I would say that atheism is a religion in the sense that it addresses the big questions that our familiar religions do. A religion that answers “Does God exist?” in the affirmative will have to address the follow-up questions like “What is the nature of God?”, “What is the relationship between God and man?”, and “How can I get God to stop smiting me?”. These follow-up questions are where traditional religions hit their stride and build an apparatus for communicating with God, educating people about the answers to these questions, etc. Atheism denies the existence of God (broadly speaking) and doesn’t have to answer the sorts of follow-up questions that theists do.
I think the issue gets complicated by the fact that our world is a lot different from the one that spawned the major religions. In olden days, priests were the learned class. They were philosophers, healers, historians and thinkers as well as spiritual leaders. Religion was inextricably tied to culture. You got philosophy, jurisprudence, history, and cultural norms along with the spiritual stuff. For example, think of how much of Jewish culture is tied up in Judaism.
Nowadays we have access to accurate information on many different beliefs and theories on any topic imaginable. It’s an intellectual buffet. Atheism grew in an environment where it wasn’t so closely tied to these cultural norms or that philosophy. Atheism is restricted to spiritual matters alone. So, I suppose the question of whether atheism is a religion depends on whether you think religion should provide a comprehensive guide to living.
a religion in the sense that it addresses the big questions that our familiar religions do
It addresses one big question that our familiar religions do. The others it leaves alone (beyond rejecting one specific claim that’s alleged to answer several of them.) What is the nature of right and wrong? Where do human beings come from? Do we have anything like souls and if so can they survive (or be restored after) death? Is there a purpose to our existence (individually or collectively) and if so what?
There are lots of possible answers to those questions that don’t involve gods.
(I think it’s probably true that most atheists in present-day Western society have similar answers to most of those questions. If so, I think that indicates not that atheism is really a religion but that there are other things besides atheism pushing us towards those answers. For instance, actual evidence that they’re right; or historically contingent groupthink; or other possibilities that will readily occur to the imaginative reader.)
That’s a very good thing to ask, but it happens not to be the point actually at issue in this discussion.
(Is it churlish to point out that the remainder of the paragraph you quoted really ought to make it abundantly clear that I’m aware that the answers could be right or wrong and that it matters which?)
I don’t think atheism is a religion, precisely because it does not provide a comprehensive guide to living. However, our form of “rationality”—with its precise reasons for atheism, its specific moral aspirations and justifications therefor, and even its prophecies of the defeat of death and suffering by science—does qualify.
I would say that atheism is a religion in the sense that it addresses the big questions that our familiar religions do. A religion that answers “Does God exist?” in the affirmative will have to address the follow-up questions like “What is the nature of God?”, “What is the relationship between God and man?”, and “How can I get God to stop smiting me?”. These follow-up questions are where traditional religions hit their stride and build an apparatus for communicating with God, educating people about the answers to these questions, etc. Atheism denies the existence of God (broadly speaking) and doesn’t have to answer the sorts of follow-up questions that theists do.
I think the issue gets complicated by the fact that our world is a lot different from the one that spawned the major religions. In olden days, priests were the learned class. They were philosophers, healers, historians and thinkers as well as spiritual leaders. Religion was inextricably tied to culture. You got philosophy, jurisprudence, history, and cultural norms along with the spiritual stuff. For example, think of how much of Jewish culture is tied up in Judaism.
Nowadays we have access to accurate information on many different beliefs and theories on any topic imaginable. It’s an intellectual buffet. Atheism grew in an environment where it wasn’t so closely tied to these cultural norms or that philosophy. Atheism is restricted to spiritual matters alone. So, I suppose the question of whether atheism is a religion depends on whether you think religion should provide a comprehensive guide to living.
It addresses one big question that our familiar religions do. The others it leaves alone (beyond rejecting one specific claim that’s alleged to answer several of them.) What is the nature of right and wrong? Where do human beings come from? Do we have anything like souls and if so can they survive (or be restored after) death? Is there a purpose to our existence (individually or collectively) and if so what?
There are lots of possible answers to those questions that don’t involve gods.
(I think it’s probably true that most atheists in present-day Western society have similar answers to most of those questions. If so, I think that indicates not that atheism is really a religion but that there are other things besides atheism pushing us towards those answers. For instance, actual evidence that they’re right; or historically contingent groupthink; or other possibilities that will readily occur to the imaginative reader.)
The real point, however, is to ask whether they’ve got the right answers to those questions.
That’s a very good thing to ask, but it happens not to be the point actually at issue in this discussion.
(Is it churlish to point out that the remainder of the paragraph you quoted really ought to make it abundantly clear that I’m aware that the answers could be right or wrong and that it matters which?)
I don’t think atheism is a religion, precisely because it does not provide a comprehensive guide to living. However, our form of “rationality”—with its precise reasons for atheism, its specific moral aspirations and justifications therefor, and even its prophecies of the defeat of death and suffering by science—does qualify.