the construct of holding to an idea without proof.

Or you refuse to acknowledge that there is no distinction between believing there's a god and believing there's not one when it comes to a random belief.
 
Re: Is atheism a religion

Faith and belief, in the context of an idea without proof, are the same thing.

And belief is on a spectrum.

Cash and money, in the context of 1980, are the same thing.

You refuse to understand that not all contexts are what you wish they'd be.
 
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