Could Atheism be technically considered a religion?

Originally posted by rhinoceros

Originally posted by scrounger
See in both you have "FAITH" that what you are being told is the truth but no hard physical evidence you can independently view and determine for yourself.

You may take what scientists say on good faith, but it's not mandatory. Materials and methods are always spelled out. The experimental data is usually freely available. In principle, it's always possible to check every single claim made. Not so with religions..

THE BIG BANG THEORY that states something came from nothing....IN DIRECT VIOLATION of basic scientific fact.

You should do some fact-checking before posting..

Um where am I wrong?

Again I bring up quarks as a good example. You can give me reams of paperwork showing studies, see all the experimental data. But most people are not PHD in particle physics so all that is just words on a page. All that expensive supercoliders is just a large metal object. You cannot hand me or show me a quark so you must take it on "faith" all this info is correct and the scientist is truthful.
Alot of science is like this, I just listed this one example.
Unlike again (example) a diamond you can hand me. I can test on objects myself and need no one to prove its one of the hardest substances.

Yes religion cannot be so tested as a diamond.
But it is just on faith like a quark in many aspects (note I am not denying quarks, but it is a fare comparison).


www.big-bang-theory.com...

To sum up with a quote from above

Prior to that moment there was nothing; during and after that moment there was something: our universe. The big bang theory is an effort to explain what happened during and after that moment.
According to the standard theory, our universe sprang into existence as "singularity" around 13.7 billion years ago. What is a "singularity" and where does it come from? Well, to be honest, we don't know for sure

So the basic one could say provable law is that SOMETHING CANNOT COME FROM NOTHING. This was proven by being the development of the scientific method.
To refresh the scientist who developed this most basic scientific principle thought that things just came into being. He thought maggots and flies just came from meat.
So he sealed one piece of meat in a jar, one with cloth on it, ect.
Found out a fly had to land on the meat, lay eggs and vola.

So long and short of it YES I have fact checked.
Given you a link and a short history lesson.

So now you tell me with fact checking how the big bang is different than God creating the universe out of nothing?

Is that crickets I hear?

reply to post by DrGod


no because to be religious, you have to believe in a god and atheists do not

Another interesting question...

Do atheists have a god, the human mind?

Originally posted by Seed76
reply to post by Rubic0n

 

You may need to specify in which country this court ruling took place and thereby specifying within which borders this ruling remains valid.

It´s the USA. Here is the link to the article, posted by another poster here on page 6 : Court Rules Atheism a Religion

Whether or not someone agrees with the ruling is another question. For my part however "Atheism" is a " Belief". The belief that there are no Gods/Deities.

However you did´t addressed the other part of my post concerning the First Church of Atheism, since according to them :

As a legally ordained minister, you will be able to perform weddings, funerals, commitment ceremonies, and other functions that are reserved for members of clergy.

Peace

Well said and even better supported with links.

As for the last part that is how the church of the spagetti monster is recognized as a religion.

But atheist don't like it when the mirror is turned on them so expect the usual flack

Originally posted by wolvesboy666
reply to post by DrGod

 

no because to be religious, you have to believe in a god and atheists do not

Got an idea for you google definition of religion on webster.

Here let me do it for you like I did back on page 7

Definition of RELIGION

1
a : the state of a religious nun in her 20th year of religion>
b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2
: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3
archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4
: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith


Please note NUMBER 4 "CAUSE, PRICIPLE OR SYSTEM OF BELIEFS HELD TO WITH ARDOR AND FAITH"

Note no mention of a "supreme being, god, jehova, allah, ect".


There I did the work for you and explained it for you.

reply to post by ProfessorChaos


It can become a dogma, but that's as close to religion as it gets. If Atheism is arrived at by way of careful examination of the logical requirements that eliminate the plausibility of an existent deity being that fully resembles the traditional god figure (omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and infinite existence) then it's not a dogmatic ideological expression. It's just an interpretation of available evidence.

reply to post by scrounger

But atheist don't like it when the mirror is turned on them so expect the usual flack

Why there should be a flack ? Even if some say it´s a "Non - Belief", it does not changes the fact, that you have a "Group" of people, sharing a "Non-Belief" and this "Non-Belief" been promoted in society.

Peace

reply to post by scrounger

Again the definition is not limited to or constraint by the dogma, ritual, or worship requirements you state.

They can be included but just because they are not there does not change the very basic definition of a "belief".

So it's not constrained. Religion = belief.

If I have the belief (or a series of beliefs) that there does not exist a planet inhabited by talking ponies, you're saying that's a religion because it's composed of beliefs?

Fine. If the definition is to be this loose then you win. Atheism is of course a religion under this light.

Also since you addressed me personally on some points. I am not an atheist, but I am anti-theist. I believe in what I am comfortable calling 'God', I do not believe in any religious dogma and am quite against them. I am just arguing for the idea atheism is not a religion, not for atheism itself (that would be off topic anyways).

reply to post by truejew

Another interesting question...

Do atheists have a god, the human mind?

