Although, one can argue that gnostic atheism is indeed a belief. A gnostic atheist can firmly say, "There is no god." That's a pretty certain claim, like saying, "There are no unicorns," or "There is no Japan."
If you want to argue that gnostic atheism is a belief system, I won't argue too much, but it's hardly a system. It's one belief, while a belief system implies several beliefs (such as the Christians series of beliefs that you need Christ, that you shouldn't judge people, that you should murder children, etc.).
But agnostic atheism is not a belief system, as there is no belief involved. It simply is a lack of belief.
No- to quote someone much smarter than myself, "atheism is a religion like "bald" is a hair color."
Atheism is the like of "belief" in the traditional sense. I "believe" in atheism like I "believe" in gravity: the evidence and the reasoning and the inferference are so overwhelming, that I am helplessly compelled to be an atheist; I couldn't stop being an atheist even if I wanted to (which I don't). I can't "prove" that gravity exists because we have yet to identify a particle cause for it, but nontheless I "believe" in gravity because of my powers of inference.
There is nothing in atheism that I take for granted. My religious preference has been a matter of extreme intellectual contention to me throughout my life and I did not leave my religious faith lightly. I did not take it on a whim and if I ever could have found it intellectually dissatisfying, I would have converted to something else.
Religious requires belief because it is predicated upon an absurd postulate. An absurd postulate is something like this: "the creature from the black lagoon exists" or "Zeus and Apollo exist." Nobody can DISprove the creature from the black lagoon. It isn't like we can ever come up with a mathematical formula or something that PROVES that the universe is completely devoid of creatures from the black lagoon. There is simply no reason to believe it, no evidence that stands up to rational scrutiny, and so it follows that we can dismiss it as easily as we dismiss unicorns and killer tomatoes from Mars.
God falls into this category. Theologians and creationists have been seeking philisophical and scientific evidence for thousands of years and have come up with nothing convincing. I personally believe that when intelligent design died in Dover, PY, last year, the quest for God ended. There are no more avenues to take. No further amount of thought or research will generate any more new evidence for God because the a priori arguments against both design and creation are rock solid. Therefore, the best position for us to take is to admit that nothing can be said about God, which is to say that God is an absurd postulate, which is to say... we have as much reason to believe in God as we do in the creature from the black lagoon.
It would depend on how you assert your feelings regarding god(s). In general, no, it is simply a lack of belief in god(s). Nothing more, nothing less. However, some people take it a step further and specifically claim that there is no God (as opposed to simply "I don't believe in God"). I think this latter form could be considered a belief, though, lacking more than one tenet, it would not qualify as a system.
I would call my feelings regarding god(s) a belief. As it is impossible to KNOW or PROVE that there is no god, I cannot say "There is no God" with any kind of authority. However, like the Easter Bunny, Santa, and Leprechauns, the probability of there being a god is so low that I feel comfortable considering it a fact that there is not one (or more).
By definition it is the absence of belief in a god or gods. There is no belief system. That is an excuse used by Christians and others threatened by their lack of belief. So many people are insecure in their own belief and find atheists threatening.
Of course it's a belief system. It's a religion without a god. And it is subject to the same demands of proof than any other system. Why should atheism be exempt from from being judged by the same standards that it judges everything else?
The only belief required is that there is no omnipotent God. There is no structure or rules.. So as for it being a belief ~system~, no. You can believe whatever you want to about the universe and the afterlife (or lack of), etc.
It would have to be, since a negative cannot be absolutely proven logically. Therefore, to assert an opinion that God doesn't exist implies a leap of faith, a BELIEF that something doesn't exist. If a person operated only be logical, rational precepts, then that person could not assert with certainty that there is no God and still be in keeping with those same rational principles.
Atheism is the disbelief in the existence of any deities. It is contrasted with theism, the belief in a God or gods. Atheism is commonly defined as the positive belief that deities do not exist, or as the deliberate rejection of theism. However, others—including most atheistic philosophers and groups—define atheism as the simple absence of belief in deities(cf. nontheism), thereby designating many agnostics, and people who have never heard of gods, such as newborn children, as atheists as well. In recent years, some atheists have adopted the terms strong and weak atheism to clarify whether they consider their stance one of positive belief (strong atheism) or the mere absence of belief (weak atheism).
Many self-described atheists share common skeptical concerns regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Other rationales for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors that all atheists adhere to.
In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be irreligious or non-spiritual.However, some religious and spiritual beliefs, such as several forms of Buddhism, have been described by outside observers as conforming to the broader, negative definition of atheism due to their lack of any participating deities.Atheism is also sometimes equated with antitheism (opposition to theism) or antireligion (opposition to religion), despite many atheists not holding such views.
Yes, it is. however it is not a wise one. How can any human being take a step outside for a change, look up and determine that this is all an accident. I am not putting you down for asking, rather just trying to help with your question, I promise. I am not a member of any religion or congregation of any sort. I am, however, a man of many hats, and it is apparent that this world has been heading in a direction that is of phenomenal proportions! Just study our history, trials and tribulations, and discover that this world we live in is a gift and we have taken advantage of it and it IS at a cost.
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As much as not playing golf is a sport.
