{"id":365,"date":"2013-03-04T21:24:54","date_gmt":"2013-03-05T03:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/?p=365"},"modified":"2013-03-04T21:26:33","modified_gmt":"2013-03-05T03:26:33","slug":"is-atheism-a-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithonthecouch\/2013\/03\/is-atheism-a-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Atheism a Religion?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>Dan Fincke, who\u00a0 has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham and hosts the Patheos Atheist blog (way to go, \u00a0Catholic higher ed.<\/em>) , Camels with Hammers<\/em>, asks the question, \u201cIs atheism a religion?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Psychologists of Religion<\/a> might have something to say about this question.\u00a0 I would suggest that the answer hinges on the definition of \u201cfaith,\u201d \u201cbelief,\u201d and \u201creligion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although religious people tend to think of faith\u00a0as necessarily transcendent, psychologists\u00a0of religion like James Fowler<\/a>, have defined faith in more secular terms.\u00a0 Fowler\u2019s definition is a little\u2026complex, but the short version is that\u00a0faith<\/em> is\u00a0a universal human experience that exists whether you\u2019re a believer or not and drives the human person to search for deeper meaning.\u00a0\u00a0 In that sense, Atheism, as a system of thought intended to help\u00a0a person make sense of it all, is almost certainly an expression of this very human, non-transcendent,\u00a0understanding of faith.<\/em><\/p>\n

Likewise, psychologists of religion would say that belief<\/em> is the organization of faith (that more\u00a0vague, but intensely human quest for deeper meaning) into credal statements about \u201cthe way things are.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Atheism certainly makes certain credal statements about the way, life, the universe, and everything works, so it would appear to be a belief system as well.<\/p>\n

But is it a religion?\u00a0 Well, that question could go either way.\u00a0 Psychologists of religion would say that religion is a collection of people who share the same beliefs (as defined above) and have created rituals and structures and gatherings to celebrate and advance those beliefs.\u00a0 In that light, I would say that there are some \u201creligious atheists\u201d and some not.<\/p>\n

Non-religious atheists, like non-religious\u00a0Christians, \u00a0are those who have little interest in promoting their faith and beliefs (as defined above) unless asked\/provoked.\u00a0 They are satisfied with their personal beliefs and have no great desire to gather together with like-minded believers or to advance their belief system.\u00a0 They have figured out \u201cwhat things mean\u201d to them, and that\u2019s that.<\/p>\n

Religious atheists are a different breed though.\u00a0 By the above definition, religious atheists are the ones who have a need to meet with other atheists at certain times and certain places.\u00a0 They long to share their holy (unholy? a-holy?)\u00a0<\/em>books written by atheist high priests who develop and advance the atheist creed of \u201chow things are.\u201d\u00a0 They go to atheist tent revivals with leading atheist prophets like Dawkins, or Chris Hitchens (ahem, God rest his soul) so that they can refresh and recharge their a-theistically spiritual batteries.\u00a0 They evangelize others, usually without being asked because they want a fellowship of like-minded believers.\u00a0 They create rituals with these believers that bind them together and advance their belief system.\u00a0 These are most-certainly religious atheists by the most rigorous, secular definition of the term religion<\/em>.\u00a0 Let me offer another illustration.<\/p>\n

I have a psychologist\u00a0acquaintance who is a prominent,\u00a0mega best-selling author.\u00a0 He is an atheist.\u00a0 He has very little patience for religious people.\u00a0 He tolerates me because we share a lot of other interests but he is confirmed in his atheism.\u00a0 He is the son of a punitive Lutheran pastor who held court in a prominent pulpit and drummed a gospel that positive stank of brimstone into him at home and at Church.\u00a0 He hates church. Hates his dad.\u00a0 Hates what it all stands for.<\/p>\n

And yet, I often marvel at how much like his dad he turned out.\u00a0 He has a weekly group that meets to study and discuss his teachings.\u00a0 Not a therapy group, btw.\u00a0 Just a bunch of people who meet at his house weekly because they like the way he thinks and speaks.\u00a0 How much like a church service it is.\u00a0 Every week without fail. Same evening.\u00a0 The meeting begins at the same time.\u00a0 They have a reading and a sermon.\u00a0 They share how it relates to their lives.\u00a0 They break for refreshments.\u00a0 They depart confident that they will be back next week to repeat the ritual.\u00a0 In between he goes on tour to promote his gospel to admiring disciples.<\/p>\n

He hates when I point this out.\u00a0 His distaste for his father blinds him to just how religious he is.\u00a0 The difference is that his religion is him, so that makes it OK.<\/p>\n

The point is that even though atheists don\u2019t like to admit it, by the secular definition of the term, a lot of atheists are very religious indeed.\u00a0 The question, I think, is not whether atheism is a religion, but whether atheists are religious.\u00a0 I believe that from a purely secular standpoint, the answer is, \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dan Fincke, who\u00a0 has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham and hosts the Patheos Atheist blog (way to go, \u00a0Catholic higher ed.) , Camels with Hammers, asks the question, \u201cIs atheism a religion?\u201d Psychologists of Religion might have something to say about this question.\u00a0 I would suggest that the answer hinges on the definition of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1437,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,17,10],"tags":[1119,112,113,114],"class_list":["post-365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church","category-popcak-2","category-psychology-news","tag-atheism","tag-atheist","tag-dawkins","tag-hitchens"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Atheism a Religion?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dan Fincke, who\u00a0 has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham and hosts the Patheos Atheist blog (way to go, 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