Atheists: How can you claim atheism is not a religion?

Question

How can you possibly be so foolish as to say you "know" there is no God, you little speck of dust in the universe. Every day new species of plants and animals are discovered which you knew nothing of yesterday. Every day scientists change their theories about the origin of life. Truth is you believe there is no God. And if your point of view is based on belief then it's a religion with no greater or lesser claim to fame than any other religion

Answer 1

Atheism does not fit the definition of religion, that's how I can claim it. I also don't 'know' that there is no god just as I don't 'know' that there are no unicorns, I just see no evidence for either of them and don't bother living my life as if they exist. Now go troll elsewhere.

Answer 2

How can you claim atheism is not a religion?

-The claim has support, by rational analysis[1].



How can you possibly be so foolish

as to say you 'know' there is no God?

-I'm not a Gnostic Atheist.



you little speck of dust in the universe.

-so are you.



Every day new species of plants and animals are

discovered which you knew nothing of yesterday.

-proves Evolution.



Every day scientists change their theories about the origin of life.

-No one knows the origin of life, changing hypothesis

or theories doesn't make science invalid.



Truth is you believe there is no God.

-Truth is, your putting words in my mouth[2].



if your point of view is based on belief.

-The point of view of Atheism is LACK of belief. It's NOT a religion.

Answer 3

I've never said I know for 100% that there is no God.



I just haven't seen any evidence, or found a logical reason, to prove that one does exist. So while I think anything is possible, I find it highly improbable that a God of any kind exists.



I don't think anyone, on either side, can honestly make that claim the they know for 100% that a God does, or doesn't exist.



So call me a weak atheist if you must.



But atheism is not a religion. Look up the definition of religion, and you will see why.



Atheism only means you don't believe in Gods. There's no dogma, no list of rules to follow, and while there are some groups popping up here and there, no real organization.

Answer 4

Religion: A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices...The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"[2] but it is more socially defined than personal convictions, and it entails specific behaviors, respectively.



You can be a theist and still not have a religion. Atheism is simply the lack of belief in a god/deity. Nothing more, nothing less - just that we don't believe.



I have never said that I 'know' there is no god. Nobody does. the way you put it makes it sound like you 'know' that there is a god. Everybody is agnostic. Just accept that some people have different views and opinions to you.



"Every day new species of plants and animals are discovered which you knew nothing of yesterday"

So they're not mentioned in the bible, or on Noah's ark then? =P

Answer 5

They don't know, they "think" (I have no idea why u put know in quotes)



You don't know if God is real, you "think" :)



Seriously? Do we KNOW anything? Because what we know, is what we discover, what OTHER people "know."



We know according to what we think technically, but it's easier to say know because we think for sure.



Understand???



Just so you "know" everyone is a little speck of dust in the universe.



And actually their "beliefs" are not based on belief, because they don't believe in god, or in what you do or I do.



And just because their views are no greater or lesser claim to fame than any other religion, doesn't mean is must be a religion, because it's not anything else.





Atheists simply don't believe in God.

That's it...



You call that a religion?

Answer 6

I shall overlook your patronising insults and answer anyway.



Definition of religion:

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.



Therefore atheism is not a religion.



New species of plants and animals are discovered every day - so?

Every day scientists change their theories - yes, in response to new discoveries. That's how science works.



"Truth is you believe there is no god" - yep, that's the definition of an atheist. So?

Answer 7

because atheists don't say we "know 100% there is no god",



even if one did- that would be a simple statement of opinion based upon the lack of evidence. the only thing that would be able to tell is if that person would change thier opinion if valid scientific evidence was presented that proved god's existance.





when atheists say "there is no god"- it is easier than typing and/or explaining the following:



there is no evidence to support the idea of god, further, the odds of gods existance, are so improbably remote that it might as well be considered impossible. however, since there is no conclusive proof that there is no god, one cannot logically say there is no chance,



but to prevent you confusing this "almost impossibly remote chance" with a reasonable "chance"- the odds of god's existance are much less likely than spiderman really existing, wonderwoman really existing and the two of them have a "love child" who is born as a sentient robot who can transform into a truck called "optimus prime".





isn't saying "there is no god" easier?



and scientists don't "change" any theory on a daily basis, in order for something to become a theory in the first place it requires rigorous testing and observation by MANY scientists.



scientists change thier minds based upon this testing and observation and collaboration with others and thier results, but that would generally occur before something becomes a theory- once a hypothesis has been tested to the point it can become an accepted theory- then it would be much harder to "disprove" that theory since you would need to explain why those earlier testing yeilded those results as well.



you need to gain a basic knowledge of science and scientific theory before posting something like this again.

