Atheism:religion or not?

[[Satan]]

Would you consider atheism to be a religion or an anti-religion? It could be a religion because it is what you believe. But there isn't much of a bible or anything attached to atheism that would make it a religion. I want everyone's opinion here. 3nodding  

[in the afternoon]

Atheism to to religion as 7-up is to cola. It's not a religion.  

[Dathu]

I don't think atheism is a religion because religion (to me) is the use of fictional characters and events to enforce a philosophy. Atheism is the just the realization that no god/gods exhist. Not a whole more to say about it than that.  

[Slate Alchemy]

Of course not.  

[- Bipolarity -]

No, atheism isn't a religion, it's a lack of any religion.

The prefix "a" means "non" or "opposite of".
The word "theism" means "belief".

Atheism=opposite of believe.  

[Grand Moff Locket]

Honestly, by my personal definition, it is. I define religion is a set of beliefs, or guidelines. If you believe there is no god, that's a belief on creation/the afterlife, and thus is a religion, despite a general lack of holidays, or other gatherings. Of course it's not a Webster religion, but this is simply my opinion. Take it as no more than one. I'm not as much an atheist, as I'm an anti-theist.

Monotheism: belief in one god, polytheism: belief in multiple gods, atheism: lack of belief in god, anti-theism: Actively believing there is no god. It's slightly different, in that it's a smaller subsection of atheism. One in which we have a set of firm beliefs, rather than a lack of a real set definition of life, creation, and the like. I'm a scientologist, myself. Other anti-theist beliefs include philosophy, psychology(not examining the mind, believing the mind is the governing principal), and the like. An analogy. "I don't like frogs." "I hate frogs." It's simple, but it states my point well, I think.  

[The Amazing Mr. Tommyos!]

Atheisim is the aparent lack *or in my case lement of* religon.  

[caustic 0_0]

I would say...no. Monotheism itself isn't a religion. You could have a religion that's monotheistic however. So theoretically...you could create a religion that was atheistic. But atheism itself is not a religion.  

[Rev Shrubbery]

in the afternoon

Atheism to to religion as 7-up is to cola. It's not a religion.

I like your analogy. although I would have used sprite instead of 7-up. More people know about it. biggrin

But otherwise, here is dictionary.com's definition of religion:


1.Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
2.A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
3.The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
4.A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
5.A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

If atheism is in fact a religion, it cannot be any of the definitions but the 5th definition. I don't personally beleive that it is, but if you happen to have a cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion, then, well, whatever floats your boat!  

[Mechanism]

- Bipolarity -

The prefix "a" means "non" or "opposite of".
The word "theism" means "belief".

Atheism=opposite of believe.

Eh...
'a' is a negation prefix; non- isn't the same as 'opposite of'.
'Theism' is belief in god(s).

It means "No belief in god(s)"

And I wouldn't consider atheism an anti-religion, because a religion doesn't necessarily have to involve a god. Thus, you could be a religious atheist.
But in no way is it a religion;
Atheism is to religion what a blank page is to a book.
It's a lack of particular belief, as opposed to set of beliefs.  

[aufheben]

Contingent

- Bipolarity -

The prefix "a" means "non" or "opposite of".
The word "theism" means "belief".

Atheism=opposite of believe.

Eh...
'a' is a negation prefix; non- isn't the same as 'opposite of'.
'Theism' is belief in god(s).

It means "No belief in god(s)"

And I wouldn't consider atheism an anti-religion, because a religion doesn't necessarily have to involve a god. Thus, you could be a religious atheist.
But in no way is it a religion;
Atheism is to religion what a blank page is to a book.
It's a lack of particular belief, as opposed to set of beliefs.

*dingdingding*

We have a winner.  

[Din_of_Serenity]

i see it as a philosophy  

[Foetus In Fetu]

This is technically off-topic but I just remembered I had a dream last night that I was talking to someone about atheism and religion and that they kept refering to atheism as a religion and I kept insisting that it was a belief (or lack thereof) and they kept insisting that it was a religion even after I explained why it is not several times.  

[Mechanism]

Foetus In Fetu

This is technically off-topic but I just remembered I had a dream last night that I was talking to someone about atheism and religion and that they kept refering to atheism as a religion and I kept insisting that it was a belief (or lack thereof) and they kept insisting that it was a religion even after I explained why it is not several times.

They say that dreams reflect your sub-conscious concerns.