Is atheism a religion?

Even if you do know one or two, that is no reason the make a blanket accusation against us all.

 

Ok, you want to get obtuse" suppose you can't see the glass but someone told you it was empty (or full)? Is it then a belief or a fact?

 

F * calling me obtuse you arrogant arse...

 

I think you are equivocating here. There is a qualitative difference in meaning between "I believe in miracles" and "I believe it's raining outside." One sort of belief rests on evidence, the other persists despite lack of evidence.

And as I'm sure many have pointed out to you, people have invented thousands of gods over the years. You are an atheist with respect to all but one of them, and the atheists you're talking about see no reason not to eliminate that one as well. After all, the evidence for all of those gods is exactly the same.

 

Who shoved anything down your throat? Stop pushing your beliefs on me.

 

If atheism had a bible, a list of do's and don'ts, had regular services, followed people in goofball costumes, collected money from the membership, I'd consider it a religion. It may be a belief, but it is not a religion.

 

I have no idea where you conceived that response from this post:

""Who are these mysterious "they"s ???

I am an atheist....I don't give a damn what you believe....as long as you don't try to shove it down my throat as some religious people tend to do."""

Is there a way you could articulate a little better to address what was posted???

 

obtuse
[uh b-toos, -tyoos]
Synonyms Examples Word Origin
adjective
1.
not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull.
2.
not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form.

 

An atheist means just that. A-Theist. Non-theist. It means that someone just does not believe. It is only the existence of believers that necessitates the word. You wouldn't introduce yourself as a non or A-doctor, or an A-janitor.
As far as calling it a religion, it is no more a religion than people who believe in Bigfoot. In fact, people who believe in ufos or Bigfoot would qualify more than atheists to be a religious movement. There are people who assert their non belief in rebuttal to religious dogmatism that have gotten a lot of pushback from mainstream zealots, and have caused people to accuse them of having their own non religion, but this is an A-argument.

 

Yes, belief is opinion, not fact. Are you saying you know there is no god or form of existence beyond the one you are experiencing now?

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Not sharp. Rather dull too.

 

It's funny how atheists swear up and down how they aren't organized, yet they are very quick to deny that any atheist(s) can be organized into anything, especially a religion.

 

I articulated it as well as you did. Why does every one of you lead with "don't try to shove it down my throat" on a friggin' forum titled "philosophy and religion"????? What do you think we are going to talk about here, football?

 

I did NOT say anyone shoved anything down my throat...I said AS LONG AS they don't try....

I am talking about outside of PF in real life.......there is one you know....


Paraphrasing your first post above the same could be said for believers:

they don't just believe, they want you to believe and are willing to stop at nothing to make you believe.

 

Okay, let's talk about real life, then. Ever hear of these guys?

https://atheists.org/

They were the ones who filed a lawsuit to keep the WTC "cross" (actually a part of the building structure that looked like a cross) from being displayed at the Sept. 11 Memorial because it looks like a cross. And that's not the only suit, they are forever trying to have monuments removed that have been around for decades, monuments that are actually a part of our history.

And they are only one of many.

 

You certainly have us figured down to a "T"---- NOT.. Atheism is not in itself a religion, but athiest themselves can be religious, and/or have a religion, singlely, or collectively

JUST LIKE THIESTS

 

And why are you doing on a "Philosophy and Religion" forum if you don't want to hear about religion? Why is every forum labeled "religion" populated by atheists?

 

Ya, so?

They do NOT represent all atheists because atheists are NOT an organized group. SOME MAY have an atheist organization but that does not mean ALL atheists belong.


Are you actually going to claim that believers have NEVER tried to influence non-believers, or force their prayers on schools, or their words on money or their religious displays on public property or try to get laws passed based on their religious beliefs???

No, you just couldn't do that HONESTLY.

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WHERE did I say I didn't want to hear about religion? No where.

 

You said you didn't want it "shoved down your throat", what exactly does that mean? In a literal sense no one has ever "shoved anything down your throat", so I can only assume it means hearing about it. So which is it? You don't want to hear about religion or you do?

Wow, that's tough, man. Words on money and religious displays in public. A creche in the fire department on Christmas. Be strong, life can be hard, but you can endure.

Since I have been putting up with atheists trying to influence me for the past 20 years I find that claim a little disingenuous.

 

You don't know the difference between discussing something and having it shoved down your throat.

""""Are you actually going to claim that believers have NEVER tried to influence non-believers....? """"

Guess that's your claim..... because you didn't answer.

You said , ""Since I have been putting up with atheists trying to influence me for the past 20 years I find that claim a little disingenuous.""


Well, Be strong, life can be hard, but you can endure.

 

Tell me about your own experiences in getting religion shoved down your throat. I mean you personally, aside from God's name being used on currency, which happened before I was born, and I am an old man.

 

Yuppers! The first 16-18 years of my life being raised by Catholics ...had to go to church, catechism class, learn chants, learn man-made rules disguised as the "word of god", breath incense, be taught lies.
And when I go to a taxpayer funded venue like a government building I should not have to see religious symbols....if believers can't keep their beliefs on their own property but greedily, arrogantly use other's property then that's shoving it down throats.

I really don't mind that much having "god" on money since money IS god especially to believers.....

 

So the people who "shoved religion down your throat" were your parents? Terrible, having such a tragic upbringing. I guess my own experiences as an orphan pale in comparison. I'll bet they made you brush your teeth and eat vegetables, too.

Well, the good news is now you are an adult and free to hate them for it and for their beliefs.

Pray continue, though: who has "shoved religion down your throat" as an adult? (By the way, I don't even carry money any longer, so I don't know if it still says "In God We Trust" on it.)

 

So move the goal posts when evidence is presented....the dishonesty of believers is noted.

Why is "hate" always the first emotion believers think of? Why is it always on the tip of their tongues in every situation?

Now it's your turn to explain how atheists have made your life such a struggle?

 

These are your own words, man, your parents made you go to church and now you take it out on all of us, all the way down to the name of God being mentioned on currency.

 

Your posts just make no sense and have no logic.

I am not "taking it out" on anyone....

Why is "hate" always the first emotion believers think of? Why is it always on the tip of their tongues in every situation?


And the part you chose to ignore:Now it's your turn to explain how atheists have made your life such a struggle?