Is atheism a religion?

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deactivated-5a79221380856

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#1 deactivated-5a79221380856
Member since 2007 • 13125 Posts

No, it is not. A religion is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny or an institution to express belief in a divine power (^).

Therefore, it does not qualify as a religion.

Additionally, atheism does not require faith in any sense. Faith is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny, complete confidence in a person or plan, an institution to express belief in a divine power, or loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person. Yes, there are atheists that may have confidence in a person or a plan or hold allegiance to a cause (^), but that doesn't entail atheism. Atheism is strictly the disbelief of gods or the believe there are no gods (^).

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btaylor2404

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#2 btaylor2404
Member since 2003 • 11353 Posts
I agree 100%. But I do think some Atheists spend as much or more time studying religion than theists would believe. 
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#3 deactivated-5a79221380856
Member since 2007 • 13125 Posts

I agree 100%. But I do think some Atheists spend as much or more time studying religion than theists would believe.  btaylor2404

Hey btaylor, why do you capitalize atheists? Just curious. 

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btaylor2404

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#4 btaylor2404
Member since 2003 • 11353 Posts
I dunno, maybe the same reason I do God and Christianity and Islam.  Maybe in the back of my head to make it look more proper.  Never really thought about it til now.
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#5 123625
Member since 2006 • 9035 Posts

No, I can't agree that religion is just beleif in the supernatural.

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GabuEx

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#6 GabuEx
Member since 2006 • 36552 Posts

No:

1. It contains no profession of the existence of a supernatural deity.

2. It contains no profession of having received supernatural revelation.

3. It contains no instructions on how one ought to live one's life.

4. It contains no agreed-upon doctrine, structure, or organization.

Strong atheism may entail a belief regarding the disexistence of a divine creator, but a simple belief is a far cry away from bona fide religion.

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Funky_Llama

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#7 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts
No, unless you're determined to stretch the definition of a religion to the extent where it becomes pretty much meaningless.
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#8 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

No, I can't agree that religion is just beleif in the supernatural.

123625
Then every belief is religion. The belief in love, the belief in humanity, and in short any kind of thesis on a subject (since atheism is a lck of religious beliefs)......
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#9 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts
[QUOTE="123625"]

No, I can't agree that religion is just beleif in the supernatural.

Teenaged
Then every belief is religion. The belief in love, the belief in humanity, and in short any kind of thesis on a subject (since atheism is a lck of religious beliefs)......

Would you say that a strong belief in ghosts is a religion?
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#10 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts
[QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="123625"]

No, I can't agree that religion is just beleif in the supernatural.

Funky_Llama

Then every belief is religion. The belief in love, the belief in humanity, and in short any kind of thesis on a subject (since atheism is a lck of religious beliefs)......

Would you say that a strong belief in ghosts is a religion?

No it's not. Why do you ask me?Did you understand my post?

Unless we are talking about a belief that spreads in rituals much like religions of dead spirits, like the worshipping of ancestors.

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#11 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts
[QUOTE="Funky_Llama"][QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="123625"]

No, I can't agree that religion is just beleif in the supernatural.

Teenaged

Then every belief is religion. The belief in love, the belief in humanity, and in short any kind of thesis on a subject (since atheism is a lck of religious beliefs)......

Would you say that a strong belief in ghosts is a religion?

No it's not. Why do you ask me?Did you understand my post?

Unless we are talking about a belief that spreads in rituals much like religions of dead spirits, like the worshipping of ancestors.

Well, you disagreed with 123625's disagreement that religion is just belief in the supernatural, which implies that you believe that religion is belief in the supernatural, which implies that a strong belief in ghosts would be a religion.
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#12 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts
[QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="Funky_Llama"][QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="123625"]

No, I can't agree that religion is just beleif in the supernatural.

Funky_Llama

Then every belief is religion. The belief in love, the belief in humanity, and in short any kind of thesis on a subject (since atheism is a lck of religious beliefs)......

Would you say that a strong belief in ghosts is a religion?

No it's not. Why do you ask me?Did you understand my post?

Unless we are talking about a belief that spreads in rituals much like religions of dead spirits, like the worshipping of ancestors.

