Why do NeoAtheists deny the practice of atheism is a religion?<<MOD WARNING>>

But this is an invalid argument, as there is no evidence for the existence of said god.

 

Paradox. There is no such thing; they are contradictory terms. A theist is not an agnostic and an agnostic is not a theist.

That person DOES have knowledge of what they believe. They have knowledge of the particular God that they believe in. That knowledge does not mean that God exists in actuality, however. Think of it this way... I have knowledge of Harry Potter. I have read all the books. I know that he is an amazing flier, is good at Quittich, has some temper issues, is very brave, has a few close friends, fell in love with his best friend's sister, etc. etc. etc... That knowledge does not mean that Harry Potter exists in actuality, however.

Because I have faith that it is true.

On a faith basis.

No pretzel twisting involved there, as I have shown above.

 

You're aware that I just took Poly's argument and replaced a couple words in it to show that his reasoning was weak, right?

I have provided my own argumentation elsewhere within this thread.

 

And I pointed out that yours is an invalid argument, for the reasons I stated.

Which has been refuted.

 

You are making an Argument From Ignorance, as has been pointed out throughout this thread.

Arguments of the Stone and Arguments By Repetition are not refutations, they are logical fallacies.

My arguments have yet to be countered, nor even attempted to be countered... See my post #871

 

I'm sorry just because you can spot a fallacy does not render an argument invalid.

 

Well I would agree being a theist doesn't necessarily mean practicing religion. It just means you believe in God.

Belief in God is based on faith not evidence.

 

You will have to show the religious practices of being an atheist and you didn't do that in your argument in post 871 so no it doesn't.

 

no you replace the couple words in my argument and turned it into cognitive dissonance.

it's no where do you show atheism to be religious practice

 

I thought it was a given:

Atheists admit they are a religion

What is a Worldview? - Oregon State University

web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~funkk/Personal/worldview.html
Mar 21, 2001 - A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of Reality that ground and influence all one's perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing. One's worldview is also referred to as one's philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology, faith, or even religion.

Christian worldview (also called Biblical worldview) refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it.

Official Atheist Aims and Purposes
Therefore, the Aims and Purposes of American Atheists are to:

• Stimulate and promote freedom of thought and inquiry concerning religious beliefs, creeds, dogmas, tenets, rituals, and practices;
• Collect, preserve, and disseminate information, data, and literature on all religions and promote a more thorough understanding of them, their origins, and their histories;
• Advocate, labor for, and promote in all lawful ways the establishment and maintenance of a thoroughly secular system of education available to all;
• Encourage the development and public acceptance of a humane ethical system stressing the mutual sympathy, understanding, and interdependence of all people and the corresponding responsibility of each individual in relation to society;
• Develop and propagate a social philosophy in which humankind is central and must itself be the source of strength, progress, and ideals for the wellbeing and happiness of humanity;
• Promote the study of the arts and sciences and of all problems affecting the maintenance, perpetuation, and enrichment of human (and other) life; and,
• Engage in such social, educational, legal, and cultural activity as well as be useful and beneficial to the members of American Atheists and to society as a whole.

They simply dont understand, you can try to teach some people physics and no matter how smart they are elsewhere they simply do not get it.

 

Atheism isn't a practice.

 

I just posted proof that it is, whats up with you?
how you interact with and on what basis you interact with the world around you, (philosophy, theology, voodoo, soothsayer, crystal ball), whatever, is the practice of your religion. You interact (interface) with the world around you differently with atheist beliefs than you would with theist beliefs. For instance you do not kneel toward Kaaba to pray, you may not pray at all, those in the Catholic religion do not face Mecca either. Religion is highly personal, each person has their own private religion and generally seek others with the same core attributes in the public sphere and their religion can only be understood as it is expressed in their 'actions'. Your interaction with the world is based upon your worldview, everyone has a worldview, you cannot escape having a religion.

 

No you didn't. That's like proof that the Earth is flat. You can't produce proof for something that isn't true.

 

False, No its not like that at all until you can put up a counter argument to demonstrate its not true. Until then it stands. Sorry.

Well I suppose you could also concede your position by agreeing to disagree like you did in the last round.

 

Disagree.

 

No what you posted was proof some atheists have a worldview, a small group in america. Here is what they say about Atheism, again I am quoting YOUR sources!

Atheism is one thing: A lack of belief in gods.
Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system. To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

Older dictionaries define atheism as “a belief that there is no God.” Clearly, theistic influence taints these definitions. The fact that dictionaries define Atheism as “there is no God” betrays the (mono)theistic influence. Without the (mono)theistic influence, the definition would at least read “there are no gods.”

Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion.
While there are some religions that are atheistic (certain sects of Buddhism, for example), that does not mean that atheism is a religion. To put it in a more humorous way: If atheism is a religion, then not collecting stamps is a hobby.

Despite the fact that atheism is not a religion, atheism is protected by many of the same Constitutional rights that protect religion. That, however, does not mean that atheism is itself a religion, only that our sincerely held (lack of) beliefs are protected in the same way as the religious beliefs of others. Similarly, many “interfaith” groups will include atheists. This, again, does not mean that atheism is a religious belief.

Some groups will use words like Agnostic, Humanist, Secular, Bright, Freethinker, or any number of other terms to self identify. Those words are perfectly fine as a self-identifier, but we strongly advocate using the word that people understand: Atheist. Don’t use those other terms to disguise your atheism or to shy away from a word that some think has a negative connotation. We should be using the terminology that is most accurate and that answers the question that is actually being asked. We should use the term that binds all of us together.

If you call yourself a humanist, a freethinker, a bright, or even a “cultural Catholic” and lack belief in a god, you are an atheist. Don’t shy away from the term. Embrace it.

