Christians often argue that atheism is a religion. It is not. Atheists do not necessarily have one thought in common with another other than lack of belief in a god or gods.
If atheism is a religion than everyone is a member of countless religions sharing a lack of belief in such things as invisible pink unicorns and polka dotted moon monkeys.
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12 comments:
This is not true and silly at best.
Atheists find common ground on a number of different issues. So much so that they developed a creed. Have you ever heard of the Humanist Manifesto? Atheists generally agree with the propositions set forth in this manifesto.
http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto1.html
You are right that atheists do not necessarily have one thought in common, they have many!
If this doesn't convince you, ask any atheist what he or she believes prime reality to consist of. In every situation they will answer that matter is prime reality.
Again, welcome to religion!
You are correct that many if not most have very similar views on reality but the point is they needn’t.
Unlike real belief systems like Christianity that demand certain beliefs (apostle’s creed for instance), atheism has no creeds, no rituals, no holy books, no dogmas... Just lack of those things.
Your comments do not measure up to the standards set forth. They self-refute.
You say Christianity demands certain beliefs? All religious systems do, including atheism!
1. Can atheists believe that God exists?
2. Can atheists believe there is a spiritual realm or something that transcends matter?
3. Can atheists believe there is life after death?
4. Can atheists say that the universe exists in an open system?
5. Can an atheists claim that knowledge about truth is possible outside the realm of science or empiricism?
The religious system known as atheism demands that its adherents believe a certain doctrine and that they hold to it dogmatically.
1. No. As I previosly stated this is the definition of atheism. Of course this also depends on what you mean by “God”. If you define God as ultimate reality than the answer to your question would be yes.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. Yes
5. Yes.
Name one atheist who believes in life after death.
just google something like “can atheists believe in an afterlife”.
I think we have hit a wall on this particular point and think it best we move on.
You know this but will state it once more. Atheism is derived from A- meaning without and theism meaning belief in a god or gods.
That is all one atheist necessarily has in common with another atheist. That is it. Nothing else. After that, anything is fair game—including an afterlife.
I don't think we've hit a wall. According to your "yes" answers, there is a lot more to be discussed.
What are the many possible answers to the questions I posed above for atheism?
I think you owe it to the faithful readers of this blog and to the religion of atheism to respond with more than yes or "just google" it. I personally don't think the religion of atheism has a response to the questions I've raised.
There are many beliefs atheists have in common (like other religions) as I have illustrated above.
. . . but, if you'd like to move on we certainly can.
I'll say it again - Atheism is not a belief system, it is the absence of a belief in god. Just like I don't believe in Zeus, I don't believe in god. And christians are "atheist" when it comes to worshipping other gods such as Allah. But you don't consider the lack of belief in Allah as your belief system.
To clarify terms, an atheist is someone who BELIEVES there is no god. An agnostic, to my understanding, is someone who believes that we can never know whether or not there is a god - that this is unknowable in this life. But based on the evidence, as an agnostic we can still form an opinion about the probability that there is a god. By this definition, I would call myself an atheist agnostic.
Perhaps another thing that some atheists share is a passion for theology. What I have found is that most atheists are far more well-read about the bible and the subject of religion generally. Often, they are people who have been damaged by christianity and worked long and hard to be released from it. This does not come easily, and usually means that atheists really have to know their stuff.
Another point worth mentioning is that there is still a great deal of discrimination against atheists. The first George Bush said that atheists are not patriotic citizens and should not serve in a public capacity. Things may have changed a bit since then, but generally speaking many people assume atheists are either devil-worshippers (point of clarification - atheists don't believe in god or the devil, so they certainly do not worship either entity), or they are sad, lost people who have yet to find the gospel if you will only preach it often enough.
These are fallacies, from what I've found. Most of the athiests I know are thrilled to be released from the hellfire of christianity. The joy and love spouted by christians can actually be felt with all the lies are exposed and we cast a light on the truth. Which can only be found, I believe, through diligent study and searching. Not through the bible.
Another thought here. I don't think most atheists are comfortable talking about what "most atheists think". The truth is, we don't know exactly what other atheists think. They can think whatever they like. It reminds me of a rather provincial friend of mine who met her first African-Canadian man and asked if he knew Magic Johnson! The truth is, the one thing that makes us atheist is that we don't believe in god. Everything else is up for grabs. I won't pretend I know what happens after we die; maybe we are just bug food, or maybe there is a spirit that lives on. Or maybe there is reincarnation. I have no clue, and neither does anyone else. I admit that the idea that there is "nothingness" is very scary, but that does not mean that it couldn't still be true. I believe that there is some kind of energy in the universe that we do not yet understand; it is still mysterious. To me, that is not an argument for the existence of god. The likelihood of an invisible, perfect force up in the sky that made everything, knows everything, sees and hears everything, and is actively involved in our day to day life is laughable. It's like believing in Santa, except that it's even more unbelievable.
A quick comment about prayer. I am offended when christians get a promotion, or someone survives cancer, or something else, and they attribute this as an answer to prayer. So many people lose loved ones; people in many other countries have never known anything but darkness, poverty, war, loss, and death. The idea that a loving god is ok with this, and manages to answer my prayer that I'll find my lost earring, well, it's profoundly arrogant and sick to me.
Atheists have common beliefs about God, matter, humans, what happens after death, and I am sure I could find a few more. It's a system or religion as I like to call it because one belief (no God) logically followed by another.
There is a great book on worldview (written by a Christian) called The Universe Next Door. It takes a much more academic approach to what I've tried to communicate.
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