Well, you disagreed with 123625's disagreement that religion is just belief in the supernatural, which implies that you believe that religion is belief in the supernatural, which implies that a strong belief in ghosts would be a religion.

Ok I wasn't clear in the first post. His post also implies that even a belief not related to something spiritual, is a religion. Sorry if I wasn't clear in the first place and 126543 can correct me if I am wrong about my conclusion.

Anyway I'll check his post again.

EDIT: Yep checked.

You know what... I am confused. :? I don't know what he means. :?

My bad.

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Funky_Llama

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#13 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts
Ok I wasn't clear in the first post. His post also implies that even a belief not related to something spiritual, is a religion. Sorry if I wasn't clear in the first place and 126543 can correct me if I am wrong about my conclusion.

Anyway I'll check his post again.

EDIT: Yep checked.

You know what... I am confused. :? I don't know what he means. :?

My bad.

Teenaged
To be quite honest, so am I now. :P
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Teenaged

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#14 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

To be quite honest, so am I now. :PFunky_Llama
I am confused by his post because he says "no" and then the explanation he gives just to me it seems that it doesn't "agree" with the "no" :?

But I guess you got confused by me. :P

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#15 mindstorm
Member since 2003 • 15255 Posts

Atheism is a belief system with presuppositions about how to perceive reality.  Due to this perception of reality, a atheist would arrive at a different outcome on many issues than someone with a different set of presuppositions.  This perception of reality will make it so an logical choice to them may seem illogical to another and vice versa.  I would not call atheism a religion but atheism does come along with a perception of reality which is similar to any religious thought.

Do not think I'm saying atheism is a set and organized belief system, but atheism's presuppositions on life will generally come to the same conclusions in any logical choice if the individual remains intellectually sound and noncontradictory.  Atheism can be practiced and assumes a specific thought process (I just do not think it's possible to completely fulfill the "atheistic conclusion."  e.g. Atheists in some ways live as if there is a divine creater.)

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danwallacefan

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#16 danwallacefan
Member since 2008 • 2413 Posts
its more like a cult
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#17 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

its more like a cult danwallacefan
To my knowledge atheism can take the form of a cult much like Christianity can as well.

But it is not a cult in itself by far.

I think you are confusing terms with forms. ;)

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#18 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts

its more like a cult danwallacefan
OED: Cult: 'a small religious group regarded as strange or as imposing excessive control over members'.

Also OED: Atheism: 'The belief that God does not exist.'

Hmm... no, I'm not seeing it. >_>

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#19 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

Atheism is a belief system with presuppositions about how to perceive reality.  Due to this perception of reality, a atheist would arrive at a different outcome on many issues than someone with a different set of presuppositions.  This perception of reality will make it so an logical choice to them may seem illogical to another and vice versa.  I would not call atheism a religion but atheism does come along with a perception of reality which is similar to any religious thought.

Do not think I'm saying atheism is a set and organized belief system, but atheism's presuppositions on life will generally come to the same conclusions in any logical choice if the individual remains intellectually sound and noncontradictory.  Atheism can be practiced and assumes a specific thought process (I just do not think it's possible to completely fulfill the "atheistic conclusion."  e.g. Atheists in some ways live as if there is a divine creater.)

mindstorm
How can atheism be practiced in a specific way?
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#20 mindstorm
Member since 2003 • 15255 Posts
[QUOTE="mindstorm"]

Atheism is a belief system with presuppositions about how to perceive reality.  Due to this perception of reality, a atheist would arrive at a different outcome on many issues than someone with a different set of presuppositions.  This perception of reality will make it so an logical choice to them may seem illogical to another and vice versa.  I would not call atheism a religion but atheism does come along with a perception of reality which is similar to any religious thought.

Do not think I'm saying atheism is a set and organized belief system, but atheism's presuppositions on life will generally come to the same conclusions in any logical choice if the individual remains intellectually sound and noncontradictory.  Atheism can be practiced and assumes a specific thought process (I just do not think it's possible to completely fulfill the "atheistic conclusion."  e.g. Atheists in some ways live as if there is a divine creater.)

Teenaged

How can atheism be practiced in a specific way?