Answer 8

Nope I don't don't believe no god exists. I reject the belief in a god on the basis of no evidence to support one actually exits. If evidence were presented I'd reconsider. Atheism is not a religion, religions have dogmas and tenets, the only thing all atheists agree on is the rejection of the claim "god exists" because no evidence exists to support it.

Answer 9

I thought the Bible says to only follow one religion!



If atheism is a religion then you have one religion for believeing in your god, and thousands of others for not believeing in all the other gods!



You see why atheism isn't a religion now?



Edit: Also, foolish? Matthew 5:22 - see you in hell!

Answer 10

Is theism a religion? Is pantheism a religion? Is deism a religion?



These are beliefs. There's a reason why it's not capitalized, yet Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are capitalized.



We do not have a holy book, we don't meet at a scheduled time, we don't have some sort of church or temple, and atheists can believe in a variety of things (the only common denominator is the lack of a belief in a god or gods).



Furthermore, would you say not believing in Santa is a religion? That's about how logical your argument is.



Duh.

Answer 11

So how many gods do you believe in?



Anyway, your argument relies on a false definition of both 'atheism' and 'religion' in order to support your claim that atheism is a religion. Atheism is the absence of belief in gods, not the belief in the absence of gods; and not every belief is a religion. I believe this computer exists, is that a religion? It is a point of view based on a belief.

Answer 12

Saying that an idea is a religion means that thinking I might get a phone call today is a religion. Obviously, by that definition, religion is meaningless.



In reality (a position many religions abandon), religions also have central texts and practices. Atheism does not qualify.

Answer 13

Curious: How can you claim atheism is a religion?



Firstly, calling us foolish is judging, which is a sin in your religion. So already you've demonstrated you are a hypocrite.



Secondly, we do not know there is no God. However, we have not seen any evidence for his existence and therefore do not believe. How can you possibly be so foolish to claim you know there is a God? Again, slightly hypocritical of you.



Thirdly, will you please stop with this "atheism is a religion" nonsense. It's just so ridiculous. Not-believing is not a belief. Is bald a hair colour? No.

Answer 14

I believe its Thursday - does that make it a religion?



religion [ ri líjjən ] (plural religions)



noun



Definition:



1. beliefs and worship: people's beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of God, a god, or gods, and divine involvement in the universe and human life



2. system: an institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine



3. personal beliefs or values: a set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that somebody lives by



none of those apply collectively to atheists.

Answer 15

Believing or otherwise in a deity is NOT the definition of religion.



Atheism, lacking any unified belief system, theology, structure or commonality amongst members of the group of atheists, does not fit any definition of religion.



How can I know there is no god? Like this:



I believe humans can know (not believe, not have faith, but actually know) if a god or gods exist. I believe that the reason we are unable to establish any objective, verifiable evidence for the existence of at least one god is because none actually exist. If one does, and the evidence comes along to support it, I will immediately believe it exists.



Simple really.

Answer 16

How can you possibly be so foolish as to say you "know" there is a God? And atheism isn't a religion; it's a lack of.

Answer 17

...Ok but that's faith NOT religion...Religion is a belief in a deity...And we can say god does not exist because we don't think he does...Just like you clam he does because you believe he does...We don't clam to know the Ultimate truth we just are expressing our beliefs also I don't say there is no god I say I don't believe there is a god...

Answer 18

So aleprecaunism is a religion, too?



Last time I checked, a single stance, much less one that portrays a *lack* of belief, doesn't qualify as a religion any more than a lack of hair (bald) qualifies as a hair color.

Answer 19

when have i ever said i "know" there is no god? i merely claim i am unconvinced that a god exists. If you "know" something then you should be able to demonstrate that knowledge.

Answer 20

Because atheism has no teachings, dogma, or organization.



You've got this desire to equivocate until everything is the same as everything else. That's *your* issue. My personal philosophy doesn't need to make room for it.

Answer 21

This is the worst argument I have ever seen.

Answer 22

Atheism is a religion as bald is a hair color.

Answer 23

How can you claim that not collecting stamps is a hobby?

Answer 24

We have no bloody religion, get it threw your thick skull please