If they believed their mind to be God's mind yes...

but then they wouldn't be atheist

*head explodes*

reply to post by scrounger


Not all atheists believe in the Big Bang Theory. I sure as hell don't. I reject all faith-based assertions. Faith is blind acceptance of a reality tenet that cannot be proven or even inferred, and that's a terrible idea. Faith is what enables a terrorist to strap a bomb vest on and walk into a cafe to kill himself and everyone else inside that room. Faith is what forces an otherwise loving family to pray a child, with a twisted bowel, to death instead of getting her to a doctor for a routine life-saving medical procedure. Faith is what drives a parent to remove all hope from their teenage son or daughter struggling with his/her sexual identity, leading that kid off a ledge to finish the job that "Satan" began years ago when his/her puberty made it clear that he/she was not going to be the same as others within their community of believers. Faith is what has led millions in our own nation to stridently act against their own best interests and the best interests of their families.

Faith is a man-made death trap, and it always has been. One man's submission to faith is another man's inscrutable act of insanity, and therein lies the rub. Both men can't be right. Neither man can offer proof that either is right. No one can definitively prove either man to be right. No proof exists. Only humanity is capable of faith, just as only humanity is capable of love and malevolent hatred within the same instant of self expression. Being human is like practicing any form of artistic expression.

reply to post by ProfessorChaos


If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair colour.....

If I don't collect stamps, do I have a hobby not collecting them?

Its the lack of a belief, nothing more, nothing less

A- (without) theism belief in god/s

Why do so many people get this wrong?

Reply to post by Prezbo369

Bald is not a hair colour it is a hairstyle and I answered your question on page 3


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by scrounger
Again I bring up quarks as a good example. You can give me reams of paperwork showing studies, see all the experimental data. But most people are not PHD in particle physics so all that is just words on a page. All that expensive supercoliders is just a large metal object. You cannot hand me or show me a quark so you must take it on "faith" all this info is correct and the scientist is truthful.
Alot of science is like this, I just listed this one example.
Unlike again (example) a diamond you can hand me. I can test on objects myself and need no one to prove its one of the hardest substances.

Yes religion cannot be so tested as a diamond.
But it is just on faith like a quark in many aspects (note I am not denying quarks, but it is a fare comparison).

Nothing (except perhaps your own abilities) are preventing you from obtaining that PhD in physics and getting a job at CERN and seeing and understanding that raw data yourself. Tell me what degree I should obtain so that I can verify the existence of God/Angels/Satan/a global flood/talking snakes/etc. myself.

Originally posted by scrounger
www.big-bang-theory.com...

To sum up with a quote from above

Prior to that moment there was nothing; during and after that moment there was something: our universe. The big bang theory is an effort to explain what happened during and after that moment.
According to the standard theory, our universe sprang into existence as "singularity" around 13.7 billion years ago. What is a "singularity" and where does it come from? Well, to be honest, we don't know for sure

So the basic one could say provable law is that SOMETHING CANNOT COME FROM NOTHING. This was proven by being the development of the scientific method.
To refresh the scientist who developed this most basic scientific principle thought that things just came into being. He thought maggots and flies just came from meat.
So he sealed one piece of meat in a jar, one with cloth on it, ect.
Found out a fly had to land on the meat, lay eggs and vola.

So long and short of it YES I have fact checked.
Given you a link and a short history lesson.

So now you tell me with fact checking how the big bang is different than God creating the universe out of nothing?

Is that crickets I hear?

Because the website www.big-bang-theory.com... has the authoritative word on the theory. Notice how in the theory it all begins with a singularity. No statement what-so-ever is made about where that singularity came from. Nowhere is it stated that it came from nothing. There are other hypotheses/models that attempt to explain this part, but they're not part of the Big Bang theory. As to how the theory is different to some supernatural being creating the Universe.. for one, it's supported by experimental data and it can and has been tested again and again..

reply to post by Seed76


So we are all members of the church on Aunicornism?

It really blows my mind the things religious people say... just reinforces my belief that you will all kill yourselves.

IMHO, the answer is "both." We have some athiests (the majority, I'd say) who simply do not believe in a diety and that's it--they don't give it much thought and go about their lives. Some people, a vocal minority, seem to have an intense, almost evangelical, bent and they seem to be jumping into things to spread their belief (or non-belief as it were) as some of the most strident religious. At that point, I'd suggest that it may be taking on religious tones.

reply to post by ProfessorChaos


No,its a lack of any belief in a god,its completely opposite to religion from Greek for "godless"

How could atheism be considered a religion when it's precisely the exact opposite, the "REJECTION OF BELIEF in the existence of deities" (quote from Wikipedia)? It's precisely NOT what religion is. Atheism implies the absence of religion. Also atheism and evolution have nothing to do with each other, so suggesting that atheism is the religion of evolutionary science is absurdly comical and just plain ridiculous.

reply to post by Wertdagf

It really blows my mind the things religious people say...

That there is a Church of Atheism ? That a Court rules atheism a religion ? That the question from OP is " Could Atheism be technically considered a religion?

Yeah, it´s really blow minding, what religious people are saying.

just reinforces my belief that you will all kill yourselves.

Is that the best you can think of ?

Peace

reply to post by famalhut


Mosts athiests I have met, do not give a crap about science and evolution and big bang. They used to be christians, saw it for the fraud that it is, and became atheist after many years of being manipulated by their church. They don't go to an athiest church, don't preach athiest dogma, they just don't believe in any gods anymore. The fringe athiests are the ones that can't keep their mouths shut any time god is brought up, go around insulting anyone with beliefs etc. They are comparable to the god hates fags christians. The fringe element.

reply to post by DarthMuerte


What specific devotional and ritual observances do atheists participate in? None that I know of. That is what the religion part of it means, not just the beliefs.