- Atheism is not an established religion.
- Here is a very basic list of established religions. There are probably better lists out there, but there are certainly more than five to choose from. Unfortunately for those who like to play wordgames, “Chthulu”, “atheism”, “some of this one and some of that one”, “whichever one does so-and-so” and “all of the above-let everyone have their one reality” are choices that don’t seem to be on the list. Too bad, so sad, and you don’t get to use tarot cards in Texas Hold-em(“but they are cards! I don’t understand what your problem is with my hand!”)
The only people that say atheism is a religion are disingenuous pricks that are trying to win an argument.
I choose the brown Catholic Burger King.
Chick, I suggest you (and Snarky_Kong) check out what’s listed at the bottom of your list. Atheism accounts for 2.35% of the worldwide percentage of adherents. Jews only account for .23%, but I’m pretty fuckin sure you won’t discount Judaism. You allowed my entry of Taoism, and it’s even less than that (.04%)
You can’t tell people not to fight the hypothetical. They’re always going to try and nestle into a nice, comfy grey area. It’s just human nature. Pain in the arse human nature, but still…
Then throw all those answers out. It’s your poll; you decide what answers “count” and which ones don’t. ISTM the rest is white noise, right?
Why do people give other than the straight answer, ie., the answer that you want? Because they want to explain why they feel they cannot answer the question as posted. Because they want more information as to what you’ve getting at before answering. Because they think the question is stupid. Because they want to mess with you. Because they are trying to convey that a complex question defies a simple answer. Because in this forum many of them are contrarians and/or over-analyzers who are unable or unwilling to Just. Answer. The. Damn. Question. Because they can.
It also lists “non-religious” in its list of “major religions.” Atheism isn’t listed there because it is a religious faith, it’s listed for completeness’ sake. Atheism is not a religion by any reasonable definition.
What the hell other colors are there? You want somebody to paint a house fuckin’ ultra violet?
Is it a religious stance based on faith (albeit strongly supported by science)? Is. And I am willing to admit that I’m being somewhat pedantic, but if you’re going to say “pick anything on this list,” then don’t get pissed when someone actually does it.
I think he’s excluding atheism for philosophical reasons, not statistical reasons.
Atheism is a viewpoint about religion, but it is not a religion itself.
Is not :). Absense of religious belief is not a religion. Having a stance of not believing in religion, is not a religion.
Well, yeah…but why? I mean while I think Czarcasm is perhaps slightly more worked up over this than perhaps he should be ( a pit thread seems like overkill ), I can understand some mild irritation. It seemed like a fairly straightforward poll to me.
I’m not disagreeing with you, but you must know that there
are folks around here who would.
And if it’s on the list you linked to, I’m sure you can understand the confusion. Do you want to include everything on that list, or not?
Okay, here’s my thing (and I am genuinely not trying to be nitpicky or intentionally blur any boundaries): people have a way of deciding for themselves what does and does not constitute religion. You just spent weeks arguing with someone that I gave up on after a couple days regarding the nature of religion, you should know that.
Your OP left it wide open. Some disembodied voice tells you to pick any already established religion, or the choice will be given to a stranger. After a certain number of replies didn’t fit your criteria, you came back and revised.
I repeat: If you wanted us to pick from a certain list, you should’ve been more clear to begin with.
What if I say “The Wendy’s on the corner of Washington Ave and 2nd Street”, but then they tear it down? Do I get to pick another at that time?
I’m just curious if the pantheon of the ancient greeks would be allowed. I mean, it says any god…
That’s kind of limiting.
You’re going to think I’m being nitpicky again. It is not about believing in religion (although I take more issues with religion than I do with those who simply believe in a god[dess]). I believe there is no god. It’s a statement of faith. I do not have proof that no such deity exists, but such science as we have supports my position to the extent that I am satisfied with accepting that article of faith.
I suppose it was because it was left wide open, and then Czarcasm was amazed that people actually stated preferences that he didn’t foresee getting posted. There’s nothing wrong with pantheism under the original rules; it was within the spirit of the OP. Hell, I’m amazed no one answered “Cthulhu” til post 40.
The same way I take it on faith that there isn’t an invisible dragon in my closet. The same way I take it on faith that the sun will rise tomorrow. The same way that I take it on faith that if I have two apple and eat one I will have one left. That is in no way comparable to the faith of a religious person. Especially when you consider that atheism has no tenets, no rituals, no nothing except a non-belief. You don’t even have to make a positive claim that God doesn’t exist. Agnosticism is (soft) atheism. People saying that atheism is a religion or like a religion makes me want to curb stomp a kitten.
Hell, I might have posted differently in the other thread had I read some of the comments here first.
Could we answer questions about questions and answers here, and about religion in the other thread?
My word. Simply for pointing out that atheism is like a religion? You may want to see someone about your dosage, then. Or stay away from pet stores. It seems to be a fairly common (mis)interpretation. And there are atheists I’ve encountered who are so passionate in their disbelief, it may as well be ritual. It’s a religious belief.