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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

Main Entry: con·vic·tion
Pronunciation: \kən-ˈvik-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
1 : the act or process of convicting of a crime especially in a court of law
2 a : the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth b : the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth
3 a : a strong persuasion or belief b : the state of being convinced

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conviction

Sure you want to go that route?

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

The same site, religion being defined....

Main Entry: re·li·gion
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈli-jən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Anglo-French religiun, Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back — more at rely
Date: 13th century
1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
— re·li·gion·less adjective

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion

As you can see, Dear, the third and fourth definition have nothing to do with religious truths or teachings.

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Atheism cannot be a religion because it is a negative position

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

Lol, no, I'm asking about data for the existence of magical beings.

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

I never said it WAS a religion... except as seen through the eyes of the legal system. But, when others try to open a pandora's box by defining something to suit their own needs, they open that box up to be interpreted by others. A conviction is a strongly held set of beliefs. A religion has been said to based upon belief. I think even you can draw the connection and the problem with what you posted and how it COULD be distorted.

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Atheism cannot be a religion because it is a negative position

Can you explain this?

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ORIGINAL: Futuresocks

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

I never said it WAS a religion... except as seen through the eyes of the legal system. But, when others try to open a pandora's box by defining something to suit their own needs, they open that box up to be interpreted by others. A conviction is a strongly held set of beliefs. A religion has been said to based upon belief. I think even you can draw the connection and the problem with what you posted and how it COULD be distorted.

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Atheism cannot be a religion because it is a negative position

Can you explain this?

Yes.

Religions, like philosophies of any and every kind, are made up of positive (that is to say, affirmative) beliefs. Be it Christianity or Tibetan Buddhism or even communism, those systems are based on "this you must believe and adhere to to be 'one' of this kind." In the case of atheism, you have a word stating a personal or group conviction: I believe there is no god. That's the conviction. No matter how it is held or what other convictions are held along with it, you cannot accept the conviction itself as "a religion" because it only says what is NOT believed or accepted rather than what is.

In order to have a religion or a philosophy, you must have affirmative materials of some sort. Here's an example; someone doesn't believe in pianos. They grow in numbers through the years, and pretty soon start meeting for eat-outs at local cafes. They are called...say..."a-pianists." All you have to have in common with the lot to be considered one of them is that you don't believe pianos exist, but nothing beyond that. You can't compare their sharing the conviction that x does not exist with Christianity's affirmation that Jesus Christ has all authority and gave authority to his church...etc. etc. That we call religion because positive affirmations compose it. Not the case with a-pianists or in real life, atheists.

Atheists can be militant and take a political and anti-religious stance, but they don't do what religions do. They are not set up around a system of sacred or revealed authority, nor are they composed of those who meet certain qualifications. Atheism just means "no god." Rocks and trees are atheist, as are babies, though we don't usually use the term applied to those/them.

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In any debate, the burden of proof is properly on the person making a claim, of course. You say something is true, so you are the one who must demonstrate its truth. A typical atheist makes no claim about God, and he has no obligation to prove the non-existence of a god

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You can't compare their sharing the conviction that x does not exist with Christianity's affirmation that Jesus Christ has all authority and gave authority to his church...etc. etc.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY
But, just as many people classify "Christianity" as a single religion, atheism has it flavors and movements just as Christianity does.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

And I disagree that atheism is based on "an absence of a position". Atheists hold the belief that the universe is absent a divine. Many call this "disbelief" and then attempt to say that atheism can't hold anything in common with religions, because all religions are based on "belief", but atheism is based on "disbelief", but this is simply atheistic apologetics.

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

I've yet to meet an atheist who thinks he knows the one true way though they probably exist, you're probably referring to the atheists who are confident that you're wrong.

Such as you, perhaps?

Firm

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel
In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities.

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A typical atheist makes no claim about God, and he has no obligation to prove the non-existence of a god

So this is not correct?

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY


Ok ... so you agree that the belief "in the absence of the divine" has an impact in an individual's other beliefs, and in their world view ... but do not accept that atheism is a belief system? Do we have differing definitions of "belief system"? Where is our disconnect?

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY

Such as you, perhaps?

Firm

You just misinformed me what my position is and then wonder why I'm confident that you're wrong.

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ORIGINAL: Kirata


Every religion on the face of the Earth could have it totally wrong in one way or another without their errors having slightest relevance to the matter of whether or not God exists. There is no clear way to get from rejecting as false the myths and doctrines of the world's religions to a conclusion that that which those myths and doctrines have sought so imperfectly to convey must necessarily therefore not be real.

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ORIGINAL: Futuresocks

This guy knows better than all of us...

http://www.ministerturnsatheist.org/

...and logically, atheism cannot be a religion. It's a conviction!

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ORIGINAL: Kirata

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ORIGINAL: LanceHughes

One of my favorite debating ploys is to claim to be a born-again atheist. I continue: all babies are born without religion. Most acquire some form of religion, generally that of their parents. That happened to me. I was born an atheist, acquired the Episcopalian religion and am now free of it. I am therefore an born-again atheist.

Some of my atheist friends call themselves "recovering Catholics."

Every religion on the face of the Earth could have it totally wrong in one way or another without their errors having the slightest relevance to the matter of whether or not God exists. There is no clear way to get from rejecting as false the myths and doctrines of the world's religions to a conclusion that that which those myths and doctrines have sought so imperfectly to convey must necessarily therefore not be real.

K.