RE: Atheism is a religion
January 27, 2012 at 12:10 am
(This post was last modified: January 27, 2012 at 12:11 am by Whateverist.)
(January 26, 2012 at 11:39 pm)jared Wrote: Does it irritates you when religious people say Atheism is a religion?
Hi, I'm a Christian looking for a good conversation. I have a comment, and I hope you reply so I can understand your thinking more clearly. It seems that Christians have told you that you have a religion, and this seems absurd because you don't believe in the supernatural (I'm assuming this; please correct if I am wrong). I think it makes more sense for a Christian to say that you have a world view because everyone has a world view. A world view is a construct that we use to answer important questions, make sense of the world around us, and live our day to day lives. In my world view, I acknowledge the supernatural along with natural world. This may sound like blind (read dumb) faith, but I actually think that coming to the conclusion that a supernatural world exists is a very rational and logic activity. You, I assume, would disagree with that last statement, but that is a conversation for another post.
In my understanding of a naturalist/atheist world view, something can only be trusted/known/believed in/etc... if it can be scientifically proven (scientific method/repeatable tests and outcomes). I'm wondering if this claim for the basis of knowledge (that I hope I got right) can be scientifically proven. I take that back. I have reasoned that the claim is logically invalid and therefore does not hold up under the weight of its own requirements.
Now, I'm a big fan of the scientific method, and I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bath water here. My point is that it takes a certain level of faith in its most essential premise to adhere to a naturalistic world view. And that is why I think some Christians might claim that atheism is a religion. Both Christians and atheists start with an incomplete set of data, make inferences, search for answers that are intellectually credible and existentially satisfying, and draw conclusions. I surmise that that my world view is superior, and so does everyone else. That is why we chose our particular world view. Not because we are certain, but because the hypothesis we came to fits that data better than anything else.
Please pick apart my thinking. I am sure there are some holes in my argument, but I think it is rather compelling. I would truly enjoy a discussion regarding belief formation and the similarities and differences between atheism and Christianity.
Thanks for reading.
Don't mind Kicki. You must have caught her on a bad day.
You sound like a very reasonable theist (Christian?) to me. I am an agnostic atheist so I don't think there are any requirements that all beliefs must receive a seal of approval from science. We all have beliefs which science can't vouchsafe (ranging from our preference in music to the existential) as well as beliefs which inform our actions of which we need not even be conscious. When it comes to empirical facts however, you can't beat science. Anyone who wants to argue that what the bible says trumps science about the physical world knows not of what they speak.
Do I get annoyed by people who want to say that atheism is a religion? Yes but I accept that it is usually innocent ignorance. If someone shows any openness, thoughtfulness or genuine interest in understanding I don't mind setting them straight. You are absolutely right that atheism is an significant aspect of ones worldview. That much is undeniable. Beyond that, atheism has no positive positions about anything whatsoever. For agnostic atheists such as myself and many others here, it doesn't even assert that god does not or cannot exist. I have no belief in gods, not even in the assertion that they don't exist. I just don't know and nor do I much care.
So let me ask you a few questions. Are you a gnostic theist? (Lose 3 esteem points.) Do you see that your embrace of science (evolution, big bangs and all) need not contradict your faith? (Gain 3 esteem points.) If you are a Christian, in what regard do you hold the bible? Is it one special book among many? (Gain 10 esteem points). Is it the only source of gods plan for man on earth? (Lose 5 esteem points.) Do you believe in a personal, forever afterlife - in either the 'good' or the 'bad' place? (Lose 2 esteem points.)