# What is the term for religion without a diety **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483 "2013-11-09T03:59:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/21 "2013-11-11T19:51:53Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Only semantically. I can’t think of any meaningful definition of atheist that doesn’t include disavowal of religious precepts along with a deity. But conceded that the term can be read that way. > How many \*non-\*s before we get to non-sense? That seems some what arbitrary. It is certainly not ‘only semantically’ as that is often how Buddhism is introduced in entry level Religious studies. You are using a ‘true Scotsman’ definition of Atheism. I have heard many people describe themselves as non-religious theists; they have little respect for dogma, clerical authority or religious traditions, but they still believe in a god. I would also like to know what god you think Buddhists worship. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/22 "2013-11-11T20:03:44Z")
Confucianism is also a religion that does not have a god as a central component. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/23 "2013-11-11T20:12:53Z")
Buddhism is certainly an example of a religion without a deity (or at least, without regard for a deity), but I think the OP is looking for a general term, something that would be a description of Buddhism, but which would also be a description of other religions without gods as well. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/24 "2013-11-11T20:21:20Z")
I think the term the OP is looking for is “religion.” Some - most - have a god or gods, and some don’t. That’s the general term. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/25 "2013-11-11T21:39:08Z")
The term “religion” doesn’t mean “religion that lacks a deity”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/26 "2013-11-11T22:08:44Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Only semantically. I can’t think of any meaningful definition of atheist that doesn’t include disavowal of religious precepts along with a deity. But conceded that the term can be read that way. Hmmm. That’s not what I keep seeing religious people being told when they try to insist that Atheism is a religion or requires faith - in that scenario atheism is usually characterised as not an organised or monolithic thing at all - merely comprising absence of belief in deities and not much else besides (OK, sometimes it’s non-belief in anything generally supernatural). ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/27 "2013-11-13T23:12:28Z")
> [@](#): > > [c]ame back Unitarian Universalism. Note that UU’s are a divergent group, to say the least, which includes nontheists. So if someone actually wanted to particjpate in a nontheistic church, wander over to your local UU chapter. But be prepared to meet, umm, non-nontheists (?). f you are looking for a practicing group rather than just a word or phrase, yes, go shopping among the many UUs. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483/28 "2013-11-13T23:40:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The term “religion” doesn’t mean “religion that lacks a deity”. One could argue that it is normal for the godhead of a given religion to tend to be minimally relevant to the teachings. “Og said this” or “doing that makes Og happy” or “masturbation makes Og kill kittens”, but for the most part, the deit(ies) are like scenery, loitering in the wings and maybe whispering to the man with the diamond ring. Jehovallah had to show up in human form to try to shed his irrelevance, but even Jesus is hardly more than background noise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-term-for-religion-without-a-diety/673483.md?page=1)