According to Ray Comfort. To save you trouble, I'll repost what he wrote.
"We have told all of you a gazillion times: atheism is NOT a religion." G.E.
It’s interesting to note that one definition of religion is:
"A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion."
That rightly describes the ardent atheist cause. Despite protests to the contrary by its faithful adherents, atheism is a form of religion.
Though their numbers are small—-only 2 percent of the world’s 6.5 billion inhabitants—atheists are an ever-growing group of people with a "belief" system. Although many flinch at the thought that they have faith in anything, they believe that there’s no God, and even have "works" to confirm it.
Their lifestyle is fruit of their belief system.
As far as I know, you do not have to profess to believe a god does not exist, you just have to lack a belief in a god. So, in most cases, atheism is a lack of belief, not a belief (Of course, though, I do believing a god does not exist, depending on the god). Of course, Ray would never admit that because it does not fit his description. But, we do pursue reason. So, by the one definition Ray uses on RELIGION, I guess even pursuing reason is a type of religion (Which is absurd).
Oh well, Ray never wants to admit his views on atheists are incorrect.
--Update--
I just finished reading Ray's picture to go along with the post. I immediately thought of two things.
1) We ask questions to get answers. And at least if we don't get any, we don't automatically assume that God did it. We keep searching.
2) It also seems Ray is mocking the process of learning. That explains so much.
--Update Number 2--
Extra Extra! Ray uses World Nut Daily and court hearing for justification.
Ray can accept court hearing, and yet probably does not accept the separation of church and state, and the teaching of evolution in public schools while keeping creationism out.
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To explain further the assertion that there instances we can say that a god does not exist, take this scenario.
ReplyDelete1) Said God is said to prolong the life of believers and save them from illness, and make life instantly better and more rewarding.
2) Sincere believers get sick, do not have an instantly better of rewarding life, and get ill.
3) Said God does not exist.
...Although, I could be wrong.
Damn you typos.
ReplyDeleteTheir lifestyle is fruit of their belief system.
ReplyDeleteY'know, when I'm done killing a baby by lying to the pregnant woman in front of me about the contents of the cup she was drinking from (which contained arsenic, abortion juice and Devil semen), I usually sit back with 55 grams of hashpotacid and smoke it while drinking to excess from golden chalice and thank God that I hate him. I thank God that he really does exist so that I can pretend he doesn't to get away with sins like having stolen the wife of my neighbour's ass (or something like that) after coveting her for years and then having lots of extramarital sex with her in all sorts of positions until she became with child. Then I killed her.
But that's okay because I am pretending that God doesn't exist! When I go to my atheist non-chuch (i.e. the strip club) and listen to video recordings of High Priest Richard Dawkins talk about Crocoducks and Dogbirds, I am so thankful that I say "there is no god" in my heart and don't have to worry about the consequences of my actions because I deny that Hell is where I go.
... oh wait, I don't do any of those things, except maybe the sex part.
Oh yeah. Blame it on the atheism.
I responded to that Post- first in a while, but only to alert Ray that Ken Ham is backing off of his creation model of the flood building the geologic column.
ReplyDeleteThis is major stuff to me.
Ham's worst nightmare was always trying to explain how the flood sorted all those fossils the way it did, but now, his "new model" stating that only the very earliest layer was created by the flood opens the flood gates (pun intended) for him to use actual scientific material to explain the geologic column and all he has to do is speed it up.
Like ID, these creationists begin to look more like evolutioniosts every year.
A particularly weak effort, even by Ray's pathetic standards.
ReplyDeleteStill, I now know that the zeal with which I take a shit in the morning is a religious zeal, which is nice.
The article on the AIG site is:
ReplyDelete"Time for an Upgrade?"
by Paul Garner
This is fantastic stuff. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the article.
theshaggy,
ReplyDeleteI laughed all the way throughout your post. Blame it on atheism! :)
baldyslaphead,
If you're not constipated, you don't have enough faith. You don't make me want to think of you as a false convert.
Dale,
That's amazing. Now they can't discredit science for changing!
I need to read that article.
If religion is "A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion." then basketball is the most powerful and influential religion that I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteCollege football is a religion in Alabama. There are two denominations: Auburn and Alabama. Anything else is blaspheme.
ReplyDeleteA devotion to atheism can be described as religious. Furthermore, a person's atheism can be described as a religion, particularly in regards to the definition Ray posted.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I think people are getting at is that Ray's using a different definition of "religion" to describe atheism than most of us would use to describe Christianity.
So Ray is right in that you can describe a person's atheism as a religion, but this has no relevance to religion in the sense of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc...
Hope that helps. :)
Happy Tuesday, everyone.
Of course we know that.
