Atheism is not a religion

Now, let me begin with my rebuttal. .Here in my opponet's opening statement he says,"Atheism is the default positiion to religion. ." He continues on to say this,". .. it makes no claims where as a religion is making a claim. " Now, tell me something everyone. .. Doesn't this seem odd to you that "it (atheism) makes no claims"? Isn't the phrase, "there is no god" a claim? Think about it. . "For some reason people think Atheism = I believe there is no god. This is not true because Atheism=I do not believe in a god. "So,here my opponet is trying to say,"I don't believe there is a god. " The problem with this is, it is an agnostic view, not an atheist view. This being said let's go over the definitions for atheism and agnosticism. . The official definitions, that is. Atheism - a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity c: the belief that there is no God Agnosticism- 1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god 2 : a person who is unwilling to commit to an opinion about something <political agnostics> . http://www.wordcentral.com...http://www.merriam-webster.com...http://www.merriam-webster.com...This being said, I must ask my opponet an important question. . Are you sure you are an atheist? "Critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or divine beings. Unlike agnosticism, which leaves open the question of whether there is a God, atheism is a positive denial. It is rooted in an array of philosophical systems. "Now my opponet quotes Mr. Dillahunty,"Picture a court case where someone is being tried for murder. The only two possibilities are that they either are guilty or innocent. However what is being determined is whether the evidence can show that they are guilty or not. The only possibilities again are guilty or innocent but the actual options are guilty, innocent or not guilty and guilty/not guilty are the only verdicts that are being decided. By saying the evidence does not show they are guilty is not the same as saying they are innocent. This is atheism. . "Here, Mr. Dilahunty is clearly seems confused as he is holding more so an agnostic view and saying,"Well, I am not sure if I am right or wrong. " This is what he is saying. Clearly, he is absolutely confused. "We are all agnostic about god(s) in atheism (not that there aren't people who believe there is none) which is why it is often said agnostics are atheists but don't know it. " Here my opponet makes a complete fallacy as the official definitions I presented prove so. I will refrain from responding to the rest of the opening statement as I don't feel there is a need to at this point. Now, I want to focus everyone's attention on the official definition of religion. Here it is. .. Religion- 1 : the belief in a god or in a group of gods 2 : an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods 3 : an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group Do I really need to go into explanation of how this," Atheism - a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity c: the belief that there is no God " and the definition of religion go together? . http://www.merriam-webster.com...