Atheism is an accepted religion.

DISPUTE: In many discussions and debates involving religion, I have observed a group of people that identify their religion as atheism. For the purpose of debate, let"s say I had asked several people in a religious forum to state their religion. One identified themselves as a Christian, one as Islamic, one as a Hindu, and one as an atheist. There would be some confusion as soon as the last person identified themselves as an atheist. The person believing in Hinduism would say, "Hey, I"m also an atheist." Perhaps the Christian and Islamic couple would say, "If atheism is a religion, then is also theism?" "If so, then we are both theists." Obviously, this is a catastrophe. Two groups that have been combatant towards one another for millennia are grouped in the same religion (along with about 78% of America according an aggregate of Gallup polls in the year 2013, which can be found at http://www.gallup.com...). We would also, possibly, have grouped a nonreligious person or a person that completely rejects religion with the fourth largest religion in the world (according to http://en.wikipedia.org...). RESOLUTION: Atheism is a single belief and cannot be considered a religion because a religion is, in the very least, a set of beliefs. However, there are requirements for this set of beliefs. I will describe in further detail below. Literary Definitions (Oxford English Dictionary): Religion: 1.The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods 1.1.A particular system of faith and worship 1.2.A pursuit or interest followed with great devotion Latin origin: religio(n-) "obligation, bond, reverence" or religare "to bind" Irreligious: Indifferent or hostile to religion: Derivative: irreligion (n) Latin origin: in- "not" religious (see religious) Atheism: Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods Greek origin: a- "without" + theos "God" Theism: Belief in the existence of a God or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe Greek origin: theos "God" + -ism Belief: 1.An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof 1.1.Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion 1.2.A religious conviction 1.3.(belief in) trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something) Disbelief: 1.Inability or refusal to accept that something is true or real: 1.1.Lack of faith Let"s compare the definition of atheism to the literal definition of religion. 1.The disbelief in God is not the belief in God a.The disbelief in God is not a system of faith or worship b.Atheism COULD be an interest followed with great devotion. At first look, atheism matches the final part of the OED definition. However, this definition covers religion as a figure of speech. Religion can be used as a hyperbole to mean a great interest, especially considering that its Latin origin includes "obligation, bound", etc. This is further demonstrated in the examples that are given in the OED definition. All three examples establish a particular sport as a religion. We can all agree that football, cricket, and rugby are not accepted religions. Therefore, this part of the definition is not useful to us. If PRO wishes to debate this further, she can certainly bring it up in Round 2 and I can address it again in the final round. We can clearly see that the definition for atheism matches the definition of disbelief. Actually, the word "disbelief" is in the definition itself. Therefore, atheism is the disbelief in God and does not constitute as a religion. Congruently, theism directly matches the definition of belief. SOCIETAL DEFINITIONS (referencing http://en.wikipedia.org...): Note: I would normally not consider Wikipedia an acceptable source. However, in this case we are searching for society"s definition of religion. It seems that there is no better source than an encyclopedia assembled by society. Religion: an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. This definition makes much more sense than the literal definition. The literal definition, in requiring the belief in God, has actually neglected to include Hinduism and Buddhism among other religions that have atheistic beliefs. According to Wikipedia, these are the third and fourth largest religions in the world. Perhaps curiously to you, religion actually does not require the belief in God nor the disbelief. The position on God"s existence can be completely ignored by a system of beliefs and the system of beliefs will still constitute a religion. There are two main requirements dictated by this definition: there must be an organized collection of beliefs and the collection of beliefs MUST relate humanity to an order of existence. In other words, religion must answer questions like: Where do I go when I die? How do I live my life to reach this place? The second question relates back to the origin of the word "religion". What obligations am I bound by? Atheism, even ignoring that it is a single belief as oppose to a system of beliefs, does not answer these questions alone. This disbelief in God does not provide an answer on how we should live our lives. CONCLUSION: I have presented, above, both the literal and societal definitions for religion as well as the definition of atheism. Both the literal and societal definitions support the CON argument. I have also presented the following logical arguments: -If atheism is a religion, so must theism be - If atheism is a religion, the religion would include vastly different beliefs, including non-religious views with two of the world"s most popular religions -If theism is a religion, the religion would include almost 80% of the US together, including vastly different religious views In conclusion, atheism and theism are singular beliefs that can be (but are not required) part of a religion but cannot be considered a religion on their own. I"d like to end my round 1 argument with a few final words on the religious forum we hypothetically polled at the beginning of my argument. It might be important to understand WHY there would be a group of people that would identify themselves using such a broad term. It seems to me, that this is a somewhat intentional tactic to promote the group"s world views. According to the same Gallup poll referenced earlier, only 5% of those polled could be Atheists (assuming the entire "other" category is made up of Atheists) and only 15% identified themselves as non-religious. This non-religious group includes many different views, including antitheists, secular Buddhists, agnostics, ignostics, nontheists, freethoughters, humanists, etc. This means that the combination of varying forms of atheism and all of these varying non-religious views together are less than half of the number of people identifying themselves as Protestant (only one denomination of Christianity). It is therefore beneficial to use a broader term in defining this groups world views since it would then have a larger inclusion. I am looking forward to reading PROs arguments and wish her the best of luck. Thanks.