The beliefs that are presummed within atheism can be practiced.  For example, most who believe there is no God will believe morality to be relative.  A person who believes morality to be relative will give their life whatever moral code they might agree.

Some atheists try to live by their atheistic beliefs instead of the surrounding beliefs of the culture.  When this happen the consequences are sometimes not a good thing especially if that atheist is a nihilist.

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#21 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts
[QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="mindstorm"]

Atheism is a belief system with presuppositions about how to perceive reality.  Due to this perception of reality, a atheist would arrive at a different outcome on many issues than someone with a different set of presuppositions.  This perception of reality will make it so an logical choice to them may seem illogical to another and vice versa.  I would not call atheism a religion but atheism does come along with a perception of reality which is similar to any religious thought.

Do not think I'm saying atheism is a set and organized belief system, but atheism's presuppositions on life will generally come to the same conclusions in any logical choice if the individual remains intellectually sound and noncontradictory.  Atheism can be practiced and assumes a specific thought process (I just do not think it's possible to completely fulfill the "atheistic conclusion."  e.g. Atheists in some ways live as if there is a divine creater.)

mindstorm

How can atheism be practiced in a specific way?

The beliefs that are presummed within atheism can be practiced.  For example, most who believe there is no God will believe morality to be relative.  A person who believes morality to be relative will give their life whatever moral code they might agree.

Some atheists try to live by their atheistic beliefs instead of the surrounding beliefs of the culture.  When this happen the consequences are sometimes not a good thing especially if that atheist is a nihilist.

Moral relativism isn't an aspect of atheism. Sure, it's correlated with it, but it atheism simply doesn't imply moral relativism.
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#22 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

The beliefs that are presummed within atheism can be practiced.  For example, most who believe there is no God will believe morality to be relative.  A person who believes morality to be relative will give their life whatever moral code they might agree.

Some atheists try to live by their atheistic beliefs instead of the surrounding beliefs of the culture.  When this happen the consequences are sometimes not a good thing especially if that atheist is a nihilist.

mindstorm

This is not true about atheism in general but about some atheists,

Simple example: can you tell an atheist from a theist from their every day behavior? No. If that were true then your point would be valid. But since the behavior of atheists does not differ from tht of theists, this shows that atheists follow the same set of principles placed by society as theists.

And I wouldn't put things like going to the church, praying etc in the term behavior above, if that's what you meant by practicing,actually meaning the absecence of religious practices.

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#23 helium_flash
Member since 2007 • 9244 Posts
No, I don't believe it is a religion, mainly because there is no orthodox to follow or set of beliefs.
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#24 GabuEx
Member since 2006 • 36552 Posts

The beliefs that are presummed within atheism can be practiced.  For example, most who believe there is no God will believe morality to be relative.  A person who believes morality to be relative will give their life whatever moral code they might agree.

Some atheists try to live by their atheistic beliefs instead of the surrounding beliefs of the culture.  When this happen the consequences are sometimes not a good thing especially if that atheist is a nihilist.

mindstorm

But there is no holy book of atheism (The Origin of Species notwithstanding :P).  There are no instructions on how to live one's life.  Any conclusions that an atheist might make about the universe or how he or she ought to conduct himself will be completely his own.  To "practice" a faith, that faith first has to give some form of instructions.

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#25 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts
[QUOTE="mindstorm"]

The beliefs that are presummed within atheism can be practiced.  For example, most who believe there is no God will believe morality to be relative.  A person who believes morality to be relative will give their life whatever moral code they might agree.

Some atheists try to live by their atheistic beliefs instead of the surrounding beliefs of the culture.  When this happen the consequences are sometimes not a good thing especially if that atheist is a nihilist.

GabuEx

But there is no holy book of atheism (The Origin of Species notwithstanding :P).  There are no instructions on how to live one's life.  Any conclusions that an atheist might make about the universe or how he or she ought to conduct himself will be completely his own.  To "practice" a faith, that faith first has to give some form of instructions.

This reminds me of my teacher in religious studies who insisted to present atheism as an organised resistance to religion. Talk about conspiracy theories!

I started explaining to her why that is very stupid with arguments of course and she said: "George, please, you know nothing about this, so you can't have a say"

What do you tell her then? I was like :o and I was surprised that the rest of the c|ass didn't even react at her response.

