Atheism is a religion

[Mister Agenda]

Atheism is not a religion but it has to be if its goal is to prevail over theism.

Nothing can make atheism (or theism) a religion.

You mean "deism", I guess.

In fact, at all times there were either the fleshy material gods of the oral traditions or the representatives of the immaterial gods. Unfortunately, due to lack of information, this fact cannot be realized by atheists and thus there is talk and arguments about the existence of the gods/God of the clever representatives.

You can have an atheistic religion by getting rid of the priesthood.

Christians hated and did all they could to destroy ancient Greek civilization for being a civilization free of the class of the priests. But that is another fact that is hard to be realized by atheists because it is not only theists who are the victims of a culture dominated by priesthood and indifferent, guilty scholars.

Sorry to be confusing. I did mean theism. Theism is the condition of holding a belief that God (or gods) exist. It's an opinion on one topic. It doesn't amount to a religion, for the same reason that atheism doesn't. A religion is a belief system, and although not all belief systems are religions, one opinion does not a belief system make. Theism and atheism can be features of a religion, but in themselves can't be religions. It's perfectly possible to be an irreligous theist who believes in an intervening creator God that's barely defined, for instance. And an atheistic religion could certainly have priests. The only thing an atheistic religion can't have is a god.

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The fact that so many of you are offended at the statement, "atheism is a religion," shows just how much of a religion atheism is. That statement is not an attack on atheism, nor is it an attack on religion. It's simply an observation of how individuals who have coalesced around a particular belief (or lack thereof, in the case of atheism) tend to identify with others of similar persuasions. Look how many of you have flocked to "atheist forums". Look at how so many of you deride the belief in God as stupid, or those who believe in God as such. While personally I'm sure that none of your beliefs stem from your "atheistic" leanings, you should be aware that to outgroups (in this case anyone who isn't atheist) it readily appears that they do, since you have adopted the label yourselves.

All a religion is is a group of people who think the same way about God. That is exactly what atheism is.

The offense is entirely of the same nature as having to deal with someone who insists that a speedboat is a canoe no matter how many times or how many ways the difference is explained. It's not the sentiment that's offensive, it's the stupidity.

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Um, chipan? Theism isn't a religion, either.

wow, that is the simplist and best arguement i've ever heard. good job.

Thanks, I appreciate the appreciation!