Posted on 08/20/2005 12:11:11 AM PDT by Lexinom
A federal court of appeals ruled yesterday Wisconsin prison officials violated an inmate's rights because they did not treat atheism as a religion.
"Atheism is [the inmate's] religion, and the group that he wanted to start was religious in nature even though it expressly rejects a belief in a supreme being," the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
This ought to be interesting. Bump for later reading.
yes, that evaluation of Pascal's Wager IS elegantly simple and straightforward ;)
a. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
b. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
c. Godlessness; immorality.
How does it work to have a religion without a god?
Religion -
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
Very clever. What you eat, or don't eat, is your diet. What you wear, or don't wear, is your wardrobe. What you believe, or don't believe, is your religion.
To declare, "I believe that there is no God" is undoubtedly an act of faith.
You're 100% correct, and something I've always said, myself; atheism is, indeed, a belief system, i.e., a religion.
LOL!
absolutely correct
It also means that belief in evolution would also be a form of 'religion'; no different than belief in creation.
Based on your definition, Christianity is not a religion.
My Thai Buddhist mother-in-law simply strives for a good rebirth.
My Thai Buddhist sisters-in-law believed in ghosts. They were deathly afraid of them. One claimed she'd seen them. To listen to them, you would have thought they were Tibetans. Mom-n-law doesn't believe in ghosts.
When one of the sisters died, she had at her request, one after the other, first a Christian ceremony conducted by her pastor, and then a Buddhist ceremony conducted by monks from the local temple. The ceremonies had very different purposes. None of the Buddhists saw the slightest conflict, even attending both ceremonies. Some of the Christians expressed displeasure, others curiosity.
It all gets very complicated. Some Buddhists in some traditions simply hope for a good rebirth. Others hope for a stay in paradise. And others strive for extinction, an end to the cycle of rebirth.
Maceman places the emphasis on a supreme being or an equivalency. King Prout looks to a system of belief bound (in a good way) by ritual and higher authority.
To me, both seem to describe how individuals, alone or in community, embrace a spiritual belief which enables them to strive to transcend the mundane and the profane. I do not believe the agnostic or the atheist does that, not if they truly do not know or truly do not believe.
There are only two religions.
Atheism is merely one of the "belief systems" among thousands in the man-centered religion catagory.
//SARCASM OFF
the agnostic is honest: He does not know, and that is all he says. Most honest theistic folk admit to being at least partially agnostic - kinda by definition, Faith requires a choice in uncertainty.
the small-a atheist is honest: he has no faith or belief in any god, finds the whole matter personally irrelevant, and that is all he says. It is a state of personal lack of belief.
the big-A Atheist is a different animal: he believes there ARE NO GODS. This is a state of active belief of a thing which is beyond any test or proof. It is dogmatic, and often enough is as central a tenet in the life of an Atheist as belief in Deity is for the religious. It is thus a RELIGIOUS CREED.
ah, what did you smoke for breakfast?
While I agree that Atheism is a religion, I disagree with your statement above. Agnosticism is "neutrality" and, unlike atheism, doesn't claim to know that there is or is not a God.
Buddhism is a religion with no gods
Not much, if any, quibbling from me. But, how is this morality revealed . . . religiously?
Is it a kind of Socratic remembering? Is it taught to you?
Or, does it matter?
Read "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell; amnd you will see that there is plenty that is verifiable.
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