Freemania: Nice quote

Friday, March 07, 2008

Saying atheism is a religion is like saying that bald is a hair colour.

Anonymous said...: I thought Jonathan Miller hit the nail when he pointed out that we don't need a word for not believing in fairies...; 10:42 am, March 07, 2008
Matt M said...: I've long thought that describing someone as an atheist is like say they're not Russian (or whatever) - It gives you a tiny clue to their identity but ultimately tells you nothing about them.

As for the religion thing... The term is slightly nebulous - While it usually describes a worldview built around the concept of a deity, most dictionaries accept it as describing any system of devotion or worship. So if you worshipped reason or the forces of nature then that would be your "religion" (even though nothing supernatural is involved). But I don't know any atheists who fall into that category. Nor, given that atheism is a purely negative term, can it itself be labelled as such in any way.; 11:05 am, March 07, 2008

Freemania