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[scriver]

my 'atheism' is a religious viewpoint

*facedesk* Isn't that exactly what it's not? I personally became an atheist because every religion I'd ever heard of (that included a deity) was nonsensical (in my opinion). I don't believe in a god, and I don't follow any of the religions that don't, so am I then an areligionist?

No. Atheism is not a religion, but it is a "religious" viewpoint, as it has to do with religion/belief. Or at the very least a religious standpoint, but that's just semantics.

[Argembarger]

I'm just gonna throw this out there and say that most of the zealots and hateful religious folk tend to be those that are actually pretty ignorant of what it is they claim to believe. In my experience, as someone becomes more informed about their own worldview and the worldview of others, they tend to become more reasonable. Not always true, I guess, but still, the real crazy people tend to spring from a cauldron of crazy. (Westboro Baptist Church)

A majority of my friends are atheists. They're cool, reasonable, informed people. They don't tell me that I'm stupid because I believe in something that hasn't been empirically proved. I don't tell them they're "evil sinners who need to be saved". I enjoy reading stuff like the Skeptical Inquirer; it makes me think about why I believe what I do.

It's just ignorant, hateful people who insist on being ignorant and hateful that get my goat, regardless of their beliefs. I've dealt with trolls, intentional and otherwise, from many sides of the question, and it just tends to be facepalmingly stupid.

EDIT AFTER PREVIEW DUE TO NINJAPOST:

Was actually typing out a response, but doubleninja'd

my 'atheism' is a religious viewpoint

*facedesk* Isn't that exactly what it's not? I personally became an atheist because every religion I'd ever heard of (that included a deity) was nonsensical (in my opinion). I don't believe in a god, and I don't follow any of the religions that don't, so am I then an areligionist?

No. Atheism is not a religion, but it is a "religious" viewpoint, as it has to do with religion/belief. Or at the very least a religious standpoint, but that's just semantics.

Pretty much this. It's not really important, anyway.

Also holy crap I'm really glad that this isn't a flame war, in before almost-inevitable flame war.

[Fayrik]

Also holy crap I'm really glad that this isn't a flame war, in before almost-inevitable flame war.

HOW DARE YOU BE SUCH A HERETIC?!?!
... See what I did there?

(Westboro Baptist Church)

I always read and hear that as Westbro Baptist Church.
Not sure what to think of this. Is it a sign?
...But, what does it mean?

[Tsarwash]

A majority of my friends are atheists. They're cool, reasonable, informed people. They don't tell me that I'm stupid because I believe in something that hasn't been empirically proved. I don't tell them they're "evil sinners who need to be saved". I enjoy reading stuff like the Skeptical Inquirer; it makes me think about why I believe what I do.

....

Also holy crap I'm really glad that this isn't a flame war, in before almost-inevitable flame war.

Your religous beliefs are your own personal matter, and I say that you will always have the right to hold them without people judging you or trying to change them, as long as you respect mine, and don't try to change the way that I live my life. My issue is the way that personal freedoms become restricted by other peoples views.

...

The moment that this becomes nasty or personal, then I'm out of here. I'm pretty sure that most people on this forum are mature enough to debate, not argue.

[Earthquake Damage]

it's difficult to distinguish between cultural and religous beliefs.

I can't imagine why.

[Ephemeriis]

Religion itself is a good thing.

I disagree with this whole-heartedly.

And I think I'm going to leave it at that.

[Tsarwash]

it's difficult to distinguish between cultural and religous beliefs.

I can't imagine why.

Because they are so ancient and in many cases evolved together from badly documented history and in some cases pre-history. Religion is in some cases so intertwined with culture. It is difficult to say that America is the way it is today becasue of the mix of religions that it has had, rather than America has broadly accepted the religions that it has because of it's culture.

[Argembarger]

Your religous beliefs are your own personal matter, and I say that you will always have the right to hold them without people judging you or trying to change them, as long as you respect mine, and don't try to change the way that I live my life. My issue is the way that personal freedoms become restricted by other peoples views.

...

The moment that this becomes nasty or personal, then I'm out of here. I'm pretty sure that most people on this forum are mature enough to debate, not argue.

Well, I guess my thoughts on personal freedoms are derived from my thoughts on freedom of belief. I don't think religious groups should be allowed to get involved in politics in the first place. Same reason I keep my religion to myself (except for the purposes of this discussion, I guess, to give my own view on the matter) and expect others to do the same.

