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75
39
I agree. I disagree.
Debate Score:114
Arguments:120
Total Votes:115
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 I agree. (55)
 
 I disagree. (30)

Debate Creator

SitaraForJesus(3819) pic



Atheism is not religion.

The term atheist is a compound word. It consists of two words: "a" and "theos" from the Greek language. "A" means without, and "theos" means "god", so the compound word atheist means "without a god". It is the lack of a belief in a god or gods.

I agree.

Side Score: 75
VS.

I disagree.

Side Score: 39
3 points

100% spot on girl, even if there was a God and I had proof of a God I still wouldn't be part of any religion, to me a religion is nothing more then a cult, the only difference is the amount of members, 100 people follow a nut job its a cult, 1 million its a religion.

Side: I agree.

Danada, papi. I def have questions about religion. .

Side: I agree.
knowthyself(35) Clarified
1 point

I thought the difference between a religion and a cult was that a religion has political pull......:)

Side: I agree.

Most of them are but no all them and sorry you feel that way it seems you been hurt?

Side: I agree.

I agree that it isn't a religion, what I don't agree on is that it is a ''lack of belief''.

The term is, in my opinion, ridiculous. I am an atheist, that doesn't mean I lack belief. It just mean I don't believe in superficial things.

The lack of belief in God, sure. But many describe an atheist as someone that lacks belief in general. Someone who hasn't got an opinion on the afterlife at all, or whatever.

Side: I agree.
Jace(5222) Clarified
1 point

Having a belief and having an opinion are not necessarily the same thing. A belief is one type of opinion, namely an uninformed one; an informed opinion is a thought.

Side: I agree.
shoutoutloud(4303) Clarified
1 point

Yes. A belief is an opinion you can't back up with solid evidence. Like Darwin's theory of evolution.

Side: I agree.

Google web definitions: religion

the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods

Atheists (usually) do not believe in or worship a superhuman controlling power/god/gods. So atheism is not a religion.

Side: I agree.
1 point

it doesn't matter whether atheism is considered a religion or not ... fact is: atheism is an ideology that seeks to suppress and eliminate other ideologies it opposes ... just as Islam and or Nazism ........ on the other hand: atheists start their magachurch .. http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2013/09/atheists-start-their-own-megachurch-is-it-a-religion-now-2774944.html ..... more on atheism: http://carm.org/atheism

Side: I agree.
Stryker(849) Disputed
1 point

fact is: atheism is an ideology that seeks to suppress and eliminate other ideologies it opposes ... just as Islam and or Nazism

Don't forget Christianity, that ideology suppressed and eliminated other ideologies long before Islam and Nazism.

Side: I disagree.
dadman(1703) Disputed
1 point

are you speaking of Roman Catholicism ?? ................................................................................................ PS: are you agreeing w/ me about atheism suppressing other ideologies ??

Side: I agree.
Atrag(5666) Clarified Banned
1 point

it doesn't matter whether atheism is considered a religion or not

Avoiding the debate in order to spam yet again.

Side: I agree.
dadman(1703) Disputed
1 point

to spam yet again ?? ... you mean this ? http://dadmansabode.com/

Side: I disagree.
ds229(29) Disputed
1 point

Ugh...a disgrace to the atheist community...these are the nutjob atheists who i hate.

Side: I agree.
1 point

Christians do plenty of suppressing. Look at Hobby Lobby and the crusades.

Side: I disagree.
1 point

Yes, atheist does not denote religiosity in and of itself.

Likewise, theist does not denote religiosity in and of itself.

Side: I agree.
1 point

Atheism is not a religion. However, you can make a pretty good case for evolution being one.

Side: I agree.

I agree. being an atheist does not equate to religion. Religion is a system of beliefs relating to a afterlife and atheists dont believe in afterlife.

Side: I agree.
1 point

Atheism is the lack of belief in a God and religion. To say this is a religion is ridiculous. I don't believe what the KKK does is right, does that mean I'm part of some kind of racial supremacist group? No. So because I don't believe in God or religion, does that mean I'm religious? No. Come on.

Side: I agree.

The only reasons Theists desperately want atheism to be a religion is because we claim it isn't. If we were insisting on atheism being a religion, I'm pretty sure all theists including Srom would die to try to prove why it isn't.

