Quote from: Melech on March 07, 2016, 06:17:15 PM

Quote from: BADecker on March 07, 2016, 04:10:23 PM

Nothing to imply. Stand the dictionary defs up against religion, and you will find that atheism is a religion. Now, I'll grant you that some people will press the issue saying that atheism is only a philosophy. But atheism is so close to religion that it might as well be one if it isn't.

Since you are too lazy to look at a dictionary... here's a link and quote

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion

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religion
noun re·li·gion \ri-ˈli-jən\
Popularity: Top 1% of lookups
Simple Definition of religion

: the belief in a god or in a group of gods

: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods

Pray tell us, how does an Atheist fit either of these definitions?

Okay. I'll show you again. From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion?s=t:

Quote

religion
[ri-lij-uh n]

noun

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects:
the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices:
a world council of religions.

4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.:
to enter religion.

5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience:
to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

7. religions, Archaic. religious rites:
painted priests performing religions deep into the night.

8. Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion:
a religion to one's vow.

Quote from: Melech on March 07, 2016, 06:17:15 PM

Here is another refutation from actual Atheists...

https://atheists.org/activism/resources/what-is-atheism

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What Is Atheism?

No one asks this question enough.

The reason no one asks this question a lot is because most people have preconceived ideas and notions about what an Atheist is and is not. Where these preconceived ideas come from varies, but they tend to evolve from theistic influences...

...Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion.

The whole idea of atheism suggesting what its definitions and boundaries and meanings are, shows that even atheism has identified its dogma. This is one of the greatest ways in which atheism, itself, expresses that it is a religion, of course, in contradiction to what they formally say.

Quote from: Melech on March 07, 2016, 06:17:15 PM

And finally, since I know you love Wikipedia...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreligion

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Irreligion (adjective form: non-religious or irreligious) is the absence, indifference, or rejection of religion.[1]

When characterized as the rejection of religious belief, it encompasses atheism, agnosticism, religious dissidence, and secular humanism. When characterized as the absence of religious belief, it may also include "spiritual but not religious", pandeism, ignosticism, nontheism, pantheism, panentheism, and freethought. When characterized as indifference to religion, it is known as apatheism.

When you examine anything that expresses something, you find that the people who are doing the expressing have a religion going for themselves. Dictionary.com, as I have shown above, lets us know that if for no other reason, blatant expressing is a religion under #6 which says, "something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice."

Atheism is alive and active. It is a religion.

Cool