The difficulty arises when enough people are part of a religion to wield political power. Then religion and politics are as meshed as the people involved in them want them to be. If I held political power somewhere, I would try my very best to keep my religion out of my political policies. But when the people holding you accountable in office have strong religious views... I guess the question is, what can be done to separate them? Even if the people making legislation dissociate themselves from religion altogether, the people deciding whether or not they should stay in power will look at that and go "Oh shi- our representative isn't a radical religious firebrand, well, time to vote him/her out of office"

But I do believe they should be separated as much as possible. How shall we convince the masses?

[Earthquake Damage]

I don't think religious groups should be allowed to get involved in politics in the first place.

That's a challenge.  Religious groups consist of people.  How do you decide which people are too religious to vote, run for office, or otherwise engage in political activity?  How do you keep them out of it?

Or did you mean instead that there should be no law or policy with a religious/non-secular basis?

[Argembarger]

I don't think religious groups should be allowed to get involved in politics in the first place.

That's a challenge.  Religious groups consist of people.  How do you decide which people are too religious to vote, run for office, or otherwise engage in political activity?  How do you keep them out of it?

Or did you mean instead that there should be no law or policy with a religious/non-secular basis?

Yeah, the second one. Obviously, if we barred religious/non-religious folk from office, that would be a form of discrimination.

EDIT: I feel like the only reason this isn't a flame war yet is because it's in General Discussion instead of Life Advice, haha.

[Muz]

my 'atheism' is a religious viewpoint

*facedesk* Isn't that exactly what it's not? I personally became an atheist because every religion I'd ever heard of (that included a deity) was nonsensical (in my opinion). I don't believe in a god, and I don't follow any of the religions that don't, so am I then an areligionist?

Well, if you live in a country with an official national religion, it should follow the teachings of that religion. If you lived in a 90%+ Christian country, it'd be fair not to open shops on Sunday.

But what if your country is also capitalist? Can your own citizens sell things on Sunday? Can foreign companies? If you're living in a country where foreign companies are common (Such as the U.S., but we don't have a national religion), then are you supposed to impose your culture on to them, when they may think nothing of making money seven days a week?

Atheism is a religious viewpoint since you're have a stance on the whole creation of the world thing. If you're thinking it as the absolute truth and that all other people are stupid for believing in their divine being... well, that sounds a lot like what some religions do


As for the Sunday thing, there's always not forcing your religion on people who did it. Take for example banking... at one time Christians didn't do it because usury was evil. So the Jewish started loaning out money. And now the Christians and Muslims are finding loopholes for banking without being usurious. Or take a more modern view of what Islamic countries do with alcohol. Some of them ban Muslims from drinking, but allow the buying and selling of alcohol to non-Muslims (albeit at a high tax).

So, as long as it doesn't bar the people of other religions from doing it, it should be fine. Perhaps it hurts the economy, but you'll just have to cope with the local culture that people don't work on Sunday. Just like one story about how Japanese investors found that productivity dropped during the US hunting season, it's just something you have to work around.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Atheism is a religious viewpoint since you're have a stance on the whole creation of the world thing.

No we don't. The one and only thing atheism does and ever will have a stance on is the existance of gods, which is that they do not. The formation of the universe and the formation of Earth are seperate concepts, although I'd imagine most atheists go with the current scientific explanation, since theistic explanations are obviously right out.

[Duke 2.0]

Atheism is a religious viewpoint since you're have a stance on the whole creation of the world thing.

No we don't. The one and only thing atheism does and ever will have a stance on is the existance of gods, which is that they do not. The formation of the universe and the formation of Earth are seperate concepts, although I'd imagine most athests go with the current scientific explanation, since theistic explanations are obviously right out.

Which... makes it a religious viewpoint?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Atheism is a religious viewpoint since you're have a stance on the whole creation of the world thing.

No we don't. The one and only thing atheism does and ever will have a stance on is the existance of gods, which is that they do not. The formation of the universe and the formation of Earth are seperate concepts, although I'd imagine most atheists go with the current scientific explanation, since theistic explanations are obviously right out.

Which... makes it a religious viewpoint?

Yep. Which is to say "A viewpoint on religion", not "A viewpoint that is religious.".

[Cthulhu]

Religious Viewpoint, viewpoint pertaining to or of religion, I am an atheist = I am emphatically stating that there are no gods.  Atheism is a religious viewpoint.  Honestly though, it's just semantics.  [THIS GOT NINJAD]

I agree that in a proper world government would be fully secular.  One of the cornerstones of what I believe is that you are free to choose what you believe, and religion mingling with government interferes with that.