Side: I disagree.
2 points

No, they actually have a better reason. If you read the end of the article Srom posted it tells you exactly why they do it. They don't want Atheism taught in school. If you make Atheism a religion it can't be taught in school. Of course they try to equate evolution with Atheism so it can't be taught either. So, it isn't just a "revenge" thing.

Side: I agree.
shoutoutloud(4303) Clarified
1 point

Okay, that makes sense. Is christianity taught in school where you live?

Side: I agree.
shoutoutloud(4303) Clarified
1 point

This was on the wrong side, obviously :)

Side: I agree.
Srom(12206) Disputed
1 point

I wouldn't die to prove that Atheism is a religion because I would die a worthless death. I would rather die if someone told me to stop believing in Christianity and I would tell them no. That would be worth dying for.

Side: I agree.
shoutoutloud(4303) Clarified
4 points

Yes. You would die a poetic, deep and useless death .

Side: I agree.
2 points

Atheism is NOT a religion. Its just a simple form of stupidity.

Side: I disagree.
4 points

It's not a religion you are right but don't call them stupid how do you get someone to follow your faith when you are pushing them away?

Side: I agree.

Youre awesome for saying that. .

Side: I agree.
Stryker(849) Disputed
2 points

As apposed to theism, which requires believing something that hasn't been demonstrated to be true? How exactly do you define "stupidity"?

Side: I agree.
1 point

It is a religion. It's actively believing that a God doesn't exist.

It is classified as the seven things on what makes up a religion, it contains which is Narrative, experiential, social, ethical, doctrinal, ritual and material.

Here is an explanation on why Atheism is a religion and it contains all of the seven things in detail and it gives proof.

Side: I disagree.
MuckaMcCaw(1970) Disputed
5 points

Let us take a look at this link here, and evaluate the criteria he uses:

Narrative- His example doesn't apply to atheism directly. He's talking about evolution and you don't have to be an atheist to believe in evolution, nor are atheists required to believe in evolution. Like most theists, he confuses a lot of things for atheism that are not commentary on religion one way or the other.

Experiential- This first category of experiential cannot be applied to atheism as presented because Darwin is not the founder of atheism. There IS NO founder of atheism. It emerged independently in countless cultures.

For his second part- asserting that expressing a sense of freedom after leaving a religion is a sign of religiosity is as stupid as saying "If somebody is really stuffed after a big Thanksgiving meal, they must be hungry".

And then when he talks about "faith", he really dips in the moron punch. He's describing HIS beliefs regarding atheism, not what atheists believe. Atheists don't need faith because they didn't have to violate the laws of chemistry and physics to get the answers we get. He might think so, but that is not part of our experience. Besides, once again, atheists aren't required to believe in science.

Social- Atheism can factor in on this category, but so can anything that people have in common. We're social creatures. Is getting drunk at the bar with your homies a religion?

Doctrinal- Atheists have a lot in common because we tend to think in similar ways, and there is a huge forum for the dispersal of our ideas, but there is no doctrine, explicit or implicit. If you don't believe in God, you are an atheist. That is not a doctrine, its a definition.

Ethical- He goes out of his way to explain how he feels that atheists cannot fit into this category, so it can't be used to support his premise.

Rituals- What is his obsession with Darwin? Seriously. Anyway, this one is huge stretch and you can tell by his writing that he realizes it and just hopes his readers either feel the same way or are too dumb to recognize his lapse in reason.

Materiel- No seriously man. Darwinism is not the same thing as atheism. He really seems to forget who he is targeting. He is also pretty ignorant of the wide variety of reason an atheist may respect nature, none of which involve "sacredness" in a religious sense.

Side: I agree.
2 points

Okay Srom, We'll stop the ''attacking'' if you can come up with one, only ONE religion other than atheism that doesn't believe in a superior power.

Your article forgot a very important factor about religion - that is that every religious person believes in something that is bigger and more powerful than us humans.

That is, in my opinion, the definition of religion, the constitution of religion, if you will.

But, if you can name a religion, that isn't atheism, which believes human beings are the most intelligent or powerful beings that exists, then we can discuss whether atheism is a religion or not.

Remember, this is not an attack, let's have a serious friendly debate.

