Is atheism a belief?

[downbeatplumb]

Atheism is absolutely a belief.

Those who say it is a mere "lack" of a belief do not know what they are talking about. Actually, atheism can be just as dogmatic as religion if not worse. If we lived in a universe, in a Reality, in which there was no God, no religion, no theistic notions of any kind, then perhaps people there could be said to be atheists in the sense that they lack belief in a God.

Problem is, this isn't that kind of universe.

Instead, we live in a universe where we have to "pick a side" in a sense, and order our belief systems accordingly. Those who adopt atheism, adopt also the things which go along with atheism and the rejection of beliefs and values that don't go along with it. Now, I'm not saying that materialism and atheism, for example, go hand in hand by a strict logical necessity, but a disbelief in God still carries with it a "casting off" of many notions which "gell" with it.

I would also say that atheism in itself is not religious in anyway, but in it's relationship and application to people, it has religious overtones. At least in potential.

I don't know how to put this exactly. But the fact is, everything is in relationship to everything else, and atheism is not exempted from this fact. Sure, one can say it is a "lack of a belief", but it is a "lack of a belief" in-the-face-of various theisms practiced by people of respective religions, some of which religions view infidels as worthy of death. Religions that may teach that everyone has a religion in a way because we are made in the image of God except that human nature has been distorted/disfigured by sin, etc. So atheism is therefore an idol of man, hence religious.

So already here you have a division of 'us' against 'them.' And this is incontrovertible in my view. Everything is in relationship to everything else. At least conceptually. And I think... socially, psychologically, and many other ways as well.

I am an atheist because I find the ideas put forward for gods as laughably idiotic, so I don't believe them.

Let me illustrate this.

Imagine some idea you think is stupid.

Lets say someone said a eating 85 big macs a day is great way to stay in shape.

Thats how I feel when someone tells me what of their idea of god. I cant believe that anyone takes the idea of god seriously.

So my atheism is a reaction to your stupid idea.