Does capitalizing "atheism" affirm religious people's assertions that it's a...

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MellamMeru

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Jan 3, 2009
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Because it's a proper noun...meaning the name of a person place or thing which in the english language is capitalized. Your name is one example, so is the name of a country, the title of someone, buildings, monuments, documents, holidays, week days, languages, religions, vehicles, brand names, groups and scriptures from all religions.
 
Does capitalizing "atheism" affirm religious people's assertions that it's a...

...religion? Why do people capitalize it if it's a lack of belief? These same people seem to get irritated when others say, "That's your religion." They say "It's not a religion!" and go on to capitalize the word as if it's a religion. Can you elaborate?
I'm not insulting atheists in any way. I'm just saying that it seems counterproductive to their cause to capitalize a lack of belief.
I understand it's not a religion. It also should not be capitalized. We capitalize Catholicism, but not apathy. We capitalize Islam, but not agnostic. You see?
Capitalization doesn't always mean something's a religion, but in the R&S section, it seems useless to the cause.
 
I don't get it. Its not a religion because the definition of religion is (1 belief in a supernatural phenomenon and 2) custom, tradition or conduct carried out in observance of that supernatural phenomenon. Atheism denies the supernatural and accordingly it is not a religion. Nevertheless, it is a belief system if you want to poke fingers.
 
I only capitalize it when it starts a sentence. I rarely see atheists capitalizing it on R&S. And it does not have to be a religion in order to capitalize it, it could be considered a proper name (which it is).
 
By the act of capitalization they are giving it some significance, since for most religious people it is a big deal that someone would not believe in God. I almost always capitalize words of importance to me, such as Truth, Love, Faith and God.
 
Why do we capitalise names? Or words at the start of a sentence?

By capitalising it, it is given some importance, as if it were the name of a group of people or something like that. No, by making an 'a' into an 'A' we do not suddenly change it into a religion.

Please think about what you ask before you ask it. Atheists do not have a RELIGION. They have their own set of beliefs outside of religion, however. Why when we use the word belief do we assume it has to be religion or nothing?
 
No. Most of those questions are directed to some guy named Atheist. That's why they don't pluralize.

As capitalization only establishes it is as a formal school of thought, (e.g. Epicureanism, Utilitarianism), that is insufficient to do the trick. The political machianations of the Religious Right [appropriately capitalized] know no moral bounds.
 
my mom says her being a jehovahs witness isnt A religion. its the TRUTH she says. lol. i am athiest and i dont worship unreal beings or spirits, that qualifies me as NOT being in a religion.
 
That's actually how it started. I first started seeing theists capitalizing it and arguing that it's a religion about 30+ years ago.

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treppab, you're just completely and utterly wrong. Why not be less arrogant and speak for yourself. I'm really curious where arrogance like that comes from. How do you get a head so swelled that you think you can declare what other people think and believe?

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"I'm just saying that it seems counterproductive to their cause to capitalize a lack of belief."

So Strange, what is my cause exactly?
 
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