Side: I agree.
1 point

With those steps it is basically impossible not to be religious. If all you need to do in order to be religious is to wonder where everything came from, then religion has lost it's meaning.

Side: I agree.
J-Roc77(70) Clarified
3 points

The link is using Ninian Smarts criteria which is a collection of pretty stout measures of what constitutes a religion. The authorn of the linked article uses some bad logic to fit athiesm in that mold though. The objection you raise is a valid one, reductio absurdum seems to be tha fallacy in that instance. The criteria are so loosely applied anything is a religion.

The "social" part also is ill applied. By their measure any piece of philosophy would fit into the measure. Read John Locke? By their messures it would fit if you agree with things he said on liberty.

It would seem most of the criteria has been reduced to the point it is useless to include atheism as a religion in that link.

The piece of writing woefully mischaracterizes many stances and historical instances of atheism. A lie can be told in a line or two and to show why it is wrong could take many more. It would be a tedious exercise to address all the extremely slanted rhetoric in that piece of writing.

Side: I agree.
Srom(12206) Disputed
1 point

I don't understand what you mean.

Side: I disagree.
pakicetus(1455) Disputed
1 point

No this again..

It is a religion. It's actively believing that a God doesn't exist.

No, it isn't. Atheism merely means "no gods". An atheist is someone who does not believe in a god. It is never specified wether an atheist actively disbelieves or simply does not believe. As such, there are both, atheists who active disbelieve, and atheists who simply do not believe.

As for your link, it's incredibly idiotic. Atheism (by itself) contains nothing pertaining to the origin of life, the origin of the universe, the origin of life, the meaning of life, morality, rituals, etc.

Seriously.

Side: I agree.
Stryker(849) Disputed
1 point

It's actively believing that a God doesn't exist.

That website has misrepresented the atheist position to you. There is a difference between I believe "X" is false, and I don't believe "X".

You: The number of hairs on your head is even.

Me: I don't believe you.

You: Ah ha! So you believe that the number of hairs on your head is odd!

Me: No, not believing that there are an even number of hairs on my head is not the same thing as believing there is not an even number of hairs on my head.

It is classified as the seven things on what makes up a religion, it contains which is Narrative, experiential, social, ethical, doctrinal, ritual and material.

Neat, there is one thing that makes up an atheist, not believing in the existence of any gods, that's it. You can believe extra dimensional beings seeded life on Earth and our purpose is to buy and store as much cheese as possible while proclaiming that evolution is a lie, and as long as you don't believe in any gods you are an atheist.

Here is an explanation on why Atheism is a religion and it contains all of the seven things in detail and it gives proof.

I read the site, it is inaccurate. I would be happy to address a few of what you think are their strongest arguments or "proof", but it would take a long time to address the page's entirety.

Side: I agree.
Srom(12206) Clarified
1 point

Ahh here we go again. The attacking begins, I'm all alone and nobody is backing me up. It feels like it's just me against everyone on the site on this debate.

Side: I agree.
Stryker(849) Clarified
4 points

Attacking? Do you mean the presentation of arguments that demonstrate the logical errors you have made when coming to your conclusions?

Side: I agree.
MuckaMcCaw(1970) Clarified
4 points

Does it make you feel good to act like a victim?

Side: I agree.
pakicetus(1455) Disputed
1 point

I love it how you every time someone disagrees with you, you call it "attacking" :|

Side: I agree.
1 point

Do you remember when I played the victim and how it worked out for me?

Side: I agree.
pakicetus(1455) Clarified
1 point

Actually, there are only some 3-5 people arguing against you. A far cry from "the whole site", don't you think?

Side: I agree.
1 point

Think for yourself, huh? I just proved how atheism isnt a religion.

Side: I agree.
1 point

No atheism is not a religion. Atheists don't believe in God or religion.

Side: I agree.
Mister_Man(20) Disputed
1 point

It isn't a belief that a God does not exist, it's the lack of belief in a God. So no. It isn't classified as anything to do with religion. We don't believe in a God or religion, so how does that exactly make us religious?

Side: I agree.

I think atheism would be a Religion because it is a contradictory ideal expressed by a select group of people.

Side: I disagree.
0 points

RELIGION

4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion

Atheists religiously claim they have no religion.

Side: I disagree.