Atheism is Not a Religion

The Devil’s Kitchen in fisking a piece by prodicus, sparked an interesting discussion, including that old chestnut trotted out by the religious; that atheism is a religion Gah! Prodicus disappoints me in making that statement.

Lesson Four
Atheism is a religious belief. (Me.)
It is an incoherent belief system (see above) and therefore, in this case alone, your assertion is valid.

Having read his blog (most of which finds me in agreement) I’m bound to say that he seems an intelligent cove. So why does he repeat this bollocks? Atheism is a lack of belief in god(s). Just as a vacuum isn’t a different type of atmoshere; it is a lack of atmosphere.That’s it and all about it.

Over at DK’s I put in my twopennyworth:

Why do people persist in this ridiculous assertion that atheism is a religious belief? The ultimate strawman, I suppose. Atheism is not a belief system; it is the absence of belief. I do not believe in god(s). I am, therefore an atheist. I lack belief. As I am not making any claims about anything (possible or impossible), I am not an agnostic, I am an atheist. I do not believe in god(s) or any other supernatural deity. Atheism really is that simple.

I’ll admit to rambling a bit here, but the bit was twixt my teeth… deogolwulf in no uncertain terms seeks to put me right.

Evidently wrong. Atheism is the belief that there is no God. You do not “lack belief” in this regard.

You are indeed making a claim: that God does not exist. Not to make a claim one way or the other is the essence of agnosticism. Your conclusion (“I am an atheist”) does not therefore follow your premise (“I am not making any claims”).

I appreciate that my position appears to be playing semantics, but the default position is that of non-existence. Those who claim that god(s) exist are making a claim. They, therefore have the burden of proof. In not believing them without that proof, I am making no claims. Nor am I making claims about the level of knowledge required to draw a conclusion about whether to believe or not. It isn’t necessary. If no one tells me about god(s), I am unaware of the claim and therefore do not believe in said god(s). I am, therefore, an atheist, not an agnostic. Being an atheist, I am not party to any religious beliefs. My dictionary (Collins English) defines religion thus:

1. belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny.

2. any formal or institutionalized expression of such belief.

I note that The American Heritage® Dictionary offers a similar definition:

a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

Given that atheism is a lack of belief in (or if we must play semantics; is a belief in the lack of) god(s) I fail to see how it fits into the definition of a religion. There is no worship, there is no supernatural being, there is no institution. Indeed, the definition fails on all counts.

Atheism is not, never has been, and never will be, a religion. The claim that it is, is nothing more than an attempt by the religious to construct a strawman by drawing atheism into their own terms of reference. Indeed, attempting to organise atheists into any of these would be much akin to herding cats.