The Devout Atheist

Comments on article "The Devout Atheist"
Name Views and CommentsDate
John Devout atheist?
Devout to what
That's like saying a christian is a devout non-muslim, devout non-jew and so on.		 12/16/2011
Arlin This should have been written a long time ago.
If you think of this situation from an outside perspective, they key to peaceful living with incongruous beliefs is to simply think less idiosyncratically. Since everyone is here, everyone must be accounted for. Regardless of personal beliefs, everyone should open their mind to everything.
My question to (it seems like) most humanity is this: if you haven't thought about and considered all known options, how can you believe one option that directly disagrees with others? Attempt to understand and later consider all options before making a decision.
Thanks for this.		 6/23/2011
Mike Atheism is not non theist. It is a lack of belief in anything supernatural. It is not in fact a belief at all, it is a lack of belief. One doesn't have to prove that magic or a god or gods do not exist. It should not be labeled with -ism or -ist, unless it is realism or realist! 6/14/2011
Non-believer If Atheism is a religion, then what isn't? according to you, Atheism has a "set of core beliefs" no, atheist people belive that there are no deities, and so on, but atheist people doesn't have a set of rules, theres no "code of Atheism", theres no code, nor a set of rules, there's knowledge, belief and opinion, but not a certain set of rules, otherwise it would be a form of club, or something like not, but NEVER a religion. 5/3/2011
PaulQ Calling atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair colour. All you've demonstrated is that you lack the skill of how to use a dictionary. Once you've managed to look up the definition of "Religion," perhaps you can enlighten us on how atheism explains the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, as well as what devotional rituals atheists practice. 2/7/2011
Richard Lawton Everyone is born atheist and then is washed with religious beliefs, If it became scientifically proven that a certain religion was in fact correct or say evolution was proven wrong most atheists would accept this, where as people with beliefs in faith would most likely not as is the case with most religions and science today, being as why Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species Through Means of Natural Selection is still known as a theory and not fact; religions cannot adjust there beliefs without having a breakaway sect of the same religion which then in turn becomes unchangeable. 12/17/2010
William Cars exist. I am a car-lover.
If cars didn't exist, would I be a non-car-lover?		 12/2/2010
Anon This argument is stupid for two main reasons:
1. Atheism only denies belief in gods
2. According to your article, all philosophical aherents to any idea are religious. This is false.		 9/4/2010
SDH I would say that most forms of atheism is nothing more a a generalized humanist/rationalist philosophy, unless you feel that every different philosophy is a religion by default... 6/28/2010
z Atheism is the lack of belief in gods. Not the belief that gods do not exists.

Religion is a cultural additive to our natural state. We are all born atheists. Religion is taught. Religious belief is added. Atheists lack that belief.

atheos - without gods, or godless		 6/21/2010
Bryan First let me remark on Janna's view that calling atheism a religion would make us more mainstream and help others to understand that "we are not immoral, godless heathens". Let's be clear that we are godless. Calling us a religion isn't going to change the fact that most believe in god and we don't. Moreover, we shouldn't be sugar-coating our beliefs as a PR stunt, we should honestly stand by our beliefs and hope people will respect them. And if people don't respect our beliefs, we just need to live with it and that's their problem anyways. We should only call atheism a religion because it is indeed a religion.

I think in general theists do something very different from atheists. When a theist asserts, for example, that he (or she) believes in god, they are asserting they have this deep emotional experience of religious faith. They feel there is a god in their hearts of hearts. An atheist asserting that they don't believe in god does not refer to such an experience. An atheist doesn't disbelieve in god or accept something like evolution because know it to be true in their heart, but rather because they followed the evidence and that was their conclusion.

Janna defines religion as "a belief system to explain our existence on earth, how we should conduct ourselves while on earth, and where we go when we die". Firstly, atheism itself does not provide any such explanation for our existence, etc, it simply doubts god exists. For many atheists, the explanation of our existence and how to conduct ourselves comes from Secular Humanism, which is a little different from atheism. Even then, Secular Humanism does not provide a specific explanation for our existence but rather a methodology, logic and reason, for studying such questions. Things like evolution, the big bang, and absence of life after death are merely where the methodology leads.

