Then Lon, I guess you just need to study it some more. It makes perfect sense to me and I dare say, to a few million others.
Bobby all that goobledgook is senseless. Your trying so hard to make a religion out of everything. There is no need to make something com;plicated out of a simple thing.
There are atheists who simply do not believe in God, and there are evangelical atheists, who are every bit as fervent as any other cultist, and to whom atheism is indeed a religion. The one acknowledges his or her own disbelief while the other wants to control everyone else's.
LOL.....It’s a moot point Sheldon and after all, I was only replying to your post. If you do not like the idea that Atheism is a religion, then don’t worry about it. If you do not like my analogy, then pay it no attention. My goodness, I didn’t expect my post to totally stress you and others out for the last 2 days after I wrote my assertion that Atheism is a religion. But let’s face the facts, your reply was indeed a challenge and I met that challenge with what you and Lon call gooblegook and senseless. The fact you guys consider that Any belief in God is gooblegood and senseless and Any assertion of His existence is the same, puts me in good company so I’m not insulted in the least bit. After all that has been written, the main focus of my initial post simply implied that Atheists have to have more faith than those who believe in God, an eternal consciousness, higher power etc. If ya’ll can’t take a compliment then so be it.
Just to piggy-back on @Ken Anderson‘s post, when threads open up strictly focusing on believers and an Atheist comes on board making their statement of disbelief in God, I’d say that’s pretty much a declaration of a religion. I do not stand around focusing on evangelizing Atheists but some sure do like interrupting a good thread in an attempt to challenge the existence of God. The ones who enjoy that type of “evangelizing” or “disruption” are displaying an extremely high belief system ergo....it’s a religion. By declaring their non-faith in a faith based thread identifies that person’s core identity as an Atheist which is again a declaration of one’s religion.
The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly stated that Atheism warrants the same protection as all other religions, and has spoken of religions based on a belief in the existence of God and religions founded on different beliefs.
And, following a bit of logic, if Atheism isn’t a religion and Atheists do not identify with a religion then why do Atheists post on forum boards labeled.......Religion?
Bobby, I think the problem is that you have a twisted definition of what religion is. Definition of religion - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Definition_of_religionOxford Dictionaries defines religion as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. That superhuman is the big difference. Atheists don't believe in any superhuman controlling power. Ifb fact that is what we don't believe in.
religion noun re·li·gion | \ ri-ˈli-jən \ Definition of religion 1 a: the state of a religious // a nun in her 20th year of religion b (1): the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3: archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
I've made a similar point repeatedly in conversation with friends. If an atheists 'knows' certain things to be true he has formed his own religion. I'm much more comfortable not knowing many, many things.
Beth, I align with you most of the way. I do find, however, that the concept of the end of my own awareness is nearly as incomprehensible as the thought of a creator.God. I've not found that people much understand what I mean by this, but that's okay. I'm proud to be incomprehensible. LOL
As I stated elsewhere, I agree with Bobby here. Atheism is, to my mind, a religion. But let's not capitalize the 'a' in atheism. It makes it more important than it is.