Sorry guess we will have to agree to disagree on atheism as a religion.

You are trying to define atheism in the context of religion. Some references on what atheism is for you…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism

http://alexandertheatheist.blogspot.com/2007/10/define-atheist.html

As far as you saying… “atheists cant prove these “beliefs” to be definitively true which definitely make these assertions “beliefs” instead of “facts” and hence a “religion””. Since God, life after death, and the “soul”, are not observed in our existence the burden of proof is with religious people not atheists. There is no difference between believing in the God from the bible or we were created from the snort of really large purple elephants. Both exist outside of our reality and atheism is just based on our reality. Understand I am not atheist but agnostic so just explaining that viewpoint.

I never said people who list themselves as Christian/religious are closet atheists. Non-religious people I would think is really the biggest part of the pie. Sorry true atheists do not have to be hardcore like any other beliefs held by people. You know alot of people just don’t think to hard about God, life and the universe like maybe you and me.

Thanks for adding to the discussion…

Religion is defined as follows by dictionary.com: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency…

This definition does not preclude atheism. The keyword here in this definition is “beliefs”. Atheists have a definitive, unwavering “belief” that there is no such thing as God, a creator, a divine intelligence that encompasses everything or whatever you wish to call it. They also have a definitive unwavering “belief” that human beings totally cease to exist upon their physical death and that there is no conscious part of them (soul or whatever) that continues to exist after physical death. The thing is that atheists cant prove these “beliefs” to be definitively true which definitely make these assertions “beliefs” instead of “facts” and hence a “religion”.

It is definitely not a philosophy i.e. a rational investigation of truths and principles of being, knowlegde or conduct. How could it be when its 2 core beliefs refuses to consider evidence to the contrary such as Near Death Experience research, reincarnation research and the unified field theory of physics as a model for the alpha and omega. Agnosticism is more along the lines of a philosophy because it neither accepts nor denies until experienced.

As for your final assertion, I highly doubt that people who list themselves as “christian/religious” are closet atheists who go to church just to fit in. True atheists are hardcore and certain of their beliefs. Most of these other people, while they are definitely not religious, are mostly confused and dont know what to believe and prefer to focus on their lives instead of these matters which does not make them atheists.

On a final note, I wish to state that I do have respect for atheists and what they choose to believe and that they are a highly intelligent set that sees the folly and danger of certain dogmatic religious beliefs. Atheists place a high value on peace and intelligence which is something this world sorely needs.

Peace
G

A good comment but have to disagree on some points you presented. I am tired of people saying atheism/agnosticism is a religion. You may call it a philosophy but not a religion. I don’t know if you are religious but “the atheism is a religion” statement generally comes from that crowd. It’s a defense when religion is attacked by the atheism/agnosticism crowd because it’s like saying you are really just like us. The God/religion debate and if interchangeable come up in the first post. Religion is man-made to explain God’s purpose for us and does not in fit in with atheism.

I would not put to much faith in those polls since a lot of people will list themselves as Christian/religious when really are not. Most people feel the need to identify with the dominant group in the community. So many people are active with and go to Church but don’t really believe. I have always felt the religious category was inflated in those polls.

Specifically, society is questioning the current religious constructs of the divine which state that God is a vengeful, wrathful, insecure deity that will punish you for eternity if you happen to have the “wrong” beliefs about it. Its about time people question that.
People are moving away from religious dogma and towards spirituality. A spirituality that says God is everywhere and everything and not some deity “over there” with a long grey beard ready to smite you down. This can be evidenced by the worldwide popularity of the “conversations with God” series of books by Neale Donald Walsch. Evidence exists for reincarnation and strong evidence exists for an afterlife as evidenced by many peoples Near Death Experiences.
People fall into one of 4 categories
1) Religious – i.e. believe everything that their particular brand of faith tells them about the nature of God, Earth and the Universe
2) Non Religious – Believes in God but confused by insane religious constructs of the Divine and prefers to live life not thinking about it one way or the other except maybe during Christmas. May or may not go to church and if so, only during the major religious holidays. Will pray to God during times of personal crisis.
3) Agnostic/Atheist
4) Spiritual – an evolutionary belief in the divine that transcends current religious constucts

As evidenced by polls, the least amount of people fall into category 3. Category 4 has the most growth potential and most of its growth will come from category 2. If religion doesnt evolve its beliefs. It will be left in the dust as evidenced by declining church attendance rates

Thanks,
Kassandra

Ben, as you’re reading this, I want you to walk away from your computer. I want you to drop down on the floor and do 40 push ups.

Now, I want you to do 40 squats.

Now, I want you to Jog, or run in place for about 5 minutes.

Now, you should notice a considerable difference in how you feel.

Ben, I want you to set new exercise goals for yourself every day from now on. As you do so, I’m confident that you’ll make a change in your life that will be so noticeable to YOU.

You’ll feel better. You’re mood will change. You’re body will change. As you exercise more, all of the females who know you will notice the change in your physical appearance as well as your mood, your attitude, your emotional stability, etc. You’ll feel better about yourself as you notice how much the females around you are responding to you in a favorable manner.

Exercise, exercise, exercise!! Stay away from junk food. Exercise. Stay away from junk food. Don’t smoke (very important!). Girls don’t like the smell of smoke on your lips.

As your physical body becomes more healthy and vibrant, the females around you will respond in a more favorable way and they’ll MAKE you FEEL like the man that you’re suppose to be.

When a man ACTS like a man, you motivate WOMEN to treat you like you’re a man.

The Steel Workers Union essentially destroyed the US steel industry. They refused to companies adjust to the new models for dealing with global commerce.

The Auto Workers Unions have mangled US auto manufacturers. It’s not surprising that GM’s only profitable venture is Saturn – who’s workers refused to join the union.

The Left loves unions because they hate the big corporations. The real problem is that the left willfully refuses to accept the fact that the larger unions are big corporations themselves.

Now, to be honest, the smaller unions may be great. I’m not saying that some shops don’t need that sort of worker solidarity to offset assholes in management, but many of the unions are more problem than soluution.