Can someone explain why many act like Atheism is a Religion?

truth
A very important distinction, Set. I'll try to remember it. I am an atheist in the sense that theism makes no sense to me. I am not an advocate of atheISM; a member of that "Church" that believes in a No-God and worships Him.

Atheist schmatheist. I am free of religion, not a member of some organization.

truth
That's the ticket, Edgar. I'm a Schmatheist. And proud of it.

frankly charlotte, I don't give a damn.

Schmatheists Talk with Charlotte, tune in at eleven...

Yeah, but Clark Gable talked with Scarlett. Sigh.

Schmatheists have been known to do lots and lots of volunteer work.

I'd volunteer to talk to Scarlet myself.

damn, I said Charlotte, not Scarlet.

Well, I would volunteer to talk to her then.

truth
I wish you guys would stop joking around. I'm serious. I'm a born-again Schmatheist, and I don't care who knows it.
BTW, arn't you supposed to be in San Francisco about now?

well. I'm aleavin' tomorrow
but I could leave today
heading out for the Frisco bay
leavin' the rockies and the old salt lake
stoppin' in Sparks or Reno
my money they won't take
a few days in the city is all I can stay
I'll soon be forgotten when I'm away
if some woman don't kill me
I'll live til I die
with friends like Edgar and JLN
breathin' is just passin' a sigh.

We'll lift a wineglass for you, JL..

truth
I'd really like that.

Sorry for jumping back in here after such a long time without having kept track of the thread, but something just occurred to me: Most of the people who "act like atheism is a religion" are religious people debating atheists and agnostics. For example, they're the ones who make up glurge stories such as Darwin's deathbed renouncement of his theory of evolution. They're the ones who made Galilei renounce his astronomy.

This suggests a new answer to the question of this thread: "Can someone explain why many act like atheism is a religion?" The answer is that people like to imagine their opponents as people who think more or less like themselves. Therefore they find it easier to think of atheists as adherents to a competing religion, not as people who deny the very idea of religion.

I think that a point well taken, Thomas. It seems to me that this question is only raised by people who have an agenda to prove such a case, and are hoping that atheist will arrive to demonstrate their points for them. This differs to my mind from people who start threads with a question for which they genuinely want an answer, as opposed to lieing in wait for the unwary to prove the point upn which they were convined before beginning the exercise.

Thomas and set - Very perceptive. I think it will fly.

Thomas writes:


I'm sure there are some who do think that way, but in my experience that would be a tiny minority. I think the reason atheism looks like its own religion is that so many athiests seem so eager to point out that they are atheists, so eager to remove any evidence of 'other' religious belief from public view, and seem to be so eager to assign uncomplimentary terms such as 'deluded' or 'fanatical' or 'superstitious' to religious belief and sometimes religious believers. It's sort of along the lines of 'methinks they protest too much' that suggests an ideological agenda that is more than simply not believing.

It is not that different from those Christians or Moslems or Jews or whatever that call radio shows quoting scripture or some interpretation of scripture as 'proof' of their point of view about this or that. (These embarrass others of their faith by the way.) But you get the impression there is an ideological agenda there that is more than simply believing.

truth
Very insightful, Thomas.

Key difference:
Religion requires that people take action on the basis of something that cannot be observed.
"Atheism" makes no such requirement: it implies that a person does not take action on the basis of something that cannot be observed.