Why is the Atheists & Agnostics (Group) listed under religion & spiriuality?

[yortsed snacilbuper]

It doesn't make sense to me!

[Warren Stupidity]

1. we are all highly spiriual.

Where else would you like the BAD ATHEISTS to have their club?

[yortsed snacilbuper]

4. Science would be good,

or maybe Justice & Public Safety!

[Brainstormy]

14. we could go under

Health. Addiction and Recovery? Creative Speculation?

[AtheistCrusader]

17. "Addiction and Recovery?"

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Hell, I'm high right now.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. We ask that question frequently.

I think that it has to do with the new meme that "atheism" is a "religion". At least, that is what they keep telling us.

[ZombieHorde]

3. Atheism is a religious stance. nt

[Heddi]

6. Like unstamp collecting is a hobby

And baldness is a hairdo

[ZombieHorde]

7. There is a difference between religion and a religious stance.

A religious stance is an opinion about one or more aspects of one or more religions. You don't need to be religious to have opinions about religious stances.

[defacto7]

18. Put it this way,

It's not a religious stance. It's a non-religious stance, a lack of religious stance. It's still being "atheist" not "an Atheist".. Therefore it should be under non-religion or better yet science.

[ZombieHorde]

24. If there were no theistic religions, we wouldn't have the word "atheism."

The word only makes sense in the context of theistic religions because it is an opinion about those religions, and therefore a religious stance.

Therefore it should be under non-religion or better yet science.

Pfft. A lot of atheists believe in crazy shit. Even many skeptics in the Skepticism, Science, & Pseudoscience Group believe in crazy shit.

[jeff47]

5. Atheism is the lack of a religious belief.

And Agnosticism is doubting religious belief.

Religion is quite relevant to both of them. Much more connected to religion than "DIY & Home Improvement" is.

[ZombieHorde]

8. Atheism is not the lack of religious belief.

Atheism is the lack of belief in god(s).

[jeff47]

9. And since belief in gods is a religious belief

it may have something to do with the topic of religion.

[ZombieHorde]

10. Yes, but an atheist can have religious beliefs.

Many Buddhists are atheists, but believe in reincarnation.

[jeff47]

11. Damn these people using the colloquial definition!

Everyone should include the link to OED in every thing they say, and explicitly indicate which definition they're using!!

[yortsed snacilbuper]

12. "an atheist can have religious beliefs."

That seems like it defeats the purpose of being an Atheist!

[ZombieHorde]

13. Being an atheist has no purpose.

Some people believe in god(s) and some don't. That is all there is to it as far as I can tell.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

15. "Being an atheist has no purpose."

Atheist are the only people trying to keep religion out of Government, that's a pretty good purpose!

[ZombieHorde]

25. I do like that goal, but not all atheists care about that very much.

Additionally, some people of alternative religions, such as Wicca, share that goal, so I don't think considering it an atheist purpose is fair.

[Warren Stupidity]

22. No gods. Buddhists have no gods.

So really it depends on how one defines "theism".

belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in one god as creator of the universe, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relation to his creatures.

Those pesky Buddhists, or at least some of them, qualify as atheists by that definition.

[LostOne4Ever]

20. Is it?

In all seriousness, is belief in god(s), by itself, on its own, a religious belief?

I have seen sites that argue it is not.

I don't think that simply believing in deities is enough on its own to make it a religious belief. Lets say there is a person who believes there are gods, but does not act on that belief in anyway. They get up, go to work, come home, and go to sleep just the same as when they didn't believe.

Things like worship, dogma, doctrines and rituals always accompany belief in gods in theocratic religions, and many of those things exist in non-theistic religions as well. This is part of why I feel the religion supporters in the other room are sooo very wrong when they try to push their false belief that atheism is a religion or in anyway equivalent to a religion. Not only do we not believe in gods, but we don't have dogma, or doctrines or rituals or saints or any of those trappings.

Just my 2 cents.

[jeff47]

23. Yes, it is.

I don't think that simply believing in deities is enough on its own to make it a religious belief. Lets say there is a person who believes there are gods, but does not act on that belief in anyway. They get up, go to work, come home, and go to sleep just the same as when they didn't believe.

You don't have to follow the dictates of a religion for it to be a religion.

[mr blur]

21. Of course it's wrong to call it a "lack". That suggests we are missing something

which we should have in order to be fully-rounded human beings. Which is bullshit.

[Iggo]

28. True. I ain't lackin' shit.

[defacto7]

19. There is no "being an Atheist"

It's being atheist. Quit with the "let's make atheism into a target group". You are atheist or you're not. You are not an Atheist.

[mr blur]

26. It's to make it difficult to find it -

Don't want to encourage that sort. Before you know it they'll be upsetting the godly.

[trotsky]

27. Because there's really nowhere else to put it?

[EvolveOrConvolve]

29. It may not make much sense

But it makes more sense than some of the alternatives. In a perfect world, there'd be a Rationality section that included Atheists and Agnostics, Skepticism, Science and Pseudoscience and Philosophy groups. But, that's not likely to happen.