Agnostic isn’t just a “weaker” version of being an atheist. It answers a different question. Atheism is about what you believe. Agnosticism is about what you know.
https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/

Proof then atheism is not a religion.

 

Here is some more proof for you, Atheists telling you what they are and the IRS confirming it!

Atheism is not a belief system† so that should end this article right here, but theists will likely not be satisfied. They might point to the things atheists and religions have in common: religions form churches, atheists form associations; churches and atheist associations appoint members to formal roles such as bishop and president; church members give offerings, atheists pay subscriptions; churches hold services, atheist hold meetings. Churches and atheists both have literature they value and people they admire.

The problem is, these are superficial similarities and if they make atheism a religion, they make political parties and table tennis clubs religions too. That is obviously absurd.

There is one organization that makes it their job to decide which group is a religion and which is not, and that’s The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the USA. Religions receive highly favorable treatment in the USA and the IRS wants to avoid giving these advantages to organizations that are not genuine religions. So the IRS has a set of criteria they apply to any group claiming to be a religion. The primary criteria are listed below with how atheist groups qualify [shown in parenthesis].

1. Distinct legal existence [Some atheist groups are legal entities.]
2. Recognized creed and form of worship [No creed or forms of worship.]
3. Definite and distinct ecclesiastical government [No ecclesiastical governance.]
4. Formal code of doctrine and discipline [No doctrine.]
5. Distinct religious history [No religious history.]
6. Membership not associated with any other church or denomination [Atheists may join any number of atheist groups.]
7. Organization of ordained ministers [No ministers of any kind.]
8. Ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed courses of study [No courses of study.]
9. Literature of its own [No literature reserved for one group.]
10. Established places of worship [No worship.]
11. Regular religious services [No religious services.]
12. Sunday schools for the religious instruction of the young [No instructing the young.]
13. Schools for the preparation of its members [No atheist schools.]

With only one criterion applicable to atheists (and that one all political parties and many clubs share), the IRS won’t be granting religious tax exemptions to atheist groups any time soon.
https://www.atheistalliance.org/about-atheism/is-atheism-a-religion/

Notice that Neo Atheists are not mentioned anywhere and the OP has still not explained what they are, or even if they exist.

 

falsisms and more falsisms from you


Atheists incensed after IRS grants them tax exemption as religious group


By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The leader of an atheist group reportedly is incensed that the U.S. government has granted it a tax exemption, citing allowances for religious organizations — and she’s even angrier at learning that she’s considered a minister
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/21/atheists-incensed-after-irs-grants-them-tax-exempt/

 

false advertising, hilarious how screwed up they are, cant believe anyone would post that as a defense.


You don't have to believe in God to be considered a "church" and get tax breaks, a federal district judge in Kentucky told atheists last week, striking down their objections to tax exemptions granted religious organizations and ordained clergy.

On Monday, May 19, U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman in Louisville ruled that the American Atheists Inc. did not have legal "standing" to challenge the exemptions, which include a "parsonage allowance" ruled unconstitutional in November 2013 by another federal judge in Wisconsin. The debate involves Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or I.R.C.

“We’re very disappointed in the court’s decision,” American Atheists President Dave Silverman said in a statement. “The court has upheld a prejudiced government practice.
https://www.deseretnews.com/article...bid-to-overturn-IRS-religious-exemptions.html

 

So lets get this straight, I used your source to show that your source does not believe that they are a religion and they explain exactly what an atheist is. Now you claim that the your source is false advertising. So you used a source that you now claim is false, do you therefore withdraw it as a source?

 

nah you just missed it

false advertising, hilarious how screwed up they are, cant believe anyone would post that as a defense.


You don't have to believe in God to be considered a "church" and get tax breaks, a federal district judge in Kentucky told atheists last week, striking down their objections to tax exemptions granted religious organizations and ordained clergy.

On Monday, May 19, U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman in Louisville ruled that the American Atheists Inc. did not have legal "standing" to challenge the exemptions, which include a "parsonage allowance" <- thats a atheist minister ruled unconstitutional in November 2013 by another federal judge in Wisconsin. The debate involves Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or I.R.C.

“We’re very disappointed in the court’s decision,” American Atheists President Dave Silverman said in a statement. “The court has upheld a prejudiced government practice.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article...bid-to-overturn-IRS-religious-exemptions.html

that was fun

 

you posted that to defend the lack, I didnt post any of that, I posted this to prove they were a religion:

but now you get to see the courts determination as well

 

Your proof that atheism is a religion is that they are incensed when called a religion.

Again I posted from your source which you now claim you cannot believe how screwed up your they are. You write your opinion as if that is important or even true, you actually think your interpretation is more relevant that what your source actually says. Yet again you trash your own source but this time you say they are suffering from cognitive dissonance. And of course we still have no definition of Neo Atheists and you have not shown in any way that atheism is a religion.

 

Now thats hard up dissonance to the extreme, hard core straight up denial,
when you argue the title of the news paper article instead of the courts decision.

Are you kidding? They have always been screwed up. Atheists quote them and their lack all the time!

yes in fact you do: https://www.atheists.org/


Official Atheist Definitions:
Atheism is the comprehensive world view
https://www.atheists.org/about/our-vision/
Looks like atheism is a religion after all!

 

I never said you did, I said that it was from your source, which it is. And it explains exactly what their view on whether or not they are a religion and what they think an atheist is. But you trash their view on what they think whilst promoting their view which you think says what it does not. But you still have not explained why you think that the American Atheists represent what is atheism when they clearly write it is their aims and opinion and not what are the aims and opinions of Atheism.

Does the IRS grant tax exemption to atheism?