One of the more common claims made by believers is that atheism is just another religion. On the surface, it might sound like a clever retort. If atheists criticise religion, then saying atheism is also a religion seems to level the playing field. But this claim does not stand up to scrutiny.
Atheism is not a belief system, not a set of rituals, and not a doctrine. It is the absence of belief in gods. Confusing that with religion is like confusing silence with music, or baldness with a hairstyle. The comparison falls apart once you look at it carefully.
1. What Atheism Actually Means
The word atheism comes from the Greek “a” meaning “without” and “theos” meaning “god.” At its core, atheism means without gods. It is not a positive belief system. It is not a competing faith. It is simply the refusal to accept claims about gods without evidence.
Richard Dawkins once put it bluntly: “We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”
This highlights the point clearly. Atheism is not its own religion. It is simply the rejection of all religious claims until they meet the burden of proof.
2. Why People Call Atheism a Religion
There are a few reasons why this claim keeps surfacing:
- Deflection: By labelling atheism as a religion, believers try to put sceptics on the defensive. If atheism is also a religion, then the argument becomes “your faith versus mine.”
- Comfort: For some, it is difficult to imagine life without religion, so they assume everyone must have one.
- Misunderstanding: Some genuinely think that strong disbelief is just another form of belief.
But disbelief is not belief. As Sam Harris noted: “Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make when in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.”
3. Religion Requires More Than Non-Belief
Religion typically includes several features:
- A set of beliefs about the supernatural.
- Sacred texts, traditions, or rituals.
- An organised community of worship.
- Rules about how to live, backed by divine authority.
Atheism has none of these. There is no sacred book of atheism, no rituals of atheism, and no divine authority to follow.
Christopher Hitchens captured this difference well: “Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because that is not enough. We also have to rely on humanism and on the values that make us human.”
4. The Analogy Problem
Consider these comparisons:
- Not collecting stamps is not a hobby.
- Not believing in astrology is not an alternative form of astrology.
- Not playing football is not a different sport.
In the same way, not believing in gods is not a religion. It is the absence of one.
As Ricky Gervais once said with typical bluntness: “Saying atheism is a religion is like saying bald is a hair colour.”
5. Atheism and Morality
Another reason people label atheism a religion is to question how atheists form values. If morality does not come from God, then atheism must provide its own rules. But atheism does not prescribe a moral code. Individual atheists draw on philosophy, science, culture, and reason.
Carl Sagan expressed it beautifully: “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”
Morality, empathy, and meaning are human projects. They do not require divine permission.
6. Why the Claim Persists
The claim that atheism is a religion persists because it is rhetorically useful. It blunts criticism by saying “you are no different from us.” It allows believers to avoid defending the evidence for their own claims. It reframes the discussion as a clash of faiths rather than a question of truth.
But the fact remains: atheism is not a system of belief. It is the absence of one.
Conclusion
Calling atheism a religion is a category mistake. It is like calling science a faith because scientists trust evidence, or calling mathematics a religion because it has rules. Atheism is simply the refusal to accept supernatural claims without proof.
Religion requires belief, ritual, authority, and doctrine. Atheism has none of these. It is not a competing faith. It is the decision to live without gods until evidence justifies them.
Bertrand Russell, reflecting on his own scepticism, said: “I do not pretend to be able to prove that there is no God. I equally cannot prove that there are no Homeric gods. But no one thinks the existence of Zeus is probable.”