Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielR
Atheism is not a religion. Being Atheist means you DON'T believe in religions.
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I agree with your opening statement - atheism to my mind is not a religion as well - but I'm not sure about the second one. Being atheist to my mind means you don't believe in God - the religion bit tends to follow by necessity. One of my good friends from university describes himself as non-religious, but still believes in some form of God. He's just not sure what it is or whether any religion gets close to it.
Anyway, as to the actual question I think it depends whether you distinguish between atheism and atheist humanism. Atheism on its own is simply a statement of belief that there is no God, and so while concerning the metaphysical it isn't comprehensive enough to count as religion. Humanism incorporates a wide range of philosophical and moral principles based on a certain world view, so when combined with atheism I'd say that's getting close to being a religion. That said, it's still lacking the ritual elements most people ascribe to religion, and humanism on its own is purely philosophical, so I wouldn't be surprised if that definition is disputed. I'm just throwing it out there for interest's sake.
In any case, for atheism on its own I vote no.