Haruhiism is a legitimate religion

While I personally don't object to Haruhiism out of principle, I find this topic interesting enough to play devil's advocate.To start off, since you offer no definitions (and that to start defining things in the 2nd of 3 rounds would greatly limit constructive arguments), I would like to define the following:Legitimate: in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards.Religion: 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.Both of these definitions were taken from http://dictionary.reference.com..., please state and explain any objections and offer alternative definitions if you have any. Now, to crack this thing open, I would argue that Haruhiism is indeed a mock religion and to attempt to take it seriously is a refuge in audacity. The reason that it's not recognized as a serious religion is because there is very little to recognize in even a religious standpoint.The easiest argument, as you said, is to dismiss it entirely, but I don't see how that's a poor argument, nor do I see the relevance of your comparison to Scientology. Compared to the history of some of the "big" religions, Scientology is relatively harmless, yet that doesn't take away from the recognized credibility that the "big" religions (Christianity, Islam, etc.) enjoy. The legitimacy of religion isn't drawn from whether or not it's good for people, it comes from legal or societal recognition. That having been said, I believe that the reason Haruhiism isn't given any serious consideration is because of it's origins and it's lack of any serious substance.To begin with the origins: Haruhiism, and please do correct me if we're referring to different religions, refers to the belief that Haruhi Suzumiya, the title character and protagonist for the Haruhi Suzumiya series, is in-fact the supreme being. This is the basis for the plot, and some of the fandom seem to have taken the idea of Haruhi being God, and proclaimed it to be truth. This is what I've found as the start of it, and it seems to have spread through the Internet and the fandom from there. Now after reading an article(1) on Haruhiism, I would say that there is certainly nothing wrong with some of the interpretive messages that one can find in Haruhiism, but that being said; to accept it as a serious religion is taking it a bit far. Haruhiism has no central tenants, aside from acknowledging Haruhi as God, nor has it any discernible practices. Haruhiism is as serious as the Jedi Church, in-that some of the values it may represent might be "good", but as a whole entity it ought not to be taken seriously.Continuing further, I would argue that the largest reason that Haruhiism isn't given any legitimate recognition is because it lacks any sort of standard practices or systematic demonstrations of worship, as I briefly mentioned above. Looking at the religions that are viewed as legitimate, the vast majority, if not the entirety, of them have sets of standard rituals or practices that are carried out. For the sake of argument, I will use the two most predominate example of religion, Christianity and Islam. In Christianity, one can look at the observance of the sacraments, rites performed by members of the clergy, and in Islam, there is the observance of the Pillars of Islam. In both of these examples, there are clear rites or rituals that are observed by the faithful. Haruhiism, to my understanding, has no such practices and to those not familiar with it, no clear message. I think it says a lot that the only information regarding the remote possibility of these practices existing I could find existed on an Uncyclopedia page (Which isn't something I normally consider to be a serious source) that had since been deleted, that I was linked to through Knowyourmeme(2).Using the definitions I have provided, as you didn't propose any, I would argue that it's simply for a lack of societal recognition, and a system of practices, that Haruhiism isn't viewed as a "legitimate religion". That isn't to say that I disagree with some of the ideas and values that can be drawn from it, it's just a matter of making a distinction between a "mock religion" and true religious belief and practice. Please forgive me if my sources aren't academic, but the topic seems to necessitate the use of Internet culture.(1):http://check.animeblogger.net... (2):http://knowyourmeme.com...;