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Atheism is a religion

Really? Is it?......Theists always bring this up during debates and discussion for whatever reason..I don't know. However, this is a silly notion as atheism is neither a belief or a religion but LACK of belief and LACK of religion. The prefix "A" before theists should be clearly seen as the absence of something, but then again theists don't use common sense.

The Merriam-websters dictionary defines religion as; "(1) The service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance" and those are just 2 of the many definitions I can pick out for the term religion. Now neither of those apply to atheism. There is no service and worship of anything, no devotion to any religious faith.

Theists might argue however, that atheism is a community and we have a set of beliefs and attitudes. I agree, but does that make it a religion? Then going by that logic, drinking beer on a friday night is a religion.

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Comment by Antonio Chambers on May 30, 2011 at 3:35pm: @Samhita, heard. However I disagree with your thoughts about atheism related to atrocities. None of those men you listed killed in the name of atheism. Both Stalin and Hitler had mustaches, does that mean mustached people are evil? On the other hand theists have killed in the name of god COUNTLESS amount of times.

Comment by Jimmy Clay on May 30, 2011 at 3:11pm: I try to not let it go to my head, but maybe that explains my need to save the world.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on May 30, 2011 at 3:08pm: Another JC heard from!

Comment by Jimmy Clay on May 30, 2011 at 3:05pm: I think the religious like to call atheism a religion partly because they know we find it annoying, but also, for some of them, because their whole world view is their religion, they cannot imagine other people being different. In short they cannot think outside the box so they label everyone as having some kind of religion.

But here's another side to this discussion. You would think the religious would have more respect of the word "religion." When I think of the word, I think of ideas that are holy, or at least trying to be holy. I think of belief systems that are trying to elevate to something outside this world. I think that is how most atheist interpret the work "religion." I'm not saying we believe it, but we except that religions are trying to get beyond the natural world.

But by associating atheism with religion, the theist are actually bring the word "religion" down a few notches. The religious themselves are turning the word "religion" into another secular word that has a similar mean to the word "philosophy."

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on May 30, 2011 at 2:59pm: John,

You are reenforcing my wish for an encyclopedia of religion.

Haven't you noticed that the less religious a man is the greater the tendency that the man is in favor of equal rights for women? Dont you think atheist men are much less apt to smack a woman around? Cant you see how fundamentalist muslims abuse the hell out of women and the women are so brainwashed that it is accepted? Dont you think the atheist couple will avoid having the woman burn on a funeral pyre after her husband's death. Have you read Aquinas and Augustine and Martin Luther to see what they have said about women. Have you read how raping women, especially indian women in colonial America was the christian thing to do and rarely punished?

I would point to Iriquois women, non christians, who had top decision making power. Also Kung Bushmen who were perhaps the most egalitarian society and obviously non-christians.

Dont be another mindless religious apologist. Use your head. Religion is poison. At least by diminishing its influence things can improve for women.

Comment by John Camilli on May 30, 2011 at 2:42pm: John D, you really should just stop attacking people. Its a shame you overlook that solution.

Comment by John Camilli on May 30, 2011 at 2:41pm: Glen, almost every society in history has had the habit of oppressing women. The very few exceptions to that rule are certain religious societies. The ancient Celts (think Wicca) were matriarchal, as were the ancient Polynessians. Hinduism is another that has had matriarchies, although its really an oversimplification to say Hinduism as if its one religion. There are more sects in Hinduism than in Catholicism, Judaism and Islam combined. The Greeks had matriarchal ideologies, as did the Babylonians and Sumerians.

And slavery has also been a widespread phenomenon throughout history. It only really became taboo in the modern era, and has little to do with religion, and more to do with man's natural desire for power and control.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on May 30, 2011 at 2:15pm: And Christians have a similar story in keeping women, poor and the slaves in their place. Either because it is their lot in life or because they will get their reward in heaven.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on May 30, 2011 at 2:13pm: John D,

I did not read Age of Reason. I do know its famous quote.

While I dont agree with your nasty attitude, I agree with your take on hinduism. It is responsible for an unjust social hierarchy.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on May 30, 2011 at 2:07pm: Samhita,

I like your infinity answer mostly because of confirmation bias! I have the same feeling that we will never get to the nitty gritty.

On the other hand your take on religion I spurn or at least disagree. Notice I was careful to say "driven by". Otherwise my argument is worthless. You could say certain killers were coffee drinkers too but it is only a correlation not cause and effect. Yes Stalin was an atheist. The state replaced the church in that case. The purges were not driven by atheism. Of course I have read about Genghis and Tamerlane. I know nothing of Tamer the Lane's religion. I do not by any means believe Genghis was an atheist except conceptually, like other theists he was an atheist as to all other forms of nonsense. But again I dont see how you can maintain that the killing was motivated by atheism even if either character was an atheist.

I do agree that humans are warlike innately and that atheism in and of itself is not going to be a panacea.