U.S. Supreme Court Ruling: ATHEISM IS RELIGION

The sentence implies atheism could fall under the category of belief _or_ the category of religion. It does not mandate that it fall under either category.

Your claim that it has to mean atheism falls under the category of religion is clearly false. Standard English means what it means, not what you want it to mean.

Glad we cleared that up. Will you stop making your false claim now?

 

exactly....that coincides with what I said.

 

it directly refutes what you said.

 

oh contraire....without intelligent design it is all left to chance. You contort the truth to suit your narrative.

 

I directly refuted your assertion.

 

Bolded is a paradox. You must clear this paradox to argue rationally again...

 

Is this your belief??

Notice how you are refuting yourself?

 

Correct.

Incorrect. Under this definition, Buddhism and Shinto are not religions, and neither are any other unfalsifiable theory based religions.

While some religions worship deities, not all of them do.

Correct. Theism does not require worship of deities.

Theism IS religion. It is an initial circular argument ("fundamental belief") with other arguments stemming from it.

 

no it's the definition.

by showing the definition of atheism precludes it from being a religion? lol ok

 

amazing you cannot actually quote the parts of the decision that support your claim. Could it be because you have misinterpreted what the decision actually said or perhaps you never read it.

 

Human beings are born atheists. Atheism is therefore a lack of belief.

Active beliefs - "the world wasn't created by a god", "we don't need god because science", "gods don't exist because my prayers were never answered" - lead to a return to the natural lack of belief called atheism.

 

You have a point here, insofar as atheism would cover both the active belief of non existence, as well as a lack of awareness of a concept of a deity. But the point remains that when one is presented with any concept, not limited to deities, that cannot be proven true or false, then they have to take a position of belief about the concept. They can believe it true, believe it false, or believe there is some mixture of the two or that there isn't enough evidence to believe true or false. Once presented with the idea of a Deity, lack of belief is no longer presented.

 

edna kawabata:

Again, the atheists in both of the cases cited in my OP behaved like religious people. They demanded their religious rights. For example, Torcaso

mamooth:

You did not clear anything up. You are merely in denial. Atheists have used their Atheist Religion to:

1. Conscientiously object to war, just like people within theist religions have been doing.
2. Atheists have tried to get tax exemptions afforded only to groups that are defined as RELIGION.

"Feds say OK to atheists on religion tax break

The federal government wants to give Annie Laurie Gaylor a tax break for leading an atheist group.

The standoff is the latest twist in a court battle over the parsonage exemption for clergy, a tax break that allows "ministers of the gospel" to claim part of their salary as a tax-free housing allowance.

Gaylor's organization says the exemption gives religious groups an unfair advantage. That makes it unconstitutional, the foundation's lawsuit claims.

But government lawyers say that atheist leaders can be ministers, too, since atheism can function as a religion. So leaders of an atheist organization may qualify for the exemption."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/20/atheist-religion-tax-breaks/2678367/​

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck.

Alter2Ego

 

I am reminded of the old saying..... if it looks like a duck..... sounds like a duck..... walks like a duck.... it is probably a duck.

One exceptionally well informed and polite Atheist on one forum stated that my beliefs in God evolving.... and Adam and Eve being created..... was technically one valid branch of Atheism but most Atheists want people like me excommunicated..... ostracized..... shunned... and disfellowshipped after only one or two messages to their forums.

I did a blog to save myself the bother of writing all this up over and over again:

www.CarbonBias.blogspot.ca/

 

CourtJester:

I will amaze you further by quoting part of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that supports its ruling that Atheism is Religion. Focus on the words bolded in blue, including the footnote where Secular Humanism aka Atheism is identified as a RELIGION.

U.S. Supreme Court
TORCASO v. WATKINS, 367 U.S. 488 (1961)
367 U.S. 488
TORCASO v. WATKINS, CLERK.
APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND.
No. 373.
Argued April 24, 1961.
Decided June 19, 1961.