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#26 helium_flash
Member since 2007 • 9244 Posts
[QUOTE="GabuEx"][QUOTE="mindstorm"]

The beliefs that are presummed within atheism can be practiced.  For example, most who believe there is no God will believe morality to be relative.  A person who believes morality to be relative will give their life whatever moral code they might agree.

Some atheists try to live by their atheistic beliefs instead of the surrounding beliefs of the culture.  When this happen the consequences are sometimes not a good thing especially if that atheist is a nihilist.

Teenaged

But there is no holy book of atheism (The Origin of Species notwithstanding :P).  There are no instructions on how to live one's life.  Any conclusions that an atheist might make about the universe or how he or she ought to conduct himself will be completely his own.  To "practice" a faith, that faith first has to give some form of instructions.

This reminds me of my teacher in religious studies who insisted to present atheism as an organised resistance to religion. Talk about conspiracy theories!

I started explaining to her why that is very stupid with arguments of course and she said: "George, please, you know nothing about this, so you can't have a say"

What do you tell her then? I was like :o and I was surprised that the rest of the c|ass didn't even react at her response.

0_o You'd think a theology teacher among all people would know that the far far far far far majority of atheists are not affiliated or seek to affiliate with any atheistic organization.

Reminds me of a presentation a girl gave last semester saying that atheism in America is a social problem. What an awkward presentation.

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#27 7guns
Member since 2006 • 1449 Posts

Is atheism a religion?

>No, obviously not... In fact atheism is nothing. No religion no atheists. It's because of religion atheists exists. I couldn't have been an atheists if there were no ideas god in the world.

Just think about it! There are no such thing as an atheist chimp!(assuming obviously no chimps in the universe are religious)

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deactivated-5a79221380856

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#28 deactivated-5a79221380856
Member since 2007 • 13125 Posts
Whenever I think about it, theism isn't consider a religion unless it's institutionalized, so why should atheism?
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#29 ChiliDragon
Member since 2006 • 8444 Posts
Whenever I think about it, theism isn't consider a religion unless it's institutionalized, so why should atheism?Genetic_Code
That's because "religion" is the organizational framework and rituals for how to practice whichever theism is the basis of that religion. It's the construction around the faith that makes it possible for several people who share the same faith to practice it together in an organized way. So I don't think atheism qualifies as a religion. I do think it's a loosely defined belief system though, but that's not even close to the same thing.
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#30 THUMPTABLE
Member since 2003 • 2425 Posts
its more like a cult danwallacefan

Are you taking the piss............?
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#31 SSBFan12
Member since 2008 • 11981 Posts

Atheism is not a religion because we don't worship anyone or anything. But we do study more theories and stuff more then alot of catholics and god believers.

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#32 Pig-Hunter
Member since 2008 • 25 Posts

Atheism is a religion. Everyone has one and you can't escape it. If it answers the big questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going when I die? What's my purpose in life? etc. THEN WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE WHICH BRINGS YOU TO YOUR CONCLUSIONS ON THESE QUESTIONS IS YOUR RELIGION. Atheism is DEFINITELY a religion, albeit a godless one. Whether or not it's plausible is up to you. For the Atheist's set of answers:

1. Who am I? Atheist answer: You are an animal, but don't worry, you're an advanced one.

2.  Where did I come from? Atheist answer: Primordial glop, but going farther back, you came from a cosmic burp about 20 billion years ago.

 3. Where am I going when I die? Atheist answer: You will become a worm or a plant. You have no soul, so you will disappear.

4.  What's my purpose in life? Atheist answer: You have none, so as long as you're here, might as well have fun. If it feels good, do it.

Answers I am not fond of, yet, if that's what you put there, there's your religion for you.

Atheism exercises much greater faith than theism. Where did the universe come from? How did all the matter get there? I could write so many essays on the subject. Anthony Kenny, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said "A proponent of the big bang theory, at least, if he is an Atheist, must believe that the matter of the universe came from nothing and by nothing."

It takes a much greater deal of faith to believe this, and so I could never be an Atheist.

