Is atheism a religion?
Soup18:
If not, some one please prove atheism.
Emsworth:
Atheism is not, in itself, a religion; it is only the lack of belief in a divine being. Some religions are atheistic, for instance Buddhism.
A18:
No, and neither is theism. What a dumb question.
Gabu:
The dictionary definitions of religion are as follows:
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re·li·gion
n.
1.
a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
(No, atheism does not believe in or revere any such thing.)
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
(Atheism definitely isn't this, given that it has neither such a belief as enumerated in (a) nor some form of worship.)[/list]
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
(Wouldn't say it fits this definition.)
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
(There's no spiritual leader involved here, so nope, not this one.)
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
(This fits some atheists, but not all, so it can't be said that this is intrinsically part of atheism, so we must conclude that atheism doesn't fit this, either.)
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Atheism is certainly a set of beliefs that people accept without proof, but I couldn't call it a religion, as it doesn't satisfy any of the definitions of the word.
John Dibble:
I'd say yes - atheism advocates the notion that there is no such thing as God, gods, or any other such beings, and it does so completely on faith alone.
Agnosticism on the other hand is not.
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