[Benjamin Franklin]

I understand this may be nit-picky, but "Atheist" isn't a religion. It's the lack of a religion, if anything.

A religion is a set of beliefs about reality. You don't have to believe in God to be religious. I think atheism entails a particular set of beliefs about reality and it therefore can be defined as a religion.

I disagree. Atheism does not entail any certain beliefs about reality. It only entails not believing in a god. It means "not theist". It's simply not having one (common) belief, but it certainly doesn't require the person hold any other beliefs. Simply that they don't hold one particular belief.

[RoundEarthisRound]

Then why did you say...

There is scientific proof that they do exist and influence what we do. Brain scans from people asked to perform a task do not show a change in their brain activity when they do the task, such a registration of how far they would have to move their body to perform such a task. But obviously we do register such things. This suggests the existence of an immaterial thing that registers the details of a task and then uses our nervous system to perform it.

I misspoke. I should have said "scientific data".

Also, this sounds an awful lot like a "God of the Gaps" argument.

No, my belief that nothing can come from nothing, and there must be a first cause of the universe, is based upon a deductive inference to the best cause of the universe, whose attributes happen to resemble God. That is the exact opposite of a God-of-the-gaps style argument.

[Rama Set]

Well I was referring to your inferring of a soul from our inability to determine an action's cognitive origin. That has nothing to do with the KCA or whatever formalism you misappropriate to deduce god.

[Excelsior John]

Lets get the ball rolling down here, what religion are you?

I am a proud Baptist!

[RoundEarthisRound]

Well I was referring to your inferring of a soul from our inability to determine an action's cognitive origin.

In that case I suggest you look up dualism interactionism. This is a scientific theory on the soul which has much scientific evidence for it.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

I am a Jew. I think that atheism is not a religion. The atheists here are right about that. It does entail a lack of beliefs, which is a bit different than a set of beliefs. There is no official doctrine that an atheist must accept to be one. For example, being a Christian requires that you accept the Deity of Jesus. However much one respects Jesus, if one does not call him God then one is not a Christian, at least in the traditional sense (granted, I know some non-Trinitarian groups that would disagree, but they are few).

My sister-in-law is an ethnic Jew, but an atheist in her religious belief (or rather, the lack thereof). So does that make her more or less Jewish than me? No. It simply means that she has rejected the belief structure that most Jews are a part of, whether enthusiastically, like me, or nominally, like some others. The only way one loses the right to call oneself a Jew is by converting to another religion. Converting to no religion (atheism or agnosticism) doesn't do that. Go figure. No one, least of all me, ever claimed that it made sense.

[Alchemist21]

My ex was Jewish atheist too.  She still observed holidays and had a bat-mitzvah, but that may have be due to her age.  Granted she'll probably still observe Passover and Hanukkah with her family in her adult life. 

I would argue that more than a few groups claim Jesus to be son of God but not God incarnate.  The idea of Jesus being God incarnate was not even considered in early Christianity, and just looking back to a few verses it doesn't really make sense to claim he was God incarnate.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

ALCHEMIST, perhaps I should have specified that the majority of Christians, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant, are Trinitarian. There are still a few million that are not. Mormons are not. Jehovah's Witnesses are not. All told, that makes about 22 million persons who are not, but still regard Jesus as the son of God. There are more of them then, than there are Jews, as we are about 15 million world wide. Those are the two sizable groups that are not Trinitarian. There are other groups that are not, but their numbers are very small. Some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches like the Copts and similar faiths are Trinitarian, but not in the orthodox way that most of the first listed Churches are.

[Excelsior John]

I am a Jew. I think that atheism is not a religion. The atheists here are right about that. It does entail a lack of beliefs, which is a bit different than a set of beliefs. There is no official doctrine that an atheist must accept to be one. For example, being a Christian requires that you accept the Deity of Jesus. However much one respects Jesus, if one does not call him God then one is not a Christian, at least in the traditional sense (granted, I know some non-Trinitarian groups that would disagree, but they are few).

My sister-in-law is an ethnic Jew, but an atheist in her religious belief (or rather, the lack thereof). So does that make her more or less Jewish than me? No. It simply means that she has rejected the belief structure that most Jews are a part of, whether enthusiastically, like me, or nominally, like some others. The only way one loses the right to call oneself a Jew is by converting to another religion. Converting to no religion (atheism or agnosticism) doesn't do that. Go figure. No one, least of all me, ever claimed that it made sense.

Athiesm is a religion because they worship science. They are all heretics

And im sorey but how the heck can a Jewish be "ethnic"? Jewish is a religion not a race so is she an athiest or Jewish?

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

I am not getting into this again with you, Troll. I have given you several web sites and a seminal book on the subject to review regarding Jews being an ethnic group,  most of whom have some connection (however tenuous) to the religion of Judaism. The fact that you refuse to recognise that fact makes you an idiot. I very rarely resort to name-calling, but as I have already proved my point to you ad nauseam ad infinitum, I can only conclude that you are indeed an idiot.

[Rama Set]

Then why did you say...

There is scientific proof that they do exist and influence what we do. Brain scans from people asked to perform a task do not show a change in their brain activity when they do the task, such a registration of how far they would have to move their body to perform such a task. But obviously we do register such things. This suggests the existence of an immaterial thing that registers the details of a task and then uses our nervous system to perform it.

I misspoke. I should have said "scientific data".

Also, this sounds an awful lot like a "God of the Gaps" argument.

No, my belief that nothing can come from nothing, and there must be a first cause of the universe, is based upon a deductive inference to the best cause of the universe, whose attributes happen to resemble God. That is the exact opposite of a God-of-the-gaps style argument.

