Atheism is living without a deity. Theism is living with a deity. Religion is a separate and much larger issue of more complexity. It is not a matter of living with or without a deity but of living with or without external prescriptions.
As an atheist, I use imagination and belief to discover knowledge. I guard against any person trying to use my imagination and belief to leverage my behavior. I build all human values within myself and present no lever to an external force. Something created this universe. Something is, yet, unkowable. I have faith that, if something is sentient, something will not demand that I make a decision regarding it without having knowledge of it.
Religions have some things in common. Most explain the creation of this universe by a minded creator or a group of them, deciding to create and then applying a ceating force (often a magic force). Most religions proffer a standard book of guidance and some religions claim that their book was dictated to human writers by or inspired in human writers by the creator itself. These books contain most of the external prescriptions that the religion wants adherents to follow in living this life. Many religions prescribe ethics, morality and justice while some claim to be the very source of those values. Many religions prescribe the value, meaning and purpose of human life while some claim to be helpful in determining those values. Many religions set prescribed beliefs as having value and faith in those beliefs as a virtue. Many religions claim that humans owe an obeisance to the creator and convey rewards for obeying external prescriptions and punishments for not. These are usually accompanied by some qualified manner of receiving forgiveness for non obeyance. Many religions turn human focus away from current life as rewards and punishments are set for a life to follow this one. Emphasis is directed at that next life and the greater importance of that next life is stressed in many religions albeit in differing terms with different values. Religions divide humans between those aligned in belief and those who differ. Religions devalue those who differ.
Atheism has a creator. The creator is a creating force acting spontaneously of its own nature. The creator is a minded entity or plural, deciding to create and then applying a creating force. Atheism does not, this way, have two creators but the either or which is one. By either creator, the result for residents of this universe is the same. The creator is yet unknowable. The will of the creator is yet unknowable.
Atheism has a book. Just as science will study an artifact to learn something of its creator, an atheist studies the universe to learn something of its creator. The universe can be called the book of creation. The difference from books of other religions is that the universe was actually written by its creator.
Atheism makes use of belief and faith.
Atheism has internal prescriptions. Since humans are part of this universe, atheists study themselves. They find thoughts, feelings, memory, conscience and environmental senses. They find a body over which they have exclusive use and command. They find these values sufficient to sustain and guide this life. They find that no magic exists within this universe and that no part of it was designed to care for them. They find that decision is the only power within this universe and that all values become known through the history and memory of decisions made.
Atheism finds that ethics are learned from made decisions and that morality and justice become known by decisions executed. Atheism finds that knowledge is essential to this process. No decision can be made ethical and no behavior can be made moral without sufficient support of knowledge.
Atheism finds that the conscience informs the decision maker when formulating a decision and when selecting behavior by which to execute that decision. The conscience and memory and history inform the construction of ethics. The conscience judges the morality and justice of decisions executed. The conscience and memory and history combine to confirm morality and justice.
Atheism has immediate rewards and punishments. Upon completion of each process of making and executing a decision, the conscience rewards or punishes the decision maker. Input from persons affected by that process is also immediate and works to confirm and magnify the judgement of the conscience.
Atheism finds that each person determines the meaning and purpose of their life and, each day, sets a value upon continuing to live it.
Atheism finds that each person is absolutely equal of value and that no real division exists among humans.
Atheists meet the unknown with science and the unknowable with merit.
I believe that (barring mental disorder or incapacity) each person can make decisions which are ethical and execute them with behavior to produce outcomes that are moral and just. I hold faith that by testing my belief in each person, I will gain knowledge of that person.
Is my belief valueless? Is my faith invirtuous?
Does the fact that I can test my belief make it unbelief?
Is my faith in testing belief to gain knowledge not faith?
NOTE: Creator is a creating force acting naturally or a sentient entity or plural, deciding to create and applying a creating force. Creator is yet unknowable.
I read a book that was written by a creator. It is called "this universe" or "the book of creation". The book is written, first hand, in all languages for all persons to read. No higher authority and no better source of information exists nor is any of more open source.
Religion writes of this universe having an intelligent designer. Is it irreligious to study the design? Religion writes its own book and claims inspiration or dictation from a creator. To learn about any creator, is it irreligious to study the creation?
I am a product of decisions I have made since birth; ever increasing in responsibility and cost, ever increasing my capacity and skill, ever increasing my knowledge and earning my wisdom, ever managing my daily activity and determining my future, ever developing the unique person that only I can be, ever becoming a more sovereign island of humanity. I read the book of creation every day and study it intently. It guides me through a sometimes difficult world having billions of equal standing decision makers, themselves developing.
My religion is within me. As I live and breathe, so does my religion which is my way of living without external prescriptions. I attach no external value to myself and thus present no lever to any force outside of me. I can claim full responsibility for my decisions and my merit. I build all value withinl myself. Ethics, moralty, justice, knowledge and wisdom I have built up within me. Power, control and authority are all within me. Power is decision, Control is knowledge, Authority is my sovereign being. I built them all and all are mine. My only judge is my conscience. Others rightly judge my behavior but no other is qualified to judge me. I feel awe and reverence for this universe, and through it, the creator of it. I have internalized all the guidance this universe provides.
I cannot yet know whether a creating force acting by its nature or a minded being or group decided to create this universe and then applied a creating force.
I hold faith that a minded creator would not demand that I base a decision regarding it without having knowledge of it. That demand would be unethical, immoral and unjust.
Faith is the active substitution of belief for knowledge.
Does my faith in an ethical, moral and just creator differ from any other faith? Is it unfaith?
JUST FOR A CHUCKLE: A LIGHTER DECLARATION OF FAITH
In science, we imagine how something might be and choose a belief in how it is. Then we test the day lights out of that belief to see what we can learn. That process can be extensive and arduous and sometimes we arrive at a consensus and state what we now know. Faith is a shortcut that eliminates all of that study by substituting the chosen belief and claiming (stating) what we know.
I like spaghetti so the flying spaghetti monster is my choice for the creator of this universe award. I have faith that TFSM will not punish me for not knowing what is not yet knowable. That would be unethical, immoral and unjust.
Putting the flying spaghetti monster aside; no difference exists, for residents of this universe, whether it was created by nature or by minded being or beings. Without a tap on the shoulder and a cheery: "Hi. I created this universe. how do you like it?"; this universe is the only source of information we can study. The knowledge that we garner from that study is either knowledge of how things are meant to be or knowledge of how things are. Religions, by any label, have no greater claim above any other regarding any creator (TFSM included). Even if we reach consensus about a creating force, the question of spontaneity versus button pusher will remain and no force of faith will prove one over the other.
Atheism Is A Religion sans The Flying Spaghetti Monster!
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An in depth look at: What Makes A Religion Evil.
Start a religion business: For Power and Profit.
To return to the entrance of: Religion Of One.