Atheism is a religion

[Loki]

Originally Posted by rayne

The atheist community is just a bunch of people who believe that no deities exist,

is quite different from

Originally Posted by not rayne

The atheist community is just a bunch of people who have no belief that deities exist,

I.E. your definition does not match that from Edwards you posted immediately before it.

A positive belief that gods simply don't exist is arguably defensible but is not the position taken by the majority of atheists.

Gays are a group because they share the same (within a bell curve) identifiable behaviours. Atheists are a group because they share the absence of particular identifiable behaviours?

[Logic please]

Originally Posted by Keith_W

I think many Christians think religion is a bad thing. See how quick they are to say that Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship with God.

Oh, goody. Since they now deny that they are a religion, no doubt they'll give all of those incorrectly claimed charity tax concessions back. After all, they're meant to be more moral than everyone else, too...

[Cindy]

I am only new to this so please don't shoot me down, this is more of a question.

Can having faith mean also having a trust or confidence in another person other than religion?

eg: I have every faith that you can do this job etc.

This is one definition that says it can be religious or non religious;

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith

What are others thoughts on this?

[Voltairine]

Remembered one more... Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position.

[Voltairine]

Originally Posted by Cindy

I am only new to this so please don't shoot me down, this is more of a question.

Can having faith mean also having a trust or confidence in another person other than religion?

eg: I have every faith that you can do this job etc.

This is one definition that says it can be religious or non religious;

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith

What are others thoughts on this?

Cindy, in my 1500-page concise dictionary "trust or confidence" is the first definition for the word "faith", second is "strong belief, e.g. in God". So I reckon you're good to go.

[Xeno]

Cindy, the problem which arises is that people use the term ambiguously in a bait and switch. It is much the same with the word belief. The question to which you need to get is the basis on which you might form a belief, or have "faith".

I have faith that without even glancing at the keyboard I will type reasonably accurately using all fingers, obviously because that is what I have learned to do. My faith would be unreasonable if I asserted I could do so for pages or twice as fast as I now am, without any error, because that is not supported by evidence.

[Keith_W]

Originally Posted by Xeno

Cindy, the problem which arises is that people use the term ambiguously in a bait and switch.

Exactly. As you have illustrated, there are two types of faith.

The first type is to temporarily believe in something until it can be verified. I have no idea if anything that Lawrence Krauss said at the GAC is true or not. For the time being, I take it on good faith that he gave a well balanced view on the current state of science. However, there is nothing to stop me from checking it out myself.

The second type of faith is to believe in something in the absence of proof. All religious claims and beliefs fall in this category.

Like you, I have noticed the religious bait and switch strategy. It is an accident of English that these two types of faith have the same word despite the underpinnings being vastly different. Are they all so muddled in the head that they can not see the difference? Perhaps it is time we coined a new word?

[jjcrazi]

Hey some really really good responses here. I'm glad that someone mentioned that they thought this phrase for ie is used to denigrate atheists and not not have to discuss with us what the issues are. I had been thinking that too. After all they can't burn us at the stake anymore or throw us in jail (well not in western countries)
I used the um if you go look in the dictionary at the definition line but it fell on deaf ears. I need to get snappier with my responses. and you guys are all helping.
and Cindy, ask all the questions you want, thats what these forums are for

[Arcanyn]

Atheism is a religion in much the same way as not believing that the CIA has implanted a microchip in your brain in order to read your thoughts is a paranoid conspiracy theory.

[owheelj]

When somebody tells me that atheism is a religion I laugh at them, and then ask them what things are not a religion.