Introduction
Some individuals of a religious persuasion have asserted that atheism is a faith. Listening to this, Bill Maher mentioned, If atheism is a religion, then abstinence is a sexual position. Equivalent analogies rebutting the jejune idea that non-perception could be a religion are out there, such as, if atheism is a religion, then ‘bald’ is a hair colour and ‘off is a Tv set channel. You get the idea.
By definition, those who stick to a religion share a set of typical beliefs. The only thread atheists have in typical is disbelief – in a god or gods. exvangelical ‘s not a lot of a faith.
Wikipedia implies there are about 4200 religions on planet earth. How are religions typically recognized? For starters, they are related with arranged, outlined sets of beliefs or worldviews. Religions have narratives, symbols and anticipations that users are predicted to satisfy. Religions have supernatural qualities, with belief in the existence of issues for which there is no proof or naturalistic explanation. Illustrations consist of beliefs in heaven and hell, an afterlife, miracles, peace in the Center East or in the efficacy of prayers – or other ritual (e.g., rain dances, voodoo) developed to change the head of an imagined Infinite or change the training course of mother nature.
Atheists by any title (e.g., freethinkers, secular humanists, infidels, agnostics and so on) keep no this kind of religious views. On this foundation, it appears that Real wellness, a philosophy that embraces and extolls explanation and all that science involves, would barely qualify as a religion.
A Surprising Statement
Effectively, that’s what I thought. Then I noticed the artwork and go over created for Wellness Orgasms: The Enjoyable Way to Dwell Properly and Die Healthy, my most recent function co-authored with Dr. Grant Donovan, the enigmatic thinker from Perth, Australia. In a ultimate edit, Grant had written an odd sentence in the cover blurb that I proposed we rework. The sentence study as follows:
Orgasms, wellness orgasms, that is, have never sounded so healthful, so desirable or so useful as the authors present Real wellness as the only religion.
OMG.
Donovan’s Considering in Labeling Real Wellness A Faith
Because atheism by any title is not a faith, except if the definition of religion is so stretched as to be meaningless, the sentence appeared in need of repair. Absolutely we would not want to depict True wellness as a faith. I wrote to Grant and made my situation.
The wonderful polymath defined the rationale for this unsettling clarification:
Au contraire, wonderful Tzar of WO. The last sentence personifies irony, satire, sarcasm and hyperbole all in a single very small, very small corner of infinite place. It will be the sentence they review at WO universities and seminaries a hundred years from now, and ponder in amazement.
I can also see a Fox reporter interviewing you when the ebook is unveiled.
Fox Reporter: ‘Dr Ardell, you denounce faith in your ebook but then you claim Actual wellness and WOs are the only religion. Is that not a tad hypocritical?’
Don: ‘Not in the least, Mr. Peabrain. It has been verified during the entire background of human meaninglessness that most people want brain-altering medication and virgins in the clouds to make their miserable life encounters even mildly bearable. WOs and the pursuit of Genuine wellness presents meaning to wretched lives in a quasi-secular, spiritual-type way. Apart from, ISUS (irony and satire in the U.S.) is a far exceptional religious movement to ISIS. We just require to carve out a WO-based mostly caliphate from Tampa to New York.’
Effectively, I do adore irony, satire, sarcasm and hyperbole, even more when it truly is bound in a tiny, small corner of infinite room. And, if this sentence will spark an job interview at Fox Television and supply a little bit of fodder for undergraduates in the twenty second century, why stand in the way?
Even if Actual wellness is marginally joined with religion in this playful tongue-in-cheek way, number of audience of WO will mistake either of us as fans for religion. Soon after all, we each believe, alongside with Pat Condell, that religion (other than Genuine wellness) disapproves of authentic thought the way Dracula does daylight.
Be properly and look as much as you can on the brilliant side of existence-and reason.
Postscript
A federal district courtroom in Oregon declared Secular Humanism a faith! Holy horrors, what was that about?
Not theology, philosophy or deference to standard utilization of English, it turns out. The choice by Senior District Decide Ancer Haggerty was rendered to pay for the non-theistic group the exact same authorized rights as religious groups. The Plaintiffs in the case, the American Humanist Affiliation (AHA) and Jason Holden, a federal prisoner, sought recognition of humanism in get that Mr. Holden could have the very same legal rights as prisoners of a religious persuasion. Humanism, a lot more or considerably less like atheism and other types of affiliation which includes Real wellness, is outlined by AHA as an ethical and daily life-affirming philosophy totally free of perception in any gods and other supernatural forces.
The judge cited current lawful precedent and famous that that denying humanists the same legal rights as groups this sort of as Christianity would violate the Establishment Clause in the U.S. Structure (i.e., Congress shall make no regulation respecting an institution of faith).
The court finds that Secular Humanism is a religion for Establishment Clause needs, the ruling go through.
Although most humanists and other godless kinds do not want to be affiliated with any sort of faith, in this instance, at minimum, the greater pursuit of equivalent rights trumped this sort of common and lawful classifications.
Greg Epstein, the chaplain at Harvard, was quoted as follows concerning this uncommon verdict:
I truly never treatment if Humanism is known as a faith or not. But if you happen to be likely to give special rights to religions, then you have to give them to Humanism as well, and I believe that’s what this circumstance was about.