Atheism as a religion

{{atheism}}
{{cquote|If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair color.|||Mark Schnitzius<ref>[https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!msg/alt.atheism/elbOCoYNT28/SoC5_m3QTu8J alt.atheism post, 23-Dec-1993]
</ref>}}


'''Atheism as a religion''' is the idea that [[atheism]] is just another [[religion]], and not the absence of one. Advocates of this idea often mix it in with other ideas about [[secular religions | secular "religions"]] (such as [[liberalism]], [[agnosticism]], and [[environmentalism]]) being religions. The concept of atheism-as-a-religion is separate from the atheist "churches" such as the [[Sunday Assembly]]. This is often considered a [[point refuted a thousand times]]. It is also separate from the fact that some atheists may legitimately participate in some religions (such as [[Confucianism]], [[Hinduism#Concept(s) of God(s)| Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Unitarian Universalism]]), as well as illegitimately form part of some (as with some clergy in the [[Church of England#Atheist and agnostic clergy| Church of England]]).

==Arguments about atheism being a religion==
Arguments against the religious nature of atheism tend to make evident that atheism has no creed, and is just a group of people with a shared disbelief in all the [[God|gods]].<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Is-atheism-just-another-religion], [[Quora]]</ref> As atheism is being defined as a lack of something, many people just consider it the state of there being no religion.<ref group=note>This is technically false, as non-theistic religions do exist (as mentioned at the top of the page). Atheism is simply disbelief in gods.</ref> Atheism would be better considered the lack of something. This argument could lead to [[agnosticism]] being a religion, but agnostics do not believe certainly in any religion, so also should not be considered to have a religion.

[[Definition|Definitions]] of a religion from various sources generally read in such a way to preclude atheism from consideration.

{{cquote|2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, [[belief]]s, and practices…
4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
|||Merriam Webster [[Dictionary]]<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion. Religion, Merriam Webster [[Dictionary]]</ref>}}

Atheism lacks multiple beliefs as in the second definition (definitions 1 and 3 are irrelevant). Atheism precludes [[faith]] from reasoning, and as such can not be held to with faith. Ergo, those definitions makes clear that atheism is not a religion.

Indeed, the etymology of the word atheism comes from the Greek ''atheos'' (αθεός), meaning without god(s).

==Atheism functioning as a religion==

{{cquote| Atheism is a religion like how Ken Ham is a scientist ||| Hemant Mehta <ref>[https://youtu.be/5ZPAJYfrtEs?t=15] </ref>}}

Atheism is sometimes considered a religion option on surveys and in the resulting graphs that are products of those. Certain atheist organisations such as [[American Atheists]] contain some of the trappings of a [[religion]], such as a symbol, a website, and sometimes meetings of believers in such organisations as Skepticon.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070620182304/http://www.religioustolerance.org/atheist6.htm</ref> There are also atheistic “churches” such as [[Sunday Assembly]], and religions where many of the attendees do not believe in God, such as [[Unitarian Universalism]]. These can be considered the religious form of atheism, as opposed to normal atheism that does not require any ritual. The most radical atheists, such as some [[New Atheism]]-affiliated people, tend to encourage or tolerate proselytizing of atheism, making atheism more like a religion.

==Considering atheism a religion==
Many of the people who believe that atheism is a religion are [[conservative Christian]]s who find that they cannot understand how others lack [[faith]], and so just presume that it is in fact a religion. This is also often done when it is politically expedient, framing atheism as a religion so that it can be disconnected from its base in a lack of support of faith from other realms of [[knowledge]] besides religion. Some forms of [[Confucianism]] and [[Buddhism]] also lack any gods. Almost any blogging site or [[social media platforms|social media platform]] with any [[conservative]] presence at all will eventually have a few people claiming that atheism is a religion because of their view of the divide between [[science]] and religion. [[Quora]] has quite a few conservative writers claiming that atheism is a religion, sometimes in conjunction with liberalism.<ref>https://www.quora.com/Is-atheism-just-another-religion/answer/Jeffery-Lebowski-2</ref> [[Atheists Outline Their Global Religious Agenda]] is a notable example of a [[creationist]], [[Ken Ham]], claiming that atheism is a religion of sorts.

To no one's surprise, some of ''the very same people'' who claim atheism is a religion will also try to insist that Christianity is ''not'' a religion.<ref group=note>It's like [[The United States as a Christian nation|they're trying to claim immunity to]] [[separation of church and state]] (while also using that concept to hobble their opposition), [[Religious Right|or something]] [[Dominionism|like that]]…</ref>

==See also==
*[[Christianity is not a religion]]
*[[Secular religions]]

==External links==
*[https://www.atheistalliance.org/about-atheism/is-atheism-a-religion/ Is atheism a religion?] - Atheist Alliance International

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

[[Category:Atheism]]
[[Category:Fallacious arguments]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Categories: Atheism, Fallacious arguments, Religion