And so . . . ?
If atheism isn’t a religion, then why do some people think it is?
“Maybe it is because these people are so caught up in their own religious beliefs that they cannot imagine any person living without religion of some sort,” says Austin Cline, About.com’s atheism and agnosticism expert. “Maybe it is due to some persistent misunderstanding of what atheism is. And maybe they just don't care that what they are saying really doesn't make any sense.”[1]
By the way, people who claim that atheism is a religion don’t usually say it about agnosticism. If a hardcore atheist announces solid certainty that God doesn’t exist, his declaration can carry a tinge of preachiness and even religiosity. But saying that you don’t know has a tinge of nothing in particular.
If atheists and agnostics don’t believe in God, do they have any spirituality at all? Some do. Some even create their own rituals and “churches” -- but that’s a set of stories for the next chapter.
[1] Austin Cline, “Atheism and Religion: What is the Relationship?”, undated, http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/ath/blathq_rel_religion.htm
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