Fw: Atheism a religion? (was Roswell Crash vs. Gospels)

Brian Dean bridean@worldnet.att.net
Fri, 13 Mar 1998 21:13:46 -0500 (00889863226, 19980314020531.AAA27112@briandea) 

 RON
You are quite right! I stand corrected. Atheism, according to the true
meaning of the word is in fact a religion. Let me rephrase that: Now we
are discussing, not whether God exists, but which god is the true God.

MICHAEL
    I think not.

    The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, in its article on Religion, lists some
characteristics of religions. The more markers that are present in a belief
system, the more "religious like" it is. Read the list and see how "atheism"
fares :

 *snip*

 RON
  Your encyclopedia is too small!

MICHAEL
    Hmm. At a mere 8 volumes I suppose it's smaller than some general
encyclopedias.

RON
 The American Heritage Dictionary also
 defines religion as, "Any objective attended to or pursued with zeal 
or conscientious devotion".

MICHAEL
    Lessee.

    Dictionary.

    Written by lexicographers.

    Goal ; to provide succinct generally applicable definitions for the way a
word is used in common speech. Length of entry, a few lines. Probably well under
20 lines of text even for a long definition.

    Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Comprehensive coverage of a particular field of
human endeavor. Written by philosophers.

    Article on "Religion", in general,  five pages long.

    Followed by:

      Religion, Naturalistic Reconstructions of

      Religion, Philosophy of (cross references to "Philosophy of Religion,
     History of"; "Philosophy of religion, problems of") and numerous other
     articles on various aspects of religion including Mysticism; Infinity in
     Theology and Metaphysics; Karma; Eschatology; etc. etc.

     Religion, Psychological Explanations

     Religion and Morality

     Religion and Science

     Religious Experience, Argument for the Existence of God

     Religious Language



    Hmm. If we're going to argue on the basis of authority, I'd say that the
Encyclopedia of Philosophy is what we would have to acknowledge as 
LEGITIMATE authority; the articles therein being written by acknowledged 
experts in the particular field that they're writing about.

    Your dictionary, however, irrespective of how much you personally like its
abbreviated and incomplete definition was most assuredly NOT written by anyone
with a like knowledge of the subject. The dictionary, no matter how nicely its
necessarily brief and narrow definition supports your narrow and shallow thought
on the subject is essentially and Argument Ad Verecundiam:
*snip, followed by a very profound rational response by Ron*

RON
 HalleluJah! You finally found a book you consider to be inerrant!