Appellant was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to the office of Notary Public; but he was denied a commission because he would not declare his belief in God, as required by the Maryland Constitution. Claiming that this requirement violated his rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, he sued in a state court to compel issuance of his commission; but relief was denied. The State Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that the state constitutional provision is self-executing without need for implementing legislation and requires declaration of a belief in God as a qualification for office. Held: This Maryland test for public office cannot be enforced against appellant, because it unconstitutionally invades his freedom of belief and religion guaranteed by the First Amendment and protected by the Fourteenth Amendment from infringement by the States. Pp. 489-496.
223 Md. 49, 162 A. 2d 438, reversed.

The appellant Torcaso was appointed to the office of Notary Public by the Governor of Maryland but was refused a commission to serve because he would not declare his belief in God. He then brought this action in a Maryland Circuit Court to compel issuance of his commission, charging that the State's requirement that he declare this belief violated "the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States . . . ." 1 The Circuit Court rejected these federal constitutional contentions, and the highest court of the State, the Court of Appeals, affirmed, 2 holding that the state constitutional provision is self-executing and requires declaration of belief in God as a qualification for office without need for implementing legislation. The case is therefore properly here on appeal under 28 U.S.C. 1257 (2).

"We are all agreed that the First and Fourteenth Amendments have a secular reach far more penetrating [367 U.S. 488, 494] in the conduct of Government than merely to forbid an `established church.'. . . We renew our conviction that `we have staked the very existence of our country on the faith that complete separation between the state and religion is best for the state and best for religion.'"

[ Footnote 11 ] Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others. See Washington Ethical Society v. District of Columbia, 101 U.S. App. D.C. 371, 249 F.2d 127; Fellowship of Humanity v. County of Alameda, 153 Cal. App. 2d 673, 315 P.2d 394; II Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences 293; 4 Encyclopaedia Britannica (1957 ed.) 325-327; 21 id., at 797; Archer, Faiths Men Live By (2d ed. revised by Purinton), 120-138, 254-313; 1961 World Almanac 695, 712; Year Book of American Churches for 1961, at 29, 47.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=367&invol=488​

Now, go ahead and present more of your Atheist Religion denials. I'll be watching.

Alter2Ego

 

Nowhere in that ruling does it state atheism is a religion.

 

so was God left to chance or did he have an intelligent designer?

 

He is all that ever existed. Who are you to figure Him out?

 

Thank you. As I said that does not declare Athiesm as a religion. Try again. That is unless you think freedom of religion is not also freedom from religion.

 

What then is the difference between secular humanism and atheism? I just believe you use the term atheism as a vehicle to exempt you from accountability as to what you actually believe and what influences your opinions.

 

One is a belief system/world view. The other is the lack of belief in a god or gods. Atheism by definition is not a religion.

I just correctly apply the definition of words. Atheism is not a religion. The same way not playing baseball isn’t a sport.

 

There....you just told us what you believe. All darkness is, is a lacking of light. There is no neutral ground. Your beliefs reflect your choices. Enjoy your religion!

 

no, I told you the definition of a word.

Atheism isn’t a belief. It’s the lack of belief. By definition atheism is not a religion. Just like not playing baseball isn’t a sport.

 

If you play baseball....you are involved in a sport. You play godlessness....you are involved in a religion. You do not believe in God but you believe in gay marriage. You would impose that belief on others. Yes you don't get off on your cowardly neutrality. Your religion is defined as secular humanism which encompasses a wide variety of godlessness. Expect to be opposed! Get used to it.

 

This is utter nonsense! If you don't believe in god you're not religious, as has been explained!
How can you impose gay marriage on others?!? If you don't want to get married to another man or another woman then don't! No one is making you.
A wide variety of godlessness?!? What complete rubbish. There is no god, that's all.
As for being opposed, keep your lousy religion to yourself, and supporate in it.