That makes no sense what so ever. It is a contradiction in term. Nothing can not be something. What are the tenets/dogma of this "religion", exactly?

Atheist simply say that you can not prove the existence of God or the Divine and therefore it does not exists. That may be a step to far, but in no way does it transform it into a "religion".

It is a philosophical school of thought, which is not the same thing as a religion, except in the larger context of universal mental constructs. I find this false comparison of yours to be disingenuous to say the least.

I hate to say this, but I suspect the reasons why someone would label Atheism a religion have nothing to do with what it is (or isn'...

That makes no sense what so ever. It is a contradiction in term. Nothing can not be something. What are the tenets/dogma of this "religion", exactly?

Atheist simply say that you can not prove the existence of God or the Divine and therefore it does not exists. That may be a step to far, but in no way does it transform it into a "religion".

It is a philosophical school of thought, which is not the same thing as a religion, except in the larger context of universal mental constructs. I find this false comparison of yours to be disingenuous to say the least.

I hate to say this, but I suspect the reasons why someone would label Atheism a religion have nothing to do with what it is (or isn't). Instead I believe this is a way of diminishing/dismissing it wholesale by making a false comparison. It turns the conversation into a fight between the true vs. false religion.

I can't accept that and retain a modicum of intellectual honesty.

It's a system of rites and rituals, like any religion; and one of those rites is being an Atheistic Evangelist. We have a number of them here, spreading their "holy" word of spurious evidence and assumptions; their fuzzy logic. That makes it a religion, and a religion usually has a god, so theirs is NoGod.

And these people are fanatical, too, you better believe it. As a Christian, I can accept people saying they don't know and be fine with it. I can even accept people saying God doesn't exist, but it makes me giggle like a schoolboy at the silliness.

Atheists, however, have to sell their religion to the world, constantly. If a Christian shows up, it becomes a mania for them to try to dispr...

It's a system of rites and rituals, like any religion; and one of those rites is being an Atheistic Evangelist. We have a number of them here, spreading their "holy" word of spurious evidence and assumptions; their fuzzy logic. That makes it a religion, and a religion usually has a god, so theirs is NoGod.

And these people are fanatical, too, you better believe it. As a Christian, I can accept people saying they don't know and be fine with it. I can even accept people saying God doesn't exist, but it makes me giggle like a schoolboy at the silliness.

Atheists, however, have to sell their religion to the world, constantly. If a Christian shows up, it becomes a mania for them to try to disprove God with their own dogma. So, they meet the Fanaticism aspect of religion.

Tell me that's not a religion.

darkeforce, you say atheism is

a system of rites and rituals, like any religion

this is a typical strawman. Although I don't really see the need for a
label for not believing something, I am prepared to say that I am an
atheist. By this I mean I do not believe in gods. OK? I do not believe
in fairies, elves, souls, unicorns, the tooth fairy, the little green
men my brother insists live under his bed, santa and a million other
things people can invent. I guess my brain just doesn't do the
"believing" thing. I certainly have no rites or rituals associated with
my lack of belief in gods or any of these other things. I do practice a
bit of buddhist meditation (vipassana and mett...

darkeforce, you say atheism is

a system of rites and rituals, like any religion

this is a typical strawman. Although I don't really see the need for a
label for not believing something, I am prepared to say that I am an
atheist. By this I mean I do not believe in gods. OK? I do not believe
in fairies, elves, souls, unicorns, the tooth fairy, the little green
men my brother insists live under his bed, santa and a million other
things people can invent. I guess my brain just doesn't do the
"believing" thing. I certainly have no rites or rituals associated with
my lack of belief in gods or any of these other things. I do practice a
bit of buddhist meditation (vipassana and metta mostly) which involves
some ritual, but does not involve belief.

That makes it a religion, and a religion usually has a god, so theirs is NoGod.

You
are a christian, which I assume means you believe that Jesus was/is the
son of Yahweh, born of a virgin, and was crucified for our sins,
becoming undead three days later. Yet you claim that you are not a
member of a religion, whereas I, because I don't believe in any gods am
a member of a religion. Can't you see how odd this position is?

If a Christian shows up, it becomes a mania for them to try to disprove God with their own dogma.

Another
strawman. My mother, father, sister and wife all are christians. I have
many christian friends. They say "I believe...." they do not try to
convert, ridicule or demonise me or my lack of belief, and I do not try
to interfere with their beliefs. I have never, and would never try to
"disprove" god. That would be silly - like trying to disprove the
existence of the herd of magic pink unicorns that roam the Rockies.

I defy you to find any comment of mine where I state "God does not
exist", I make no claims other than "I do not believe". You on the
other hand make a number of extraordinary claims (such as having
touched the face of god) and when I ask questions to h

when I ask questions to help me understand your beliefs you never provide any answers.

Here is one last question (which I fully expect you to ignore)

You commented

JohnWaterman, your ignorance is blinding, but I respect your right to be ignorant. I will think less of you, though, if that ignorance is by choice, rather than by circumstance or brainwashing.

I can think of two reasons why you may have posted this:

1. you are trying to draw attention away from your own failing arguments

2. You like insulting people

Do you have an alternative explanation?

You refuse to answer simple questions based on your own claims. You re-define words to mean what you want them to mean. Y...

when I ask questions to help me understand your beliefs you never provide any answers.

Here is one last question (which I fully expect you to ignore)

You commented

JohnWaterman, your ignorance is blinding, but I respect your right to be ignorant. I will think less of you, though, if that ignorance is by choice, rather than by circumstance or brainwashing.

I can think of two reasons why you may have posted this:

1. you are trying to draw attention away from your own failing arguments

2. You like insulting people

Do you have an alternative explanation?

You refuse to answer simple questions based on your own claims. You re-define words to mean what you want them to mean. You throw out gratuitous insults. Debate with you is impossible.

We're done.

Misconceptions abound. Just because someone believes in God, it does not make them religious. The classical definition of a religion is something that focuses on regular rites and rituals. A person who lights a cigarette every morning as soon as they wake up is a religious person. Christians, however, are not necessarily religious. Religions are twisted interpretations of philosophy of the one known as Jesus Christ. They were created by man, wanting to be God; not God Himself. They are deceptive and filled with dogma and laws that had nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. This is not a redefition; calling anyone who believes in God religious is the redefinition; a popular lie.

Have you...

Misconceptions abound. Just because someone believes in God, it does not make them religious. The classical definition of a religion is something that focuses on regular rites and rituals. A person who lights a cigarette every morning as soon as they wake up is a religious person. Christians, however, are not necessarily religious. Religions are twisted interpretations of philosophy of the one known as Jesus Christ. They were created by man, wanting to be God; not God Himself. They are deceptive and filled with dogma and laws that had nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. This is not a redefition; calling anyone who believes in God religious is the redefinition; a popular lie.

Have you shed the false image of just what a religion is now? If so, we continue.

One of the most common traditions of religions is Evangelism; trying to sell their tiny window onto the universe to other people. This is where Atheism falls into the Religion category. Atheists are once of the most evangelistic groups out there; seeming to go into a mania, determined to twist people's minds to their own egotistical beliefs as soon as they find out that those people believe in God. It's like a disease. Another one of their rights is to constantly, ad nauseum remark that there is no God any time God is invoked in any way

If you can't shed the false image of just what a religion is, then ignore this and go on your ignorant way.