Thread: Can people turn anything into a religion?

Meaning a lens through which they bend reality to fit their own biases?

Meaning a preoccupation that empowers their higher brain functions?

Meaning an emotional base that shapes both opinions and actions?

One man's opinion:

Atheism as a Stealth Religion : Evolution for Everyone

"These and other belief systems are not classified as religions because they don't invoke supernatural agents, but they are just like religions when they sacrifice factual realism on the altar of practical realism. The presence or absence of supernatural agents--a particular departure from factual realism--is just a detail. It is humbling to contemplate that the concerns typically voiced about religion need to be extended to virtually all forms of human thought. If anything, non-religious belief systems are a greater cause for concern because they do a better job of masquerading as factual reality. Call them stealth religions."

Atheism is not a religion. It is not a "stealth religion". It is all about reason.

Does atheism have anything approaching "clearly defined rules?" No. There is only one "rule," and that is the rule of the definition of "atheism" - not having any belief in any gods. Other than that, atheists are free to do whatever they want and still be called atheists.

Does atheism have a "belief about the end of the world or last things." No.

Does atheism contain "...a philosophy by which to live?" A popular philosophy might be Secular Humanism. Another might be objectivism. Still another could be some form of Buddhism. There is not, however, a clearly defined philosophy common to all or even most atheists.

Atheism is a disbelief, not a philosophy.

I would like to ask "people of faith" why atheism threatens YOU, so that you must attack atheists?

Religion contains all of the following:

1.Belief in supernatural beings (gods).

2.A distinction between sacred and profane objects.

3.Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.

4.A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.

5.Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea with the gods.

6.Prayer and other forms of communication with gods.

7.A world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into it.

8.A more or less total organization of one's life based on the world view.

9.A social group bound together by the above.


Atheism contains none of the above.

That may be what it is in theory. In practice, it's just like any other belief system.

Seems anyone can become a preacher and open a church and give it a name these days. Hell, i think one can get ordained over the internet.

This is incorrigible nonsense.

Originally Posted by sky writer

Atheism is not a religion. It is not a "stealth religion". It is all about reason.

Atheism is a system of belief -- just like any religion. And it certainly isn't about reason, especially when confronted with ontology.

Originally Posted by sky writer

Does atheism have anything approaching "clearly defined rules?" No. There is only one "rule," and that is the rule of the definition of "atheism" - not having any belief in any gods. Other than that, atheists are free to do whatever they want and still be called atheists.

What does 'clearly defined rules' even mean?

Buddhism is a religion with no gods.

Originally Posted by sky writer

Does atheism have a "belief about the end of the world or last things." No.

Exactly! They believe nothing. And 'nothingness', as a metaphysical concept, is the most counter-intuitive concept there is.

Originally Posted by sky writer

Does atheism contain "...a philosophy by which to live?" A popular philosophy might be Secular Humanism. Another might be objectivism. Still another could be some form of Buddhism. There is not, however, a clearly defined philosophy common to all or even most atheists.

Atheism is a disbelief, not a philosophy.

Of course it is a philosophy.

Materialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance.

Originally Posted by sky writer

I would like to ask "people of faith" why atheism threatens YOU, so that you must attack atheists?

Why would a philosophy that is logically indefensible, even according to its own principles and methods threaten me? Atheism is a belief system for people who don't know any better.

It is what it is.

Originally Posted by sky writer

Religion contains all of the following:

1.Belief in supernatural beings (gods).

2.A distinction between sacred and profane objects.

3.Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.

4.A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.

5.Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea with the gods.

6.Prayer and other forms of communication with gods.

7.A world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into it.

8.A more or less total organization of one's life based on the world view.

9.A social group bound together by the above.


Atheism contains none of the above.

This is ignorance to the extreme. Buddhism doesn't have a god. Your constitution, on the other hand, is premised in the existence of natural law, which itself is instituted by the creator.

By your argument, your government is a religion and buddhism not.

Duh?

It doesn't matter what a belief system is in theory. It doesn't hang together as an entity without clans and dogma and emotion. Cruise around any U-Tube meetings of atheists where you have an introduction by one speaker and an address from another and questions (Testimonies) from audience members. You will often feel the same hero worship vibes toward the speaker, the same us vs them vibes toward people of outside faiths, the same "I'm a victim" vibe for being in a minority. I would expect none of that from a group built on reason. If the leadership is good and the group has something productive to do, the clan can do good work.

Faith is a good thing. Belief is a good thing. As long as your non-belief in belief has a gentle spirit empowering it, it can be a positive. Non-belief in belief is better than no belief at all.

Non belief in belief is better than no belief? What are you talking about?

Originally Posted by sky writer

Non belief in belief is better than no belief? What are you talking about?

If I am personally invested in promoting atheism and I find meaning, community and a sense of personal focus, I am more likely to be happy and healthy than a nihilist who says everything is meaningless.

Originally Posted by beatleboy

Seems anyone can become a preacher and open a church and give it a name these days. Hell, i think one can get ordained over the internet.

yes you can

Originally Posted by kmiller1610

If I am personally invested in promoting atheism and I find meaning, community and a sense of personal focus, I am more likely to be happy and healthy than a nihilist who says everything is meaningless.

Not necessarily. I agree with you that nihilism is an extreme view. So is eternalism. You're assuming that a nihilist would be unhappy and unhealthy. I disagree with that assumption.