I was talking about your beliefs in the soul specifically.  Just because we cannot define the source of cognition for some actions does not mean "its out eternal soul".

[Vindictus]

I understand this may be nit-picky, but "Atheist" isn't a religion. It's the lack of a religion, if anything.

A religion is a set of beliefs about reality. You don't have to believe in God to be religious. I think atheism entails a particular set of beliefs about reality and it therefore can be defined as a religion.

Religions have holy texts, and a system of belief. Atheism has none of that, it's just the lack of belief in a God.

The God Delusion and the belief that gods are the product of man's imagination.

Atheism still isn't a religion though.

There are atheists that have never heard of (or are incapable of reading) The God Delusion.

[Socker]

After being a fairly hardcore Christian for the first 18 years of my life (not entirely by choice), I switched to atheism. For me at least, it's much better. Religion was far too stressful for me, I think.

[beardo]

I can accept the possibility that some kind of greater force exist in or outside our universe, which may or may not have created, or sparked the creation, of the universe. But I don't think this being/force/power, should he/it exist, possesses the properties of, or would identify with any of the gods the human race worship or have worshipped. And it certainly isn't the Christian biblical god.
Might even be several of them, not just one.

[Lemon]

I changed it to None (Atheism). I don't feel like adding a million clauses.

[RoundEarthisRound]

I understand this may be nit-picky, but "Atheist" isn't a religion. It's the lack of a religion, if anything.

A religion is a set of beliefs about reality. You don't have to believe in God to be religious. I think atheism entails a particular set of beliefs about reality and it therefore can be defined as a religion.

Religions have holy texts, and a system of belief. Atheism has none of that, it's just the lack of belief in a God.

The God Delusion and the belief that gods are the product of man's imagination.

Atheism still isn't a religion though.

There are atheists that have never heard of (or are incapable of reading) The God Delusion.

Is this the whole "even babies are atheists" schtick again? Because if it is, you are an idiot.

[Vindictus]

I understand this may be nit-picky, but "Atheist" isn't a religion. It's the lack of a religion, if anything.

A religion is a set of beliefs about reality. You don't have to believe in God to be religious. I think atheism entails a particular set of beliefs about reality and it therefore can be defined as a religion.

Religions have holy texts, and a system of belief. Atheism has none of that, it's just the lack of belief in a God.

The God Delusion and the belief that gods are the product of man's imagination.

Atheism still isn't a religion though.

There are atheists that have never heard of (or are incapable of reading) The God Delusion.

Is this the whole "even babies are atheists" schtick again? Because if it is, you are an idiot.

Babies aren't the only ones incapable of reading.

[RoundEarthisRound]

I understand this may be nit-picky, but "Atheist" isn't a religion. It's the lack of a religion, if anything.

A religion is a set of beliefs about reality. You don't have to believe in God to be religious. I think atheism entails a particular set of beliefs about reality and it therefore can be defined as a religion.

Religions have holy texts, and a system of belief. Atheism has none of that, it's just the lack of belief in a God.

The God Delusion and the belief that gods are the product of man's imagination.

Atheism still isn't a religion though.

There are atheists that have never heard of (or are incapable of reading) The God Delusion.

Is this the whole "even babies are atheists" schtick again? Because if it is, you are an idiot.

Babies aren't the only ones incapable of reading.

Okay well if your point with that remark was that atheism is a default position that's completely untrue. Atheism is the position that a specific God/Gods doesn't exist.

[Excelsior John]

I am not getting into this again with you, Troll. I have given you several web sites and a seminal book on the subject to review regarding Jews being an ethnic group,  most of whom have some connection (however tenuous) to the religion of Judaism. The fact that you refuse to recognise that fact makes you an idiot. I very rarely resort to name-calling, but as I have already proved my point to you ad nauseam ad infinitum, I can only conclude that you are indeed an idiot.

Once again you start off with a mindless trolling acusation. And once again you are reley not getting it: JEWISH IS A RELIGION!!!!!!!!!! It is one of the five major religions of the world not an ethnic group. And from what I remember isnt the beleif that Jewish is a race a nazi idea? And you call yourself Jewish??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And im refusing it because its untrue and wow way to resort to name calling jerk. Your the idiot here

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

I never said we were a race, Troll. I said we were an ethnic group. Different thing. Until you look up the sources I recommended, some five, I believe, you can't discuss the subject rationally. Then again, I forget, you are a Troll, so you can't discuss the subject rationally anyway.Or any other subject for that matter. When you have grown up, and become an adult (a senior in high school who spells like a third grader can hardly be called mature), then come talk to me. Until then, you are nothing more than an idiot. If Jews are not an ethnic group, then from whence comes the term "Semite", or "Semitic"?If they are not an ethnic group, how come they share DNA with each other that they don't share with you? And no, don't give me the so-called "Baptist DNA" argument. When you look up the sources, come talk to me. The best one is "Judaism as a Civilization" by Mordecai Kaplan, the seminal writer on the subject. The book is available at Barnes and Noble for about 30 dollars (at least that is where I got it). It explains, very well, how Jews are an ethnic group that follow a religion known as Judaism, which is indeed one of the major world religions. "Jewish" is not a religion. "Judaism" is a religion. See the difference, Troll?

The only reason I bother to respond to you is because it entertains me to see someone make such an ass of themselves in public. Continue, by all means, Troll.

If Jews are not an ethnic group, how do you explain the existence of the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel, ie, the home of the Jews and the home of the Ten Northern Tribes? Benjamin was politically controlled by Judah, and the Levites were in both Kingdoms. How do you explain the existence of Israel today as the only Jewish State? Grow up, child, and when you have, come talk to me.