I can't see Atheism as anything other than a religion in itself; Albeit a godless one.
The sacred writings: Origin of Species, by Darwin
The church of Atheism, the school, where kids are indoctrinated into believing their nothing more than an advanced animal, and will therefore behave like an animal.
Evolution/Atheism is a religion relying on chance and spurs racism.
Heck, it ends in an "-ism" like a bunch of other religions.
If it answers the big questions in life i.e Who am I? Why am I here? What's the purpose of my existence? Where am I going when I die?, Then that's your religion, so the question that remains is "Is it plausible?"
Atheism is indeed a religion. The only thing that makes it unique is that it's the only godless religion.

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#33 GabuEx
Member since 2006 • 36552 Posts

1. Who am I? Atheist answer: You are an animal, but don't worry, you're an advanced one.

2.  Where did I come from? Atheist answer: Primordial glop, but going farther back, you came from a cosmic burp about 20 billion years ago.

Pig-Hunter

You can come to those answers even if you're not an atheist, given that those are the conclusions that science has reached.  The Catholic Church accepts evolution as reality.

 3. Where am I going when I die? Atheist answer: You will become a worm or a plant. You have no soul, so you will disappear.

Pig-Hunter

Belief in no god does not necessitate a belief in no afterlife, although the two are often correlated.

4.  What's my purpose in life? Atheist answer: You have none, so as long as you're here, might as well have fun. If it feels good, do it.

Pig-Hunter

Now this answer isn't even remotely required in a belief in no god.

Atheism exercises much greater faith than theism. Where did the universe come from? How did all the matter get there? I could write so many essays on the subject. Anthony Kenny, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said "A proponent of the big bang theory, at least, if he is an Atheist, must believe that the matter of the universe came from nothing and by nothing."

Pig-Hunter

If an atheist asks "how did God get there?" he will most likely receive the answer "God always existed".  It seems entirely logical, therefore, to simply eliminate the middleman and assert that matter always existed.  The Big Bang does not say anything about the creation of matter, only what happened to matter that was already in existence.  The question of what preceded the Big Bang is entirely up in the air.

It takes a much greater deal of faith to believe this, and so I could never be an Atheist.

Pig-Hunter

So you're saying that you don't have enough faith? ;)

The sacred writings: Origin of Species, by Darwin

Pig-Hunter

The Catholic Church accepts evolution as true.  So do most Christians who don't live in North America.

The church of Atheism, the school, where kids are indoctrinated into believing their nothing more than an advanced animal, and will therefore behave like an animal.

Pig-Hunter

Pop quiz:

Q. What region of the United States has the highest levels of STDs and teen pregnancy, the highest crime rates, and the highest rates of divorce?

A. The super-Christian South.

Evolution/Atheism is a religion relying on chance and spurs racism.

Pig-Hunter

You are aware that the KKK bases their racism entirely on the Bible, yes?  The "mark of Cain" was taken to be dark skin, and Cain was taken to be the first black person.  My rather racist grandfather once said to my mother with regards to Cain, "And that's where (offensive term for black people) came from!"

Heck, it ends in an "-ism" like a bunch of other religions.

Pig-Hunter

Like "capitalism", "conservatism", "pacifism", "racism", "botulism"... wait, what?

Atheism is indeed a religion. The only thing that makes it unique is that it's the only godless religion.

Pig-Hunter

religion

  • noun the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

The word comes from the Latin religio, which means "obligation" or "reverence".

Hmm.

 

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#34 Funky_Llama
Member since 2006 • 18428 Posts

Heck, it ends in an "-ism" like a bunch of other religions.

Pig-Hunter
...I'm just going to sit in the corner and cry, if you don't mind. U_U
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#35 THUMPTABLE
Member since 2003 • 2425 Posts
[QUOTE="Pig-Hunter"]

1. Who am I? Atheist answer: You are an animal, but don't worry, you're an advanced one.

2. Where did I come from? Atheist answer: Primordial glop, but going farther back, you came from a cosmic burp about 20 billion years ago.

GabuEx

You can come to those answers even if you're not an atheist, given that those are the conclusions that science has reached. The Catholic Church accepts evolution as reality.

3. Where am I going when I die? Atheist answer: You will become a worm or a plant. You have no soul, so you will disappear.

