After 15 pages, you've made a sound argument in defense of your position. Kudos for that. Now, as for a-fairyism, I still wouldn't consider that a religion. Not believing in fairies doesn't require faith. There is no spiritualism involved. That is a defining characteristic of religion that simply does not exist in atheist. Yes some atheists are aggressive, yes we gather in groups of like minded individuals, yes we write books and do talk shows and have seminars. But there is no doctrine in atheism about existentialism. Religion gives an explanation for why we are here, most atheists do not bother with why, only how. Atheists pray to no one, while the new atheism movement has its champions, none are revered to the extent of messiahs. Regardless of your interpretation of what people say about "coming out" it isnt spiritual. Atheism has no canonized doctrine, no spiritualism, doesn't bother with the existential questions. We do not bow to statues, we do not deify animals or men. What is the message in atheism? Grow up, leave these juvenile notions behind and lets make a better future. The aggressive, take no prisoners political political movement may have some parallels to its opposition, but it offers no alternative to the spiritual and philosophical side of religion, which differentiates religions from each other
"In our youth, we lacked the maturity, the decency to create gods better than ourselves so that we might have something to aspire to. Instead we are left with a host of deities who were violent, narcissistic, vengeful bullies who reflected our own values. Our gods could have been anything we could imagine, and all we were capable of manifesting were gods who shared the worst of our natures."-Me
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
