How I got Out of Religion.

[Tiberius]

And Wikipedia is an acceptable reference?? (It certainly is handy)

It's more reliable than Encyclopedia Britannica, which also lists Buddhism as a religion ( http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topi...4/Buddhism ). As does the BBC ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/ ) and religionfacts.com ( http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/index.htm ). Buddhism has always been a religion.

So you are saying that Atheism is a religion??

A religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.[1] - Wikipedia

No, of course not. Calling atheism a religion would be like calling theism a religion. Atheism and theism are core concepts of several religions, but they are not religions themselves.

If you think your quote from Wikipedia describes atheism as a religion, please tell me the following:

What set of beliefs do atheists have concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe?
What devotional and ritual observances do atheists have?
What moral code do atheists have?

If you answer any of the above questions with anything other than "atheists don't have a specific...X" then you have a very different definition of atheism from the rest of us.

Atheism is simply the disbelief of the existence of Gods. Disbelief in something doesn't equate belief in anything else, nor does it mean we have to believe in specific things concerning origins, nature, purpose, etc. Nor does it dictate our moral code.