I find it odd that when filling out a form that asked me what my religion is one of the choices is Atheist.

What now? That is the that opposite of religion.

  • bastion@feddit.nl
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    1 month ago

    Atheism is, in point if fact, a world view.

    There is a world. You have a perspective on that world. The assumptions you make and the things you believe, rational and irrational, are a world view. The concept that there is (or is not) credible evidence that gods, or planets, or whatever fundamental facets of existence, imaginary or otherwise, are either a world view themselves or are deeply rooted in your world view.

    Q: does your world include unicorns? A: i don’t know.

    The answer stems from having a world view that does not categorically include nor exclude unicorns. But more to the point, when answering questions like:

    Q: what is most likely the source of existence? A: <anything you damned well please>

    The answer, if actually responding to the question, is a world view, or deeply tied to a world view.

    As to forms: forms are often limiting and don’t include information we consider relevant, or do include information we consider irrelevant. So it goes. In any case, they would ask that information precisely because world views provide broad but effective indicators about an individual. Knowing that a large incoming group of hotel guests is Christian, for example, can be a useful metric, because you’ll know that your hotel will make above-average pay-to-watch porn sales that weekend.

    • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      It is NOT a world view for the simple, basic, fundamental fact, that not all atheists believe the same thing.

      Much, much less congruent than even “Christian”. 'Not Christian" is also not a world view, for the same fucking reason, numpty.

      • bastion@feddit.nl
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        1 month ago

        Then, in conversation regarding atheists, I shall heretofore say “atheistic world view”, rather than calling atheism a world view.

    • mechoman444@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Just using Google ai. Think before you speak.

      world view: a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world. “I have broadened my worldview by experiencing a whole new culture”

      Atheism: disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

      Atheism is not a worldview in the sense that it is a lack of belief in gods, and does not provide a comprehensive view of the world. However, many atheists tend to have a worldview that includes empiricist, positivist, or materialist beliefs, and a strong belief in science. This worldview is sometimes called “scientism”.

      Atheism is the rejection of the idea that gods exist, and is not a belief system that answers other questions about a person’s beliefs. Atheists typically believe that the existence of gods is highly improbable, and that there is no persuasive evidence to support the belief.

      Atheism is different from identifying as an atheist. While most atheists hold an atheistic worldview, not all of them do. In fact, only about half of those who hold an atheistic worldview identify as atheists.

      • bastion@feddit.nl
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        1 month ago

        I did say “or are deeply rooted on a world view.”

        world view: a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world. “I have broadened my worldview by experiencing a whole new culture”

        Atheism: disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

        Disbelief is a conception. By nature of the topic, it’s a conception of the world. If someone were to say “I don’t believe in black holes,” that is by nature a conception of the world. One might reference it as merely an aspect of the world view, but it’s still an atheistic (or theistic, or black-holist or anti blackholist) world view.

        An atheistic world view doesn’t mean atheism is what the world view is about, it means that by nature, the view excludes gods. Most people, for example, adhere to a non-unicornist world view.

        • mechoman444@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          I lack a belief in a god or God’s. That is not a world view.

          However my world view stems from human secularism. One does not have to be an atheist to be a human secularist.

          Lacking in particular belief does not define me as a whole person.

          If you don’t believe in unicorns that doesn’t make you a “ununicornist”.

          In the same sense not believing in God doesn’t necessarily make me an atheist.

          But more importantly you’re not using the words you’re using correctly which is why I included the definitions or the concepts you’re missing. I can tell you simply ignore those.

          • bastion@feddit.nl
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            1 month ago

            Simply because it’s a commons, and I like that, I’m going to use definitions from Wikipedia.

            I think we differ on what a world view is. Secular Humanism is, to me, more accurately described as Wikipedia describes it - a philosophy, belief, or life stance. These have to do with what you identify with, or values and ideologies you live by. And yes, secular humanists need not be atheist.

            A world view is much more broad than a philosophy, belief, or stance, or the having or not having of any particular belief.

            So yes, atheism is not a world view. But one can have an atheistic world view, without atheism being a world view. The world view and the individual who holds it are not defined in total by any particular facet of that world view, any more than “a brown-haired person” or “a person who has no cats” are complete descriptors for any single individual.

            So “an atheistic world view” simply references one of a large number of world views, all of which fundamentally lack a belief in gods.

            Yes, lacking in a particular belief does not define you as a whole person. I would not expect that it did, even if you held atheism as a belief, as in the less broad senses of atheism as defined on Wikipedia.

            If I don’t believe in unicorns, it totally makes me a non-unicornist, which is clearly only relevant when discussion or actions come up that involve unicorns, like when I’m posting in a non-unicornist or unicornist context. But it doesn’t necessarily make me an anti-unicornist.