In conclusion, I don't think you can say atheism is really a religion. It is something different.		 5/2/2010
Cos Janna wake up atheist is the word used by relogious to distinguish non believers from illuded people 3/21/2010
sheldon archer Ha ha so Atheist like me are the least trusted. Then get this:
A probe into the finances of six televangelists who preach a "prosperity gospel reported lavish lifestyles by televangelists including: fleets of Rolls Royces, huge palatial mansions, private jets and other excesses. These luxuries were purportedly paid for by television viewers who donate due to the ministry's requests for tithes. The six under investigation were Kenneth Copeland and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas; Creflo Dollar and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga; Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas; Eddie L. Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga; Joyce Meyer and David Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo; Randy White and Paula White of the multiracial Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa.
Here are some other bible thumpers, charged with sexual, violent and financial crimes:
Tony Alamo, Matthew F. Hale, Warren Jeffs, Luc Jouret, Jung Myung Seok, WilliamKamm, Ervil LeBaron, Alice Lenshina, Jeffrey Lundgren, Charles Manson, Shukri Mustafa, Fred Phelps, Douglas Porte, Swami Premananda, Jacques Robidoux, Paul Schäfe, Roch Thériault, Yahweh Ben Yahweh, Dwight York, Jim Bakker, Hogen Fukunaga, Mary Sue Hubbard, Henry Lyons, Sun Myung Moon, Edward Morrissey, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh – later called Osho, L. Ron Hubbard.
So, don’t forget to keep up your donations!		 2/2/2010
Ryan As you seemed sure that some would disagree, I find I fall into this boat myself. I uderstand your reasoning and desire to lump atheism in with religion as it serves a purpose and makes it easier to live and let live for religious folks. However I find that you are mislead about the basic tenet of religion. Religion itself means: a belief in a superhuman controlling power, for example a personal or controlling God/Gods. Or it can also be a system of faith and worship. Neither of which atheism pertains to, atheism is not a belief and it is definitely not conducted in terms of faith and worship, rather reasoned thought and critical thinking, nor is a belief in a superhuman entity or divining power. I do not think becoming a religion in any way would help atheism as atheism is about freedom of thought and opinion, and each atheist has come to that conclusion under their own steam - we were hardly bought up in a commune of non-believers. Kind regards, R 12/14/2009
Michael You argued that atheist have core set of beliefs in non-existence, and budhists have no gods but they are religious.

Atheism is now often applied to a person who holds no religious affiliation, has an opposition to religion, and doesn't assume existence without a good explanation.		 12/1/2009
Will Er,...Atheism is the *absence* of belief (in a deity).

It is *not* a belief system.		 11/17/2009
Simon Atheism is merely the lack of belief in any god or gods. There is no saying what other forms of supernatural things an atheist can believe in. I have met plenty of atheists in my time who are firm believers in reincarnation, for instance.
You are confusing atheism with skepticism.		 10/9/2009
Non "In fact, many American Zen practitioners are also Christians, and in Japan most Buddhists also hold traditional Shinto beliefs. And yet, we still consider Zen Buddhists to be religious. So, why not consider atheism a religion as well?"

Because this implies that religion = theism. Believing in a god may not categorize one as being religious in some instances, one example being Zen Buddhism. And yet, there is such a great devotion to Buddhist ideology which Buddhists share that allows us to deem it a religion, even though it does not require a belief in a personal god. Thus, just because Buddhism is properly atheistic does not mean that atheism itself is properly considered a religion.

"If religion is, as many define it, a belief system to explain our existence on earth, how we should conduct ourselves while on earth, and where we go when we die, then atheism is, by definition, a religion. We hold our beliefs, based on scientific theory, as to how the earth was created, how we evolved to become Homo sapiens, and that when we die our lives are over."

What you are describing is not atheism but is rather a belief in naturalism. While the two may be complementary according to some individuals, they are not equivalent. Indeed, atheism is not strictly a belief in any particular thing, but is rather characterized by an absence of belief in a deity.

Also, while I symphathize with your desire to be accepted by mainstream religious society, it shouldn't be necessary to frame atheism as religion simply to gain favor with the mainstream. Atheists should be accepted just as people of faith are. To portray atheism as a religion would be to betray its very nature.		 3/3/2009
Dean Atheism isn't a religion. Neither is theism. They're just opinions on the topic of the existence of God or gods. Add a little respect for science and critical thinking and you've at least got a set of beliefs, but if that's a religion, so is fishing, conservatism, and stamp-collecting. 2/3/2009
Lucas Ball I am not sure if I agree or disagree with these comments lake by Janna Seliger though I do respect them because they say that there are beliefs (atheist writers as far back as Epicurus and Thales in Greece believed that spirits can be explained AWAY scientifically and often are keen to show the lack of logic in spirits AND THESE ARE BELIEFS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. Atheism is not a faith though.
I could be classed as a Devout Atheist or Materialist and meet with other atheists because I find myself wanting scientific explanations for the unexplained phenomena. I find particular inspiration in the writings of ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates, Epicurus, Euripides and Juvenal as well as Charles Darwin, Shakespeare and Percy Shelley.		 2/2/2009
tj cool 1/22/2009
xyz if ur belief is that atheism should be treated as a mainstream religion than terrorism can also be be preached as a religion wherein ppl worship hatred, killing and destruction. m not comparing atheisn with terrorism on the same platform,its just an analogy. 1/19/2009
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