Atheism
I consider myself an atheist, in some senses of the word. My beliefs are a bit more deep than a simple "I don't believe in god," but I still fit under the generalization.
I found a site today:
http://www.atheists.org
This site makes atheism sound like a religion. The word "doctrine" used in the very first sentence on the page defining atheism implies it; I'm aware that doctrine doesn't exclusively apply to religious teachings, but the connection is there and it's usually the only time the word is used in everyday conversation.
Atheism is not a religion.
Atheism is the antithesis of religion. It's a lack of belief in any form of higher power. It's the belief that we are on our own, and that we are in control of our own life. I'm not saying atheism is something to be ashamed of, or that atheists are amoral (I'd be insulting myself if I was), but recruiting people? A minimal part of why I'm an atheist is that I think a lot of religious activities are a waste of time. For example: Jehovah's Witnesses are required by their religion to go around and try to get people to join them. I'm not anti-Jehovah's Witnesses; I actually have a very good friend who's a JW. But I never have and never will support trying to convert people. Discuss different religions, sure, but in trying to recruit someone you're pushing your beliefs on them. You're telling them how to live their life- that what they believe is wrong and they're going to go to hell unless they repent. You're telling them that what they have faith in is false and terrible.
Don't dismiss my opinion about religion because I'm an atheist. I actually think I'm pretty open minded about things, perhaps more so than other atheists. Know why? Because I used to have faith. It was a bit unconventional, but it was still faith. I used to believe that there was someone looking out for me; that things may be terrible, but in the end everything would be okay. I'm not ashamed of being an atheist, but it's not something I chose, and I wish I could believe in some form of god. I can't, and it's really not a happy thing. A site promoting atheism in the way this site is pisses me off because they're making it sound like the best of all religions. Atheism is a set of beliefs, not a religion, and trying to press it on other people makes atheists overly self-righteous, just like the other religions that go around and tell you you're going to hell.
I found a site today:
http://www.atheists.org
This site makes atheism sound like a religion. The word "doctrine" used in the very first sentence on the page defining atheism implies it; I'm aware that doctrine doesn't exclusively apply to religious teachings, but the connection is there and it's usually the only time the word is used in everyday conversation.
Atheism is not a religion.
Atheism is the antithesis of religion. It's a lack of belief in any form of higher power. It's the belief that we are on our own, and that we are in control of our own life. I'm not saying atheism is something to be ashamed of, or that atheists are amoral (I'd be insulting myself if I was), but recruiting people? A minimal part of why I'm an atheist is that I think a lot of religious activities are a waste of time. For example: Jehovah's Witnesses are required by their religion to go around and try to get people to join them. I'm not anti-Jehovah's Witnesses; I actually have a very good friend who's a JW. But I never have and never will support trying to convert people. Discuss different religions, sure, but in trying to recruit someone you're pushing your beliefs on them. You're telling them how to live their life- that what they believe is wrong and they're going to go to hell unless they repent. You're telling them that what they have faith in is false and terrible.
Don't dismiss my opinion about religion because I'm an atheist. I actually think I'm pretty open minded about things, perhaps more so than other atheists. Know why? Because I used to have faith. It was a bit unconventional, but it was still faith. I used to believe that there was someone looking out for me; that things may be terrible, but in the end everything would be okay. I'm not ashamed of being an atheist, but it's not something I chose, and I wish I could believe in some form of god. I can't, and it's really not a happy thing. A site promoting atheism in the way this site is pisses me off because they're making it sound like the best of all religions. Atheism is a set of beliefs, not a religion, and trying to press it on other people makes atheists overly self-righteous, just like the other religions that go around and tell you you're going to hell.