Why Atheism Is A Religion

So now you're trying to argue that the Atheist Churches themselves aren't Churches even though they call themselves one?

 

There are always groups of people who do odd things

​​Every Catholic says this, too, regarding the weirdo branches of Christianity. Doesn't mean they're not a Religion.

​However these "atheist churches" do not have a unifying architecture, theology, or religious practices (unless you consider Monty Python skits to be religious). They don't build their communities based on religious beliefs, they have no representations of divine beings in their meeting places, no ritual objects, no sacred landscapes, and no sacred cities.

They do have an underlying Atheology, and it doesn't really matter how silly it gets. I'm sure most Atheists look at the Eucharist as just as silly as Monty Python. They ARE building these Churches, which are communities, based on their beliefs. They have a representation of no divine beings purposely, collectively, and uniformly. They purposely and collectively have no ritual objects, sacred landscapes, etc.


But you claim science, evolution explicitly, as taught in public schools is religious?
Yet each branch of Christianity has its own specific ethics which sets it apart from other branches and they all share other specific ethics.
What specific ethics and laws pertaining to those ethics applies to atheism? Where are they listed as being specifically atheist, written down, and codified?

In Catholic School there is Theology. In Public School there is Atheology, or Science.

The unified ethics are probably being debated as we speak, just as with the formation of any Religion.

Creationism is not a scientific theory because it can not be tested, it is at best a hypothesis.

​​And a hypothesis isn't a foundation of the Scientific Method? What's your point?

I would argue that Non-Locality is a good starting point for trying to test some sort of thing that could be called God.

That would be news to those of the Jewish persuasion.

With this argument, Atheism also has a history to it. You're trying to say it doesn't?


In addition, Christianity has developed its own unique understanding and explanations for what is going on in relation to human understanding.


as does every Religion.


Based on your Ninian Smart's Seven Dimensions of Religion, atheism is not a religion.

​I know you don't want it to be, but it is.

I already even said that a Religion doesn't have to have all 7 to qualify, as Buddhism has no Deity, and some don't have any real Cosmology or story to the Universe. But they are still Religions.

 

I really don't see the point to this discussion and am probably calling it quits after this post unless someone can come up with a more interesting angle. Atheists are people who've decided that they don't believe in God. This tends to isolate them in a society that attaches great importance to God and religion. To overcome this isolation, some naturally seek the company of others who share their non-belief.

Oklahoma has one of the largest, most active atheist communities in the country--probably because Oklahoma is the Buckle of the Bible Belt. The Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Atheists (AOK) provide a social outlet for members, educational lectures discussion groups and sponsor some political activities promoting separation of church and state--a constant problem in Oklahoma. They erected a billboard in 2010 that attracted the attention of FOX News : "Don't Believe in God? Join the Club" and then gave their web address. That's about as strong as their proselytizing gets in a city where religious outdoor advertising and giant crosses are abundant. They are a loose association including humanists, naturalists, and freethinkers, as well as true atheists of the "hard" and "soft" varieties. And they do volunteer charity activities in co-operation with church groups and other organizations. Tulsa has a similar, separate organization, as do some smaller communities--often meeting in Unitarian churches, and including Unitarians as members. Does this make them a religion? I don't think so. But whatever! So what?

 

Atheism is the only one of those dealing with the ultimate nature of reality.

Are you saying that Atheism doesn't have a unique view of the Universe?

 

At the end of the day they are an organization of people who hold a belief in no deity, which is dealing with the ultimate nature of reality and the Universe, and they have Churches to congregate. Guess this somehow doesn't equal a Religion

 

What's your point with this? Just because they are ridiculous things to base Churches on, still makes it a Church. If people congregate together and base these notions on some ultimate truth of reality, it still makes it a Religion, no matter how out-landish. The Church of Pac-Man isn't an actual building, either, just a website. I'm talking about real Churches that are built and where people discuss their views of the Universe, such as an Atheistic Church.

 

The fact that Atheists resist so heatedly the notion of being considered a Religion says a lot. It matters because it is revealing and unraveling Atheism's sense of uniqueness and specialness, something that ALL Religions share in common. You could argue that political parties also share this in common, but political parties aren't dealing with concepts of the ultimate nature of reality. Atheism is.

