I’ve been thinking and reading a lot lately about what religion is and how it affects people. Personally I’m an atheist. Some people say that atheism is my “religion”. I disagree.
Random House Dictionary defines religion as: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. [source]
Superhuman agency? Devotional and ritual observances? Um, I don’t think atheism fits that bill.
American Heritage Dictionary defines it as:
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- Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
- A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
Wow, that’s even further off. Atheist don’t believe in supernatural powers or a creator/governor of the universe.
If we trust these sources then atheism is most certainly not a religion.
It’s interesting that both definitions of religion include reference to something superhuman or supernatural. This is one of the major attributes of pretty much all of the world’s religions from Christianity to Voodoo to believing that witches or your ancestors are watching you.
What makes people believe such things are real? There is no scientific evidence that I’m aware of that shows that a ghost or god is around and causing things to happen that would not happen if the ghost or god wasn’t there.
An anthropologist would look at this and try to determine what would cause the evolution of such behavior in humans. Is there still a use for it? Or is it like our appendix?
My amateur opinion is that religion is a disease. It’s divisive, oppresive, and often violent. It must be eradicated.