Atheism is a religion

[Mister Agenda]

fidel castronaut:
"atheism= the lack of belief in God or gods."

- You do know that definition is the most passive aggressive load of horseshit regardless of whether or not it's found in a dictionary or not right?

If thy dictionary offend thee, pluck it out and go some place where they don't care if you make up your own meanings for words.

The very definition commits the fallacy of invincible ignorance.

A definition can't commit a fallacy. If I define bleck as the very definition of the fallacy of invincible ignorance, that does not mean the definition commits that fallacy. What's committed is those of us who are agnostic or weak atheists saying 'we don't believe in any God or gods' and you finding passive-aggressive ways to say we're all liars without actually coming out and saying so.

If you are aware of an idea, regardless of what that idea is, you are automatically forced to form beliefs about it. It's unavoidable.

"afoiweuroij"

- you just formed a belief about the string of letter above. You have formed a belief about every letter and word in this sentence, including the .

I have knowledge of that word: which letters compose it, what order they're in, and so forth. I have no beliefs (or idea) of what the word is supposed to mean or if it correlates to anything real. I don't know if you made it up or if you got it somewhere else. I don't know if a meaning has already been assigned, if you plan to make one up, or if it hasn't been defined, if you plan on letting it remain so. I completely lack a belief regarding whether or not anything it may refer to is real. And let's be clear: the Abrahamic God is clearly the result of generations of a game of 'my god is better than yours'. It's a ridiculous pile of omnis that contradict each other and can't possibly coexist. But it's possible some other version of God may exist or some 'small g' god exists; although I think it's unlikely I don't set the probability at zero. I'm an agnostic atheist because I don't rule out the possibilty of some sort of god (although I lack belief in any); but I'm a 'gnostic' atheist toward versions of God that are self-contradictory or contradict observable reality. And speaking of forming beliefs about strings of letters, I question whether a word like God that seems to have hundreds of definitions which many proponents shift freely to suit their arguments can meaningfully be said to actually have a definition.

- by the mere fact that you have been introduced to the idea of God you have formed a belief about it. You either believe God exists, believe God does not exist, or believe in the possibility of God but are unsure of God's existence or non-existence.

Sure. What I believe about any God or god I've heard of is that belief in it's existence is unjustified by logic or evidence, even if it's possible that it really does exist. My belief about the Abrahamic God based on his most commonly-ascribed attributes is that he doesn't exist. Your version of God isn't the only one, even many of your co-religionists don't mind throwing that version under the bus if another is more defensible. I'm reminded of a debate I attended on whether the God of the Bible exists. The proponent never even attempted to prove more than an ill-defined creator God. I believe the Abrahamic God doesn't exist. I don't believe the Deist God does exist. An atheist is someone who doesn't believe any God or god exists. We can have all kinds of other beliefs. We can even believe God doesn't exist, but it's not required, anymore than theists are required to never have doubts that God exists.

Those are the only three options you have regarding God's existence, because you are aware of the idea of God.

Sigh. If I believe in the possibilty of some sort of God or gods, but am unsure of God's existence or non-existence, there's still the matter of whether I believe God exists. I am not sure no version of God exists, but I don't believe any version of God exists, with the possible exception of other things being named God (the universe, your cat, whatever) and they don't count for purposes of whether I'm a theist or an atheist. I've been both an agnostic theist and an agnostic atheist. It's perfectly possible to believe in God without being sure God exists and it's perfectly possible to not believe in God without being sure God doesn't exist.

Only if you have never heard the word "God" or gods, AND were never made aware of what God is or isn't, AND personally had not considered anything relating to purpose, meaning, mortality, life, death, and a host of other ideas, could you be regardes as "lacking belief in God or gods". Of course, you could never be aware of the fact that you "lacked belief," being aware of that would mean you had formed a belief.

I've been exposed to the idea that you may have a $50 in your front right pants pocket. I've considered pockets, money, people, and a host of other ideas. I lack belief that you have a $50 in your front right pants pocket. It's one of the less-common denominations and I don't even know if you're wearing pants. However, I don't believe you don't have a $50 in your front right pants pocket.

Beliefs are not physical things, you can not lack them like you can lack a brain.

So you don't believe someone who lacks a brain can lack beliefs? Are you sure you're not just ranting?

They can be strong, they can be weak, they are beliefs nonetheless. I have heard that my words are trying to tell atheists "What they believe". No. . They aren't. I have no idea what any of you believes. I just know you believe something. Even if you think you don't believe anything... that's still a belief.

I don't have a belief in any version of God or gods existing. I can't imagine what, other than a truly profound passive-aggressive attitude, could lead someone to tell me that it's passive-aggressive to say I don't believe in something and that for some reason I HAVE to agree that I believe it doesn't exist instead. I noticed you've conflated not believing in God with not believing in anything. I believe you know better.

What is even more interesting is that so many of you "atheists" believe in observable physical reality, which is predicated on a belief in "God". Think for yourselves, and think critically. But first, learn how to think correctly.

Insufferable arrogance is not an endearing quality. Physical reality doesn't depend on anyone's beliefs and the astounding ignorance required to make such an utterly preposterous claim makes the following recommendation to learn how to think critically hilarious.

All it takes believe or not believe in something is blind faith. Many people have it. Atheists and theists alike. Words are just labels, the have no meaning besides that which we personally ascribe them.

If they don't have the meanings we collectively ascribe to them, then they're useless for communication.

Religions are nothing more than groups of people who think the same way about "God" (I know, YOUR definitions of atheism and religions conveniently make it so atheism is not a religion because atheism is "not a belief" but a "lack of belief"... convenient for you, and utterly ridiculous and aggravatingly passive aggressive as I have said before).

Complete certainty there is no God isn't a religion either. I totally and completely believe the God of the Bible is nothing but fiction. It's still not a religion. Whether atheism is a belief or not couldn't be more irrelevant to the question of whether it's a religion. Theism is the belief in some sort of God or gods, but it's not a religion and can't be unless you change the meaning of the word.

Not all Christians believe exactly the same thing, neither do all Atheists. Both are religions.

Theism and atheism are opinions on the topic of whether or not any gods exist. One can be a theist without any religon and an atheist with one. 'Christian' is one category of theist you can be. Plants and animals are both living things, that doesn't mean rutabagas and animals are both plants.

One has faith that "God" exists and tries to define God, one makes believes that no definition of "God" exists, so has faith that nothing called "God" exists either.

Oh, there's plenty of definitions of God that exist.

Some atheists then make the additional leap of making fun of the word "God".

Maybe if all you theists could find a way to agree on what the thing you believe in actually is, it wouldn't be so funny.

And yet we all believe the Sun rises in the East...and the world goes 'round.

Those thar are things with whut we like to call around hyar, convincin' 'evidence comprisin' reasonable justification fer belief'. Assuming the first part's jest a figure o' speech.