One of the arguments frequently used against creation science is that it is just religion. One common answer to this is that the entire Big Bang to man story is just as religious because it is fundamentally atheistic. The response to this is that atheism is not a religion; therefore, the claim is wrong.
Before going on, it is important to note that the reason for stating that the Big Bang-to-man story is fundamentally atheistic is that it is fundamentally based on philosophical naturalism. Philosophical naturalism is fundamentally atheistic, as it holds that material reality is all there is. This means that any theory that is based on philosophical naturalism is itself fundamentally atheistic.
This establishes the starting point for why this question is important, in relation to the question of origins. If the case can be made that atheism is essentially a religious perspective, then what atheistic groups like the ACLU are actually trying to do is get their own religion declared the official religion of the United States.
What is atheism?
At its most fundamental level, atheism is not believing in a God or gods. Now, this is a very simple definition, but one most atheists would agree with. However, this fundamental level has its broadest meaning and is not the entire picture of what falls under the category of atheism. There is actually a range of beliefs about God within the broad category of atheism. They range from the more agnostic position of simply not believing in God to the more hardline position that insists that God does not exist. Between these two, there was a wide range of possible perspectives; the most vocal ones tend to be from the hardline position.
The technical definition of religion.
What is rather interesting is that there is no real technical definition of religion. How it is defined varies by source. As a result, whether or not atheism qualifies as a religion depends largely upon what definition you use.
Cambridge dictionary: “The belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship.
Now, under this definition, atheism would not qualify as a religion because it is the exact opposite.
Dictionary.com: “A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.”
On the other hand, atheism, particularly positive atheism, qualifies as a set of beliefs about the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. As a result, it does qualify as a religion under this definition.
So, ultimately, whether atheism is a religion depends entirely on the definition you use. If you use a narrow definition of religion, then no, it does not qualify. If you use a broader definition, then yes, it does qualify.
Atheism is not technically a religion.
In one sense, atheism is not technically a religion simply because it has no god or rituals. Furthermore, some qualify as atheists for whom it is definitely not a religious position. These are people who are simply coming from a condition of unbelief in God rather than actively not believing in God; there is a difference.
When you combine the broadest definition of atheism with the narrowest definition of religion, there is no overlap. Furthermore, some people qualify as atheists for whom it is a simple lack of belief. In its broadest sense, it lacks any general qualification to be a religion.
However, when you combine the narrower definition of atheist, which includes only those who actually believe there is no God, with the broader definition of religion, which does not require a deity, then it definitely does qualify as religion. This is because for those atheists who actually believe that no God exists, it is a religious, philosophical, and worldview position. In such cases, atheism fills all the places in the person's heart and mind that religion does in others.
Two types of atheism.
While there is a spectrum within atheism, most people who qualify as atheists fall into one of two categories, negative and positive. These two positions are on opposite sides of the spectrum, but they are the key to understanding whether or not Atheism can be considered religious or not. In between these two extremes, judgment calls have to be made on a case-by-case basis about the religious nature of the person's atheism.
Negative atheism is simply not believing in God. This is a negative position; there is simply a lack of belief in God for one reason or another. The reason here is likely to believe that they have either been pushed away from God by some “educational” institution or emotional trauma. Those at this level are sometimes open to consideration of evidence for the existence of God. This is the type of atheist that many positive atheists pretend to be. It is the public in legal image of atheism presented by organizations such as the ACLU to protect it against the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution.
Positive atheism, on the other hand, is the positive belief that there is no God. Positive atheists tend to be very religious. They tend to be the most vocal, as well as showing definite antagonism toward anyone who disagrees with them. They will frequently openly declare that there is no God or similar statements. Some of them even show a desire to get rid of all theistic religion if they possibly could. This type of atheism is definitely a religion because it fits all of the broad qualifications mentioned above for what a religion is. Furthermore, its proponents are extremely religious about their atheism. In fact, many of them give strong evidence of not being able to stand, anyone who believes in God, especially Christians. These are the kinds of atheists for whom there is no evidence for the existence of God that will ever be accepted. They are the type that you can almost imagine them standing there watching Jesus coming in the clouds at His Second Coming, while still insisting that there is no God.
Positive atheists are very religious.
Even though they may claim otherwise, positive atheists are indeed very religious about their atheism. They tend to be very vocal, and they tend to try to proselytize. Furthermore, they fit under the broader definition of religion. The simple fact of the matter is that they are as devoted to their atheistic perspective as the most devoted practitioner of any religion. For example, they will frequently ridicule Christians who take the historical portions of the Bible literally, while being just as devoted to their positions as even the most dedicated of Christians is going to be, sometimes maybe even more.
What makes them qualify as a religion is not a devotion to a deity, nor even any kind of organizational structure. It is simply the fact that their Atheism is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. No matter how much they may protest and claim otherwise, the positive belief that there is no God is a belief concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. This is because starting with the belief that there is no God leads to the conclusion that the universe is uncaused, that natural material processes are all that exist, and that it ultimately has no purpose. Yes, negative atheism does not fit the definition of a religion, but positive atheism definitely does, and denying it is either being irrational or lying.
Conclusions
So, concerning answering the question of whether or not atheism is a religion, it depends upon what you mean by atheism and what you mean by religion. If you define religion narrowly enough to require a belief in at least one God, then atheism by definition cannot be a religion. However, this is also specifically defining religion in a way that is intended to eliminate atheism.
Furthermore, if you define atