Guest Powerplay Report post Posted July 11, 2002 I got this idea from my friend's dad (The coolest hard-core conservative I've ever met): Since we have an atheist going against the "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, didn't the court favor the religion of atheism when it made it's ruling? I mean, God doesn't belong to any religion at all, so putting God into the Pledge does not violate the Seperation of Church and State. Anyways, all that says is that the state can't endorse a state religion, not totally eliminate God from every government context. And Atheism could be considered a religion since its beliefs all operate on faith. There is no proof proving the existance/non-existance of God, so don't atheists have to have faith that there is no God? And if they do, how is that faith different from faith in a God? So wouldn't the decision to take "God" out of the pledge be a ruling for Religion against a totally secular pledge? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Mr. Slim Citrus Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Taken from dictionary.com: re·li·gion n 4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. Atheism is the "religious" belief that there is no God. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EricMM Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Atheism is the direct and persistant belief that god does not exist. I'd say it is more of a religious stance. But it is a way of relating to the concept of a god. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LooseCannon Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Taken from dictionary.com: re·li·gion n 4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. Atheism is the "religious" belief that there is no God. Possibly for some. But most atheists that I know, myself included, do not, by any stretch of the imagination, actively pursue their belief that there is no God with zeal or conscientious devotion. In fact, I'm hard pressed to imagine how one would do that. It's just not something one can zealously pursue really. It would be like being a zealous devotee of gravity or entropy. I mean. I assume you don't believe in Santa Claus. Do you actively pursue that (non)belief with zeal or conscientious devotion? This is not to say an atheist isn't going to speak up when he feels marginalized or categorized as a second class citizen by a society that by and large is full of believers. But for the most part, atheism is fairly passive. So I don't believe it generally meets that criterion nor do I believe it meets any other criterion such that it could be called a religion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LooseCannon Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Atheism is the direct and persistant belief that god does not exist. I'd say it is more of a religious stance. But it is a way of relating to the concept of a god. Sure it's taking a stance viz a viz religion. It's rejecting the idea of religion. It does not follow logically that taking a stance viz a viz religion constitutes religion. I'd say the idea(that atheism is a religion) is creative, but I've heard creationists(I'm not accusing anyone here of being creationist) use this idea years ago to advance their agenda. Sophistry is a more accurate description. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest redbaron51 Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Atheism is not a religion, it is a religious belief that people think there is no heaven, hell, satan or god. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Insanityman Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Well... this IS coming from an agnostic person. Anyways, I believe it's not a religion because they's no believe of what a religion concieves of. It's also like asking if anarchy is a form of government. In my personal opinion I'd like to change the Pledge even as me being agnostic I feel unsettled saying it. When I didn't say it I got in trouble and my teacher didn't buy "I was exercising my rights." I don't believe it's a religion, but a religious theory. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LooseCannon Report post Posted July 11, 2002 I don't believe it's a religion, but a religious theory. Atheism is not a religion, it is a religious belief that people think there is no heaven, hell, satan or god. I'm a bit confused. Could you guys clarify these posts for me. Specifically your use of "religious" as an adjective. On the one hand, I can interpret these statements as "a theory pertaining to or with respect to religion" and "a belief pertaining to or with respect to religion," respectively. Which I can agree with substantively and semantically without pause. On the other hand, there's this persistent nagging thought in my mind that there's another way to interpet these statements that would require an advanced degree in Orwellian doublespeak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest redbaron51 Report post Posted July 11, 2002 I don't believe it's a religion, but a religious theory. Atheism is not a religion, it is a religious belief that people think there is no heaven, hell, satan or god. I'm a bit confused. Could you guys clarify these posts for me. Specifically your use of "religious" as an adjective. On the one hand, I can interpret these statements as "a theory pertaining to or with respect to religion" and "a belief pertaining to or with respect to religion," respectively. Which I can agree with substantively and semantically without pause. On the other hand, there's this persistent nagging thought in my mind that there's another way to interpet these statements that would require an advanced degree in Orwellian doublespeak. Whoa man...your looking into it too much, over analyzing it. What I am trying to say is that Atheism is a choice or a belief, that you think on how you believe in God, Satan, Heaven and Hell, and the afterlife. Its still a religious belief though, its just saying "I believe that no of this is real, and I don't care about them". Actually come to think of it, Atheism is more of a trend or a cult now, IMO. And I have no clue what Insanityman is trying to say since I live in Canada Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LooseCannon Report post Posted July 11, 2002 I think I understand what your saying, though I disagree with your use of "religious" on a purely semantic point. But its really not worth debating because I agree substantively. Except for the use of the words trend and cult. Atheism may be in style in Europe, or even Canada, but if it was ever in style in the States, it went out of fashion years ago. And cult? Now that's just insulting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Insanityman Report post Posted July 11, 2002 Well I tried to hit both topics; I say it isn't a religion but more of a theory and then that people are complaining about the Pledge. It's like the "Is zero a number?" debate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RetroRob215 Report post Posted July 12, 2002 I'm an atheist and I don't consider it to be a religion. Maybe a philosophy, but not a religion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest KoR Fungus Report post Posted July 12, 2002 Nah, it's not a religion, imo. People actively practice a religion, whereas you don't actively practice atheism. I'm an atheist, and that just means not bothering with religion at all. I don't even think about it, much less actively pursue it with zeal or devotion. The only time it becomes an issue is when some religious person decides it's necessary to engage me about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shaved Bear Report post Posted July 14, 2002 a religion has people gather at particular times and they celebrate certain things, atheists don't if I am correct Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GenerationNever Report post Posted July 14, 2002 I wouldn't consider Atheism a religion. I'm learning about Daoism, which is a philosophy, not a religion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
