RSS
Home
Is atheism a religion?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Calling atheism a religion to an atheist’s face is likely to evoke the same reaction as calling into question the character of one’s mother. While, like most atheists, I’m of the opinion that atheism is not a religion, I’m not deeply offended by the charge. In all honesty, I find the accusation flattering, if slightly obnoxious. Theists, in their attempt to dismiss one of atheism’s most important attacks, thankfully confirm it. Atheists question the very value of faith itself. It is not only the doctrines of a certain religion that harm a society; it is the very nature of belief. If atheism is just another belief system, or a religion, then the charge is without merit. But is atheism truly a religion? In the advance of language, we have transcended the communicative moans and grunts of our ancient ancestors. For any concept to be meaningful, it must be more than the sum of the sounds of its syllables. Religion is not an empty word; it is a meaningful concept with certain criteria. It is one which atheism does not meet.
- Atheists believe there is no god.
This statement plays like a multi-choice test. God exists or he doesn’t; pick your choice. In reality, you cannot make something out of nothing. Which one of these statements ring true:
Soccer is not a popular sport in the United States.
Not playing soccer is a popular sport in the United States.
The second statement is meaningless. Atheists do not believe there is no god. Since this supposed god cannot be directly observed in any way, one must examine claims to his existence as they come. Theists make particular claims about the universe that atheists do not find convincing. Whether some sort of higher being exists is irrelevant. Atheists believe what they see until they are swayed otherwise.
- One cannot live without faith. Atheists must believe in something.
An atheist can have faith in her children. She can believe in the goodness of mankind. An atheist will have faith that at the end of the night, the sun will rise. One must not confuse that kind of faith with religious faith. While the word faith is used to describe both types, the first is, in many ways, a misnomer. Religious faith is the acceptance of certain claims as facts, even if they are counterintuitive and despite all of the evidence to the contrary. The other type of faith is a mixture of hope and expectations based on experience. We see the sun rising every morning so we learn to expect it. We have all experienced both malice and kindness from mankind, but we hope people are inherently good.
- Like the religious, atheists follow a set of rules; they live as if there is no god.
What guiding principles come from living as if there is no god? If living according to reason and one’s conscious and following the dictates of human reason constitutes religion, then everyone is indeed religious. In fact, that makes it impossible for anyone NOT to be religious. If we are to believe that statement, then religion loses all meaning. Discussions over what is and isn’t a religion become moot.
Additionally, atheists are as diverse in their ideology as anyone else. I’ve met atheists who were Democrats, Republicans, libertarians, communists or simply indifferent. The most unequivocally pro-life person I’ve met was an atheist. One of the most secular people I’ve talked to was a Christian.
Related Articles:
Comments
