faith, religion, spirituality

[Sephus]

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Atheism imo = a religion.

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this is way off.
Atheism isn't a dogma like Christianity or Hinduism. Religions, in the simplest terms, are telling you what to believe and how to live your life. Thats it. Atheism [if you can call it that] doesn't pretend to know how you should live your life or what to believe. Its just a word for the mindset of a person that demands evidence for his/her beliefs.
Consider it, are you an astrologer? No? Whats the word for that? There isn't one. Theres no term for an non astrologer. Nobody wakes up and says 'I'm not an astrologer' If there was such a term, would we view that mindset on the same terms as astrology? of course not. For you to say that Atheism is a religion is the same thing as saying that non astrology is a superstition on a par with astrology.
As you learn more about the world, alchemy gives way to chemistry, astrology gives way to astronomy, and religion gives way to natural philosophy, of which atheism is a part.

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I think that's way off. There is a word for non-believing - it's atheism. And in fact it can be just as dogmatic as any "positive" religion. It's a strong belief in a thought about god, just like other religions. Devotees can believe with incredibly strong convictions, just like other religions. This is completely different from "not being an astrologer".

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saying that atheism may be similar in some respects to some religions is not the same thing as saying atheism is a religion.