General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I am not religious. Can you please categorize Atheism into a "race"? [View all]LostOne4Ever
(9,289 posts)[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]But it is still not a religion.
Not only does it not meet the definition of a religion, but the main group and pretty much every chapter directly states they are not a religion.
Those who founded the Sunday assemblies directly say it is not a religion. Those who run the local chapters directly say it is not a religion. In fact, it is one of their slogans.[/font]
[font size=5]All the Best Bits of Church, but Without the Religion![/font]
[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]I have not see a single person in those videos say it was a religion. Closest I saw was your first short video where some said they were taking the best parts of religion and using them. The "throwing out the baby jesus but keeping the bathwater" if you will.
But, again, parts of a religion doesn't make something a religion. I could take the best seat and floor panel out of an airplane, but that seat and floor panel alone are not an airplane.
But, lets say for sake of argument, that there were a few members who believe that (cause like you said, they are an inclusive bunch). That still doesn't make it a religion. Just like if a few Window Washers might believe that to be a window washer means thinking that Elvis was an alien, doesn't mean that belief is a part of what it means to be a window-washer.
[hr]
But if you would listen to what we have been telling you instead of talking past us and ascribing beliefs and points to us that no one has claimed you would know this is neither here nor there.
I have never been trying to argue that one can't be religious and still be an atheist. One most certainly can be religious, or even a part of a religion, and still be an atheist.
Again, I am NOT arguing that one can't be both religious and an atheist.
WHAT I am arguing:
[font size=6 color=crimson face=papyrus]Atheism is not, unto and by itself, a belief nor a religion.[/font]
Again, I am not saying that one can't be religious and still be an atheist. In fact, one can. Further, there are atheistic religions. Some forms of Satanism are atheistic, as are some forms of Buddhism. But that does not make atheism a religion
I have never been trying to argue that the Sunday Assembly is bad nor do I have a problem with them.
In fact, I think their goals sound nice, but they are not for me. I hated everything about Church as a believer and still do. I have social phobia and am an introvert and loner. Having to socialize with a large group of people like that is a nightmare to me. I don't like to sing, and can't carry a tune in a plastic bag if my life depended upon it.
Things like the Sunday Assembly just are not for me and probably not for the other 77% of atheists.
But, there are a sizable minority (~13%) of atheists, ritual atheists, who liked and miss that aspects of church. The Sunday Assembly helps them and gives them something back that they sorely missed. More than anything, it is for them. That is a great and noble thing and I applaud them for it.
I am not advocating for any type of secular philosophy or support of any particular atheist.
You keep on attacking Hitchens, but I really don't care. I haven't read a single book by him or any other atheist activist. Not Dawkins, not Dennett, not Harris, and not Hitchens.
What I am saying, what I am advocating, and what is a fact, is that atheism, unto and by itself, as per the broadest definition of the word, is not a religion.
The definition of atheism is not believing in gods. Going by the definition of religion, there is no belief and therefore no belief system for it to be a religion.
There is no worship nor any belief in any supernatural higher power in the definition of atheism for it to be a religion.
There is no pursuit nor interest in not believing so again it can not be a religion.
Not believing in gods is not holding something of supreme importance...so it can not be a religion.
It is not a world view nor is it a cultural system, so it can not be a religion.
Just as not having a disease is not a disease, Not having a belief is not a belief.
Atheism is not a Religion nor a belief!!! By definition. This is not a rule, it is the definition.
To quote myself from post 321:
[div class="excerpt" style="margin-left:1em; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-radius:0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]ONE LAST TIME:
I am NOT saying there are no atheistic religions.
I am NOT saying there are no religious atheists
I am NOT saying that there are not atheists who have beliefs
What I am saying is that atheism, in its entirety, and unto itself solely, is not a religion or belief.[/font]