Although, one can argue that gnostic atheism is indeed a belief. A gnostic atheist can firmly say, "There is no god." That's a pretty certain claim, like saying, "There are no unicorns," or "There is no Japan."
If you want to argue that gnostic atheism is a belief system, I won't argue too much, but it's hardly a system. It's one belief, while a belief system implies several beliefs (such as the Christians series of beliefs that you need Christ, that you shouldn't judge people, that you should murder children, etc.).
But agnostic atheism is not a belief system, as there is no belief involved. It simply is a lack of belief.
No- to quote someone much smarter than myself, "atheism is a religion like "bald" is a hair color."
Atheism is the like of "belief" in the traditional sense. I "believe" in atheism like I "believe" in gravity: the evidence and the reasoning and the inferference are so overwhelming, that I am helplessly compelled to be an atheist; I couldn't stop being an atheist even if I wanted to (which I don't). I can't "prove" that gravity exists because we have yet to identify a particle cause for it, but nontheless I "believe" in gravity because of my powers of inference.
There is nothing in atheism that I take for granted. My religious preference has been a matter of extreme intellectual contention to me throughout my life and I did not leave my religious faith lightly. I did not take it on a whim and if I ever could have found it intellectually dissatisfying, I would have converted to something else.
Religious requires belief because it is predicated upon an absurd postulate. An absurd postulate is something like this: "the creature from the black lagoon exists" or "Zeus and Apollo exist." Nobody can DISprove the creature from the black lagoon. It isn't like we can ever come up with a mathematical formula or something that PROVES that the universe is completely devoid of creatures from the black lagoon. There is simply no reason to believe it, no evidence that stands up to rational scrutiny, and so it follows that we can dismiss it as easily as we dismiss unicorns and killer tomatoes from Mars.
God falls into this category. Theologians and creationists have been seeking philisophical and scientific evidence for thousands of years and have come up with nothing convincing. I personally believe that when intelligent design died in Dover, PY, last year, the quest for God ended. There are no more avenues to take. No further amount of thought or research will generate any more new evidence for God because the a priori arguments against both design and creation are rock solid. Therefore, the best position for us to take is to admit that nothing can be said about God, which is to say that God is an absurd postulate, which is to say... we have as much reason to believe in God as we do in the creature from the black lagoon.
Atheism is a belief system in the same way that not collecting stamps is a hobby
It would depend on how you assert your feelings regarding god(s). In general, no, it is simply a lack of belief in god(s). Nothing more, nothing less. However, some people take it a step further and specifically claim that there is no God (as opposed to simply "I don't believe in God"). I think this latter form could be considered a belief, though, lacking more than one tenet, it would not qualify as a system.
I would call my feelings regarding god(s) a belief. As it is impossible to KNOW or PROVE that there is no god, I cannot say "There is no God" with any kind of authority. However, like the Easter Bunny, Santa, and Leprechauns, the probability of there being a god is so low that I feel comfortable considering it a fact that there is not one (or more).
By definition it is the absence of belief in a god or gods. There is no belief system. That is an excuse used by Christians and others threatened by their lack of belief. So many people are insecure in their own belief and find atheists threatening.
Of course it's a belief system. It's a religion without a god. And it is subject to the same demands of proof than any other system. Why should atheism be exempt from from being judged by the same standards that it judges everything else?
The only belief required is that there is no omnipotent God. There is no structure or rules.. So as for it being a belief ~system~, no. You can believe whatever you want to about the universe and the afterlife (or lack of), etc.
It would have to be, since a negative cannot be absolutely proven logically. Therefore, to assert an opinion that God doesn't exist implies a leap of faith, a BELIEF that something doesn't exist. If a person operated only be logical, rational precepts, then that person could not assert with certainty that there is no God and still be in keeping with those same rational principles.
Atheism is the disbelief in the existence of any deities. It is contrasted with theism, the belief in a God or gods. Atheism is commonly defined as the positive belief that deities do not exist, or as the deliberate rejection of theism. However, others—including most atheistic philosophers and groups—define atheism as the simple absence of belief in deities(cf. nontheism), thereby designating many agnostics, and people who have never heard of gods, such as newborn children, as atheists as well. In recent years, some atheists have adopted the terms strong and weak atheism to clarify whether they consider their stance one of positive belief (strong atheism) or the mere absence of belief (weak atheism).
Many self-described atheists share common skeptical concerns regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Other rationales for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors that all atheists adhere to.
In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be irreligious or non-spiritual.However, some religious and spiritual beliefs, such as several forms of Buddhism, have been described by outside observers as conforming to the broader, negative definition of atheism due to their lack of any participating deities.Atheism is also sometimes equated with antitheism (opposition to theism) or antireligion (opposition to religion), despite many atheists not holding such views.
Yes, it is. however it is not a wise one. How can any human being take a step outside for a change, look up and determine that this is all an accident. I am not putting you down for asking, rather just trying to help with your question, I promise. I am not a member of any religion or congregation of any sort. I am, however, a man of many hats, and it is apparent that this world has been heading in a direction that is of phenomenal proportions! Just study our history, trials and tribulations, and discover that this world we live in is a gift and we have taken advantage of it and it IS at a cost.