I'm talking with another Q&A member about whether atheism is a religion or not.
Religion is defined as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, and rituals associated with such belief. It is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system"
What beliefs do atheists share? In my opinion, all atheists share is a LACK of belief in a god or gods. Other than that, atheists do not have to share any beliefs. Some atheists join religions (like Humanism, Unitarian Church, etc) while others are skeptics.
What do you think? What beliefs do atheists share?
Atheism is definitely NOT a religion AFAIC!
I'm a humanist myself, I support Hyman's rights and animal's right and ecology. But that's not intrinsically to atheism.
However, there are atheists who like to hang out on religion forums on the Internet and "preach" for atheism with a fervor worthy of any Christian Fundie.
I don't see atheism as a religion, but more of a philosophy. I see religion as often requiring a belief in "god" of some sort or other. Philosophies and spirituality's do not require a belief in "god".
I concur that atheists share one thing in common: lack of belief in "god". The rest is up to the individual to choose what else she wants to believe or not believe in.
The world locate was used to refer to the person who believed in the reality of this world and the physical existence of man and of other beings on earth and nothing else. 'Loka' means the world and 'locate' means he who is centered around or relies upon this world only. The locates believed in the existence of this world only, neither in heaven nor in hell, neither in vice nor virtue. They accepted only that reality which they could subjectively perceive and interact with, not in any imaginary world or some kind of ideal world. Practical and down to the earth, they believed in the existence of four elements only, namely the earth, water, fire, and air instead of the five elements of the medic scriptures of which space or ether was the fifth element.
The Charvaka system of thought believed neither in God nor in the after life of man. Their doctrines are traced to an ancient scripture called the Charvaka Dharma probably written by an author of the name of Charvaka. Reference to the Charvakas or the Lokayatas was found in some ancient Hindu and Buddhist Scriptures.
One of the chief protagonists of this school existed during the time of the Buddha and his name was Ajita Kesakamabali. He recognized only four elements and declared that a combination of these four elements produced certain vitality called life, which is very much in tune with the modern theories of creation of life on earth. At the time of death these four elements would return to their respective sources, earth to earth, air to air and so on. There was no mystery of life beyond this. " When the body dies both fool and wise alike are cut off and perish. They do not survive after death."
According to the Charvakas there was no soul. Death was the end of all existence. The body itself was Atman and enjoyment of this life in the bodily form should be the chief purpose of life. Whatever was within the field of perception was true and it alone existed. Anything beyond the senses was false, a mere illusion or self induced delusion. Inference by itself could not be the basis of truth and therefore it was invalid. We should not depend upon the experience of others to know the truth. We should not base our belief upon the teachings of others as long as they were not confirmed by our own personal experience. Subjective experience was therefore the basis of all truth and of ones conduct in this world.
The Charvakas did not accept the Vedas, nor the vedic rites prescribed by the Vedas. They contended that one should not practice these religious rites, whose results no one could verify with certainty. They did not believe in karma or the concept of sacrifice. What was the use of sacrificing something today, in the hope of getting some future benefit whose arrival was never certain? Earthly enjoyment was the highest ideal and it should not be sacrificed in the hope of some better after life.
Since matter was the only thing that was perceivable by the senses, matter alone was real. Intelligence was also a form of matter, like the body, because it was produced by the modification of the four elements and was destroyed the way the body was destroyed when these elements were dissolved. The physical self alone was real and the mind and the body were part of this physical self.
The Charvaka school of thinking had many draw backs. Its chief weakness was its excessive reliance upon subjective experience and upon sensory perceptions, as the basis of truth. These two are not perfect and reliable instruments of truth and they would not always guarantee complete wisdom. The Charvakas ignore the fundamental fact that our perceptions can be very misleading and that they are colored by our own prejudices, fears, anxieties, expectations, desires, thoughts and most important of all by our own ignorance. They also fail to explain the role of Nature, the rationale for good social conduct or the need for social harmony. The Charvakas provide very simplistic solutions to the complex problems of pain and suffering, and fall short of providing lasting solutions to the real problems of human life and society. In short they fail to explain such human needs and aspirations that are not purely physical or mental but spiritual, and the importance of such morals and social values in human life that distinguishes us from the world of the animals.
Replace vedas with bible or whatever religious scripture you have read. Read the basic ideology and your views about the religious philosophy you are familiar with. Compare your ideas.
Let me know if you share some of those basic traits. I can not tell what views atheist people share. But i think it will be an interesting comparison.
Atheists have no issue with the idea of ?faith? - and it?s a good thing they don?t. For example, in the first week of elementary geometry class they?re going to encounter the concept of ?axioms.? These little mathematical imps are ?assumed,? so in a way they just ?are.? And rebellious atheists are going to get shown the hallway if they ask the teacher to ?prove? the axioms. Even if they stay in the sciences, they will continue to encounter irreducible ?assumptions? all through their education and professional development.
On the gentler side of existence, atheists know there are realms of human activity that are best described as ?irrational.? And that?s NOT a bad thing. For instance, every single atheist I?vie known has fallen in love. While there are surely ?natural? explanations for the origins and causes of such an event, they don?t in any way correspond to what is happening to the smitten party. The wonderful state just ?is,? and it neither requires, nor desires, an ?explanation.? Yes, bother and sisters of religious faiths, we also have ours.
What beliefs do atheists share?
