Real0ne
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quote:
ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
quote:
ORIGINAL: Real0ne
Atheists have beliefs, albeit 'different beliefs' than those who connect with or identify their beliefs with diety (theistic) or those who identify their religious beliefs without a deity (nontheistic), they all fall under different flavors of 'religion'.
That is why Buddhism and other nontheistic systems of belief are considered a religion.
that said atheism in practice is simply another religion, hence the OP premise is nonsequitor.
This is something that I fundamentally disagree with.
Not having a deity of any sort (theist belief) makes it non-religious by definition.
quote:
Definition of religion
religion
rɪˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/
noun: religion
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
"ideas about the relationship between science and religion"
synonyms: faith, belief, divinity, worship, creed, teaching, doctrine, theology; More
sect, cult, religious group, faith community, church, denomination, body, following, persuasion, affiliation
"the right to freedom of religion"
a particular system of faith and worship.
plural noun: religions
"the world's great religions" also quote:
Classical sociologist Emile Durkheim ([1915] 1965:62) provided a definition of religion that is still widely used: religion is a “unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community.”
There are many forms of "belief systems" that are non-religious and cannot be affirmed or considered to be "a religion".
For example, Paganism and Buddhism can be adequately argued that they are not a religion but a way of life.
And if you are anti-theist (Atheist), that also doesn't make it a religion in and of itself.
The same can also be said about various spiritualists too.
If you want to class them as alternative religions, that would be an individual personal position not shared by many anti-theists.
well I dont see what you posted as holding water, and in reverse I see it as your personally opinion which appears to be opposition to our understanding and meaning of religion.
Saṃsāra (Buddhism)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Realms of existence
Buddhist cosmology typically identifies six realms of existence: gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hells.
[a] These realms can be understood both as psychological states and as aspects of Buddhist cosmology.[c]
These six realms are typically divided into three higher realms and three lower realms: the three higher realms are the realms of the gods, demi-gods, and humans; the three lower realms are the realms of the animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings. These realms can be described briefly as follows:[d]
God realm: the gods lead long and enjoyable lives full of pleasure and abundance, but they spend their lives pursuing meaningless distractions and never think to practice the dharma. When death comes to them, they are completely unprepared; without realizing it, they have completely exhausted their good karma (which was the cause for being reborn in the god realm) and they suffer through being reborn in the lower realms.
Demi-god realm: the demi-gods have pleasure and abundance almost as much as the gods, but they spend their time fighting among themselves or making war on the gods. When they make war on the gods, they always lose, since the gods are much more powerful. The demi-gods suffer from constant fighting and jealousy, and from being killed and wounded in their wars with each other and with the gods.
Human realm: humans suffer from hunger, thirst, heat, cold, separation from friends, being attacked by enemies, not getting what they want, and getting what they don't want. They also suffer from the general sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. Yet the human realm is considered to be the most suitable realm for practicing the dharma, because humans are not completely distracted by pleasure (like the gods or demi-gods) or by pain and suffering (like the beings in the lower realms).
Animal realm: wild animals suffer from being attacked and eaten by other animals; they generally lead lives of constant fear. Domestic animals suffer from being exploited by humans; for example, they are slaughtered for food, overworked, abused, and so on.
Hungry ghost realm: hungry ghosts suffer from extreme hunger and thirst. They wander constantly in search of food and drink, only to be miserably frustrated any time they come close to actually getting what they want. For example, they see a stream of pure, clear water in the distance, but by the time they get there the stream has dried up. Hungry ghosts have huge bellies and long thin necks. On the rare occasions that they do manage to find something to eat or drink, the food or water burns their neck as it goes down to their belly, causing them intense agony.
Hell realm: hell beings endure unimaginable suffering for eons of time. There are actually eighteen different types of hells, each inflicting a different kind of torment. In the hot hells, beings suffer from unbearable heat and continual torments of various kinds. In the cold hells, beings suffer from unbearable cold and other torments.
Notes
Earlier Buddhist texts refer to five realms rather than six realms; when described as five realms, the god realm and demi-god realm constitute a single realm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra_%28Buddhism%29
So you will need to show us how something that looks like a duck and quacks like a duck is somehow not a duck.
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