Is atheism a religious view? Watch

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I know this sounds stupid, but in my E questions my teacher says we should put three views in - two beliefs, and our own. Is atheism a valid second belief? I was brought up in an atheist environment so it's been my go-to in class tests, but I'm not too sure about using it in my actual GCSE exam. Thank you~

Smithy-Smiths

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Yes it is. .. but I don't think you would say atheists you would either write... agnostics may interpret. .. actually go for it! I may be wrong... But I'd say Agnostics were you best beat.

Arkasia

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I wouldn't say it has become a religion, but I would say militant/radical atheism has become a cult.

Stiff Little Fingers

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I would say no, it's not a religious belief - religion is far more than just believing in a god, and the existence of irreligious theists, deists, pantheists etc. means it can't really be considered a "none of the above" religion either. But it depends on the specific question being asked and atheism would almost certainly be accepted by most exam boards.

morgan8002

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It's a belief system, but not a religion.

(Original post by Smithy-Smiths)
Yes it is. .. but I don't think you would say atheists you would either write... agnostics may interpret. .. actually go for it! I may be wrong... But I'd say Agnostics were you best beat.

Agnostic means a different thing to atheist, they are two separate beliefs.

fairycat

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Atheism is the lack of/disbelief in religion all together, to quote Bill Maher "atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position"

zippity.doodah

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it is a view regarding religion, but it isn't a "religious" view because it rejects religion, unless it is a religious form of atheism, e.g. buddhism, shintoism, taoism, etc

Smithy-Smiths

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(Original post by morgan8002)
It's a belief system, but not a religion.

Agnostic means a different thing to atheist, they are two separate beliefs.

Yes I know that. I was saying that Agnosticism was probably a safer option to write in the exam.

Also I recognise that Atheism is not a religion, but in the context of the exam.. It is held to the same merit as expressing the opinions of those with religious belief.

minor bun engine

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(Original post by morgan8002)
It's a belief system, but not a religion.

Agnostic means a different thing to atheist, they are two separate beliefs.

They are often interchangeable and sometimes can mean the same thing depending on different interpretations of the words.

Eg. agnostic can mean "withholding belief in god", which can also be used to describe atheism.

morgan8002

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#10

(Original post by minor bun engine)
They are often interchangeable and sometimes can mean the same thing depending on different interpretations of the words.

Eg. agnostic can mean "withholding belief in god", which can also be used to describe atheism.

It more commmly refers to people who don't believe one way or another in terms of religion.

get_in_the_robot

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#11

(Original post by Stiff Little Fingers)
I would say no, it's not a religious belief - religion is far more than just believing in a god, and the existence of irreligious theists, deists, pantheists etc. means it can't really be considered a "none of the above" religion either. But it depends on the specific question being asked and atheism would almost certainly be accepted by most exam boards.

Thank you very much. Atheism is certainly not a religion in and of itself, I agree. I just needed to know if the exam board would accept it, which I agree with you, they most probably will

(Original post by Smithy-Smiths)
Yes I know that. I was saying that Agnosticism was probably a safer option to write in the exam.

Also I recognise that Atheism is not a religion, but in the context of the exam.. It is held to the same merit as expressing the opinions of those with religious belief.

So - Agnosticism is safer in the exam than Atheism? I'm kind of conflicted

I could more or less write the same thing using either name, I guess. The mark schemes are usually not very specific at all :rolleyes:

risteard

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#12

If you use Durkheim 's typography atheism is most definitely a religion.

Contemporary sociology and philosophy veers towards the concept of belief systems rather than religion

risteard

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#13

Agnosticism and atheism are not the same thing. The former is open to evidence that God may exist, the latter are convinced God does not exist.

German123

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I would not say atheism is a religious view, its just a view but not a religious one.

Just split your paragraphs into different arguments and you should be fine.

Plantagenet Crown

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#15

Atheism is neither a religious view nor a religion.

ChickenMadness

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#16

(Original post by Plantagenet Crown)
Atheism is neither a religious view nor a religion.

Posted from TSR Mobile
It is fairly cultish in USA however

Plantagenet Crown

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#17

(Original post by ChickenMadness)
Posted from TSR Mobile
It is fairly cultish in USA however

True

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