Atheism is a religion.

Hi, Con! DEFINITIONS Firstly, Con gives some definitions. And, I disagree with what they say. Because both definitions - of both Religion and Atheism - have more than one meaning. With Religion, sure, it can mean "The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods". But it can also mean: - "A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices" Or even: - "A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith" Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com... As with Atheism, although it can mean "disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods", perhaps a more accepted definition would be: - "the doctrine that there is no deity" Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com... So, upon different definitions, I think that it is easy to see how atheism is a religion. If the atheist is asserting that there is no God, then considering he cannot objectively prove the statement, he requires faith. And by using my definitiion ("A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith"), I think that it is entirely fair to say that atheism is a religion - considering that to assert that there is no God, needs faith. I would say that 'lack of belief' in God is merely an attribute of atheism - not the definition itself'. However, even of we take Con's definitions to be true, then I think we can still establish atheism to be a religion. THERAVADA BUDDHISM Theravada Buddhism is most certainly a religion. ( http://www.religionfacts.com... ) However, Theravadan Buddhists also lack a belief in God - there is no such thing as God in their beliefs. However, they are by no means atheists! They are positively religious - and it is the same with atheism (taking Con's definition). So, to lack a belief in the Supernatural does not simply make a belief exempt from being religious, like my opponent is suggesting. THE RELIGIOUS TENDENCIES OF ATHEISTS My final argument of why atheism is a religion, is to do with how many atheists treat their beliefs. Recently, there has been a huge rise in 'atheist churches'. Essentially, they are meetings, where a number of atheists come together and have 'sermons', talks, and social interaction with other atheists. What does this sound suspiciously like? Well, like most religions on the face of the earth. Here is an article on the matter: http://www.webpronews.com... And another: http://www.dailymail.co.uk... And a video: (at the top of my debate) http://www.youtube.com... The way that atheism is treated like a religion and has religious-like attributes, I think further illustrates just how atheism is a religion. So, to summerize: - Atheism is a knowledge claim (if it were not a knowledge claim, it would be agnosticism). - Any knowledge claim requires proof to assert it to be right. If not, then it requires faith. - But it is impossible to prove that a supernatural being does not exist. - So atheism requires faith. - Any faith system can be defined as a religion. - Therefore atheism is a religion. Sources: http://www.merriam-webster.com... http://www.merriam-webster.com... http://www.religionfacts.com... http://www.webpronews.com... http://www.dailymail.co.uk...