If none of this really mattered, then Atheists wouldn't get so uncomfortable about it.

 

Wow yeah, the scales have suddenly fallen from my eyes. Everybody gets uncomfortable about how you are handling this topic with your almost supernatural reasoning.

Jk MeAgain explained well enough where you go wrong. It's why I asked you for those examples about those seven dimensions of religion that make atheism a religion. It's like you want it to be and are arguing towards it but those examples (especially those about public schools) are not saying anything conclusive about atheism evidently being a religion.

 

So Churches, shared world-view about the nature of reality, narrative about the history of the Cosmos, and Belief aren't enough?

Oh right, I'm talking to people who actually feel that Buddhism isn't a Religion, either.

 

Well here you go with the ethics.

http://atheists.org/activism/resources/ethics

http://ethicsmorals.com/ethicsatheists.html

 

Atheism claims to not be a Religion because if it were a Religion then Evolution wouldn't be allowed to be taught in public schools. So Atheism disguises as not being a Religion even though it carries many characteristics of one.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! I'd like to leave, but feel an ethical obligation to stay on to deal with your latest irrational claims. The teaching of evolution in the public schools has nothing to do with atheism, since as previously explained: (1) many religions, like Catholicism and mainline Protestant Christianity have no problem with evolution; and (2) evolution is science, solidly grounded in mountains of refutable evidence and accepted by a majority of scientists of all faiths. Your haven't made a convincing case for Atheism being a religion, and you've provided no evidence that Atheism is disguising itself as a non-religion in order to get evolution to be taught in public schools. That's simply a non-sequitor, as well as an assertion unsupported by evidence. This kind of babble may get you by in right-wing religious circles, but it is devoid of facts and logic.

 

Atheism is a cult , devoted to reasoning its identity and promoting itself
into dominance . An Athiest devotee is an activist in the service of reason ,
referenced to Experimentalist philosophy which abstractly refers to a
Philosophy of Science that will never exist . Science is a dicipline .

If devoted to Reason , what is your service ?

My devotion is the Quest , in the service of Relationalism .
.
.

 

The school system is a theory of mine. It makes sense as there have been classic cases of Church vs. State. Creationism is Catholicism. If Catholicism always didn't have a problem with it and vice versa, there wouldn't have been these famous court cases of Evolution vs. Creationism.

I have provided many different and obvious reasons of why Atheism is a Religion. It is a belief system. It has a narrative of the history of the Universe. It has Churches. It has a philosophy. It has everything that many other Religions have. I've even provided ethics of Atheism.

It's quite clear that Atheism operates very similarly to many Religions.

 

hmm...here's even a Court ruling that Atheism is a Religion...http://debunkingatheists.blogspot.com/2008/07/atheism-is-religion.html

 

A cult is ordinarily charcterized by mind control or manipulative behavior toward members, demanding total commitment and loyalty, and cut off from former associations and family ties. By that definition, I don't think the term can be applied to most atheists. Most atheissts aren't necessarily activists in the service of reason, and many non-atheists (like me) are. Your description makes little sense.

 

I think the dirty little secret of every Atheist is that they would LOVE to see the annihilation of Religion entirely, especially Christianity, just as Christians would love to "save" everyone.

 

I think you get some strange ideas when you view the world through this rubric of "What are you devoted to, in service of what, ...." etc. I'm an atheist but I would never use the word "devoted" to describe my relation to it. Also if you can accuse atheism of being devoted to reasoning its identity and promoting itself you can make that accusation of any philosophy you wish; all philosophies and views seek to clarify themselves and to spread, being memes.

Just because some people are atheists and feel that's a good idea and engage in discourse to convince others does not make atheism a cult nor a religion.

Tikoo you're also conflating atheism and science . . . plenty of scientists who believe in the god of abraham and mohammad and spinoza and everything in between, and plenty of diehard strong atheists who believe all manner of supernatural things.

"If devoted to Reason, what is your service?"

Truth, beauty, creation, peace, and love. How about you?