[jennyp]

I point out that a religion is a system of beliefs. Atheism is indeed a system of beliefs!

That's astute. How does that quote go...

"Jesus was condemned. Hitler is condemned. Hitler is like Jesus."

Darn! I'm looking for a source for that quote, and I'm stumbling upon some really cool ones I've never heard before:

Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind.
- Mikhail S. Gorbachev

I never saw a contradiction between the ideas that sustain me and the ideas of that symbol, of that extraordinary figure [Jesus Christ].
- Fidel Castro

[Qwinn]

Jenny, don't misunderstand the reason that I brought that concept up. It wasn't to attempt to link the virtues of atheism and other religions - quite the opposite.

My point was that atheists always seem to have a grand old time denouncing the sanctimoniousness and self-righteousness of those of Faith, and my point was that they suffer from those character traits even worse than the most obnoxious Puritan or Calvinist I ever read about. I stand by that.

In that sense - in the frothing, dogmatic approach to it all - yup, atheism most definetly should be considered a religion. This has the great benefit that, therefore, the current notion of stripping God out of every public venue is, in fact, establishing laws that declare a state religion - atheism.

Agnosticism is the only philosophy I know of that can't be dogmatic, since it's basic premise is indecision on the whole question. My view is that what this loses in terms of cowardice in being unwilling to a commit to a position, it at least somewhat makes up for in intellectual honesty and open-mindedness.

Qwinn