ReplyDeleteBut, the problem with Ray is that the way he sees it, Atheism IS a religion as Christianity and Islam are.
Oh, I forgot...
ReplyDeletehappy tuesday Kaitlyn.
It isn't a religion; he's using a loose definition and playing word games.
ReplyDeleteThe definition he latched on to hear is the same as saying "Man, Dr. Who is like my RELIGION" or "Comic books are his religion." Doesn't make anything closer to a "Christian-style" religion.
Of course, context is lost here.
Seems like he added that little tidbit about prisoners at the end of his post.
ReplyDeleteWorldnetdaily is totally an unbiased website....totally.
People like Ray and this website don't understand that the first amendment protects religion from the state and state from religion.
I do think the first amendment is rather poorly worded though. While freedom of religion can include atheism, theists see it as "freedom to be any religion". Maybe I just think that "freedom of and from religion" is implied?
Hmmm...Well, I'd say freedom of religion envelopes the freedom to follow any religion or choose not to.
ReplyDeleteIf atheism is seen as a religion for those poor reasons...Then everybody is following a religion. You cannot be alive anymore without 'following a religion' anymore, according to this.
One question I might want to ask Ray is whether or not he thinks freedom of religion should apply to atheists and whether or not atheists should have any say as to whether prayer in public school should be allowed.
ReplyDeleteI kind of want to hear his thoughts on that.
I might ask him when he's a little less busy with offended atheists on his site.
It is comical that Ray will appeal to the court system on this matter, while ignoring the validity of their opinion on the Evolution vs. Intelligent Design matter.
ReplyDeleteRay is using 'religion' the same way he uses the word 'theory'. Two different definitions that are equally valid given proper context. Kind of like when I say Ray is an 'ass' and Terry is a 'knob'.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why I don't bother to post at his site anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter what you tell Ray, he still uses fallacious arguments. I wouldn't expect him to change his belief system any time soon, but he still uses arguments that have been monstrously debunked (even by other fundies), like the banana thing. There is no progress with him. He is not looking to understand atheists nor is he interested in our point of view. He wants to tell us what we are and what we think and his bible gives him the authority to do that. He is not some random misinformed individual, but a man running a business. Nothing more. If I post on his blog it's to start a dialog with other theists because addressing Ray is a waste of typing time that is bringing me ever so closer to carpal tunnel syndrome.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, SS. I think most of us realize that we wont get to Ray, but maybe to somebody more honest than him.
ReplyDeleteR.S. said...
ReplyDelete"Dale,
That's amazing. Now they can't discredit science for changing!"
You hit a sweet spot with me there, R.S. I was hoping I would hear that, and leave it up to you to mention it, kida like it was so obvious...maybe just to you and me.
But, I love these shifts toward the obvious that the fundies inevitably see as they are sucked up into the smoke of reason.
/d
kaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time accepting the idea that atheism is a religion even using the definition Ray uses. I didn't come to my atheism by pursuing evidence for no gods. I was looking for evidence of god.
Non-belief isn't a cause, principle or devotion. My only cause is pushing back on those who wish to influence public policy based on superstition and religious dogma. If what they're trying to push is in the public good and it happens to line up with their doctrine, fine. They had better have something other than "it's in the bible" to recommend it. Examples would be teaching creationism, banning stem cell research or biblical based foriegn policy.
I couldn't care less what Ray or anyone else believes but to challenge him on the validity of his claims doesn't constitute a zeal for non-belief.
What do you think?
That's amazing. Now they can't discredit science for changing!"
ReplyDeleteOh dale, but I noticed this. I am just waiting for them to charge against science for that to re-show them your posted thing about time to rethink the flood.
Kaytlin,
COme on mylady, you know quite well that Ray is just playing. A devotion to atheism could be something of a religion if you will, but he is saying that atheism is a religion, not that a devotion to it is a religion. There is a huge difference. For one thing, I doubt anybody here has a devotion for atheism ... wait! time for my prayers to atheism, and my hourly swear of allegiance!
G.E.
I guess I'll have to consider myself as an atheist about atheism. That way I can honestly say that I am not religiously inclined about being an atheist. But then...
ReplyDeletethe word "atheist" seems to conjure a religion no matter how it is used, as far as Comfort is concerned. I know, I will now call myself an "anti religion godless person". Do you think that will satisfy Ray un-Comfort?
Hey Aspentroll,
ReplyDeleteSorry that will not satisfy Ray because he thinks you really do believe in god, jesus, heaven, and hell but are pretending that stuff doesn't exist so you can keep on sinning. I mean for someone like you and I (and all atheists) who believe everyone who doesn't accept jesus as lord is going to burn the smartest thing to do would be to sin as much as possible here on earth instead of just accepting jesus and going to heaven.