Pig-Hunter

Belief in no god does not necessitate a belief in no afterlife, although the two are often correlated.

4. What's my purpose in life? Atheist answer: You have none, so as long as you're here, might as well have fun. If it feels good, do it.

Pig-Hunter

Now this answer isn't even remotely required in a belief in no god.

Atheism exercises much greater faith than theism. Where did the universe come from? How did all the matter get there? I could write so many essays on the subject. Anthony Kenny, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said "A proponent of the big bang theory, at least, if he is an Atheist, must believe that the matter of the universe came from nothing and by nothing."

Pig-Hunter

If an atheist asks "how did God get there?" he will most likely receive the answer "God always existed". It seems entirely logical, therefore, to simply eliminate the middleman and assert that matter always existed. The Big Bang does not say anything about the creation of matter, only what happened to matter that was already in existence. The question of what preceded the Big Bang is entirely up in the air.

It takes a much greater deal of faith to believe this, and so I could never be an Atheist.

Pig-Hunter

So you're saying that you don't have enough faith? ;)

The sacred writings: Origin of Species, by Darwin

Pig-Hunter

The Catholic Church accepts evolution as true. So do most Christians who don't live in North America.

The church of Atheism, the school, where kids are indoctrinated into believing their nothing more than an advanced animal, and will therefore behave like an animal.

Pig-Hunter

Pop quiz:

Q. What region of the United States has the highest levels of STDs and teen pregnancy, the highest crime rates, and the highest rates of divorce?

A. The super-Christian South.

Evolution/Atheism is a religion relying on chance and spurs racism.

Pig-Hunter

You are aware that the KKK bases their racism entirely on the Bible, yes? The "mark of Cain" was taken to be dark skin, and Cain was taken to be the first black person. My rather racist grandfather once said to my mother with regards to Cain, "And that's where (offensive term for black people) came from!"

Heck, it ends in an "-ism" like a bunch of other religions.

Pig-Hunter

Like "capitalism", "conservatism", "pacifism", "racism", "botulism"... wait, what?

Atheism is indeed a religion. The only thing that makes it unique is that it's the only godless religion.

Pig-Hunter

religion

noun the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

The word comes from the Latin religio, which means "obligation" or "reverence".

Hmm.


Well said, the super christian south mention was an interesting one.
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lancelot200

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#36 lancelot200
Member since 2005 • 61977 Posts

In short, atheism is religious but not a religion. It deals with subjects intrinsic to religion.

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deactivated-5a79221380856

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#37 deactivated-5a79221380856
Member since 2007 • 13125 Posts

I find this comic fitting.

  

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Bourbons3

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#38 Bourbons3
Member since 2003 • 24238 Posts
I don't think it is. The phrase 'freedom from religion' would suggest that it is separate from religion - an alternative.
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Pig-Hunter

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#39 Pig-Hunter
Member since 2008 • 25 Posts
[QUOTE="Pig-Hunter"]

1. Who am I? Atheist answer: You are an animal, but don't worry, you're an advanced one.

2.  Where did I come from? Atheist answer: Primordial glop, but going farther back, you came from a cosmic burp about 20 billion years ago.

GabuEx

You can come to those answers even if you're not an atheist, given that those are the conclusions that science has reached.  The Catholic Church accepts evolution as reality.

Science? Why do they hide so much evidence? There are lies in lots of textbooks.

Lies in the textbooks

I can give you lots of evidence that the earth is only about 6000 years old.

The Age of the Earth Watch it all the way through ;)

There are way too many holes in evolutionary theory, and because the Catholic Church accepts it as reality does it mean it's true? I thought you would think religious people are delusional, believing in God, so for them to belive in evolution, would simply be a hodgepodge one way or another. It's okay to be a theistic evolutionist. It's not a completely compatible mix, but there IS a God, after all.

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MetalGear_Ninty

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#40 MetalGear_Ninty
Member since 2008 • 6337 Posts

its more like a cult danwallacefan

You could do with cutting-out the psuedo-intellectual crap.

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MetalGear_Ninty

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#41 MetalGear_Ninty
Member since 2008 • 6337 Posts

Atheism is a belief system with presuppositions about how to perceive reality. Due to this perception of reality, a atheist would arrive at a different outcome on many issues than someone with a different set of presuppositions. This perception of reality will make it so an logical choice to them may seem illogical to another and vice versa. I would not call atheism a religion but atheism does come along with a perception of reality which is similar to any religious thought.

Do not think I'm saying atheism is a set and organized belief system, but atheism's presuppositions on life will generally come to the same conclusions in any logical choice if the individual remains intellectually sound and noncontradictory. Atheism can be practiced and assumes a specific thought process (I just do not think it's possible to completely fulfill the "atheistic conclusion." e.g. Atheists in some ways live as if there is a divine creater.)

mindstorm
That's all based on an a stereotype of what you think an atheist is.
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Stryder1212

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#42 Stryder1212
Member since 2005 • 114 Posts
As the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, Douglas Adams once said: "If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease."
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GabuEx

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#43 GabuEx
Member since 2006 • 36552 Posts

Science? Why do they hide so much evidence? There are lies in lots of textbooks.

Lies in the textbooks

I can give you lots of evidence that the earth is only about 6000 years old.

The Age of the Earth Watch it all the way through ;)

There are way too many holes in evolutionary theory, and because the Catholic Church accepts it as reality does it mean it's true? I thought you would think religious people are delusional, believing in God, so for them to belive in evolution, would simply be a hodgepodge one way or another. It's okay to be a theistic evolutionist. It's not a completely compatible mix, but there IS a God, after all.

Pig-Hunter

It would be rather strange for me to think that religious people are delusional, considering that, you know, I am religious. And considering that, even if I wasn't, being an atheist does not necessitate any such belief whatsoever.

We have:

1. An extensive fossil record that includes hundreds of species that paleontologists argued in a heated manner over which cIass of animal to cIassify it as, as they contained traits common to two;

2. An extensive taxonomic record that illustrates the inherent interconnectedness of all life on Earth through an increasingly large set of common traits the closer together taxonomically two organisms are;

3. The existence of DNA, which says nicely how mutations can and do happen; and

4. The fact that fossils become increasingly more diverse and complex in nature the closer to the present day they are dated, indicating that life on Earth has increased in complexity through time.

The only "holes" people can find in evolutionary theory are with respect to how it happened. Whether it happened is a completely answered question.

We also have, consistent with the idea that the universe began as a "big bang":

1. The fact that the space between celestial objects is increasing with time;

2. The fact that, if one takes the rate of expansion into account and combines that with the current distance between celestial objects, one finds that the distance between them would have reached zero fourteen billion years ago;

3. Cosmic microwave background radiation, consistent with the heat theorized to have existed at the time of the universal expansion; and

4. The distribution of large celestial objects, which is consistent with an expansion from a singularity.

We also have, consistent with an Earth that is greater than 6000 years in age:

1. Radiometrically dated rocks that have been dated to be over a billion years in age; and

2. Carbon-dated objects that have been dated to be more than 6000 years old.

And we also have, consistent with the idea that radiometric dating is reliable:

1. The fact that we have many forms of dating, and they all agree within a few percentage points when two or more forms of dating can both be used;

2. The fact that radiometric dating relying on parent/daughter isotopes do not simply assume that there is no contamination, and in fact have a built in error-checking mechanism that tells you how reliable the age of a set of samples are likely to be; and

3. The fact that an isotope's half-life is based on fundamental physical properties on the atom, such that the universe would basically fall apart if the necessary changes to alter a half-life were put in place.

The idea that scientists have simply "hid the evidence" is an incredibly laughable prospect, considering how detailing the methodology in every single experiment from which data is derived is an absolute paramount part of the report. The real fact of the matter is that those who argue that the scientific consensus is invalid are largely operating under incorrect assumptions or just flat-out an incorrect set of facts. Whether they are intentionally lying to us or are just misinformed, I don't know, but correct they are not.

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domatron23

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#44 domatron23
Member since 2007 • 6226 Posts

Science? Why do they hide so much evidence? There are lies in lots of textbooks.

Lies in the textbooks

I can give you lots of evidence that the earth is only about 6000 years old.

The Age of the Earth Watch it all the way through ;)

Pig-Hunter

Aw dammit I was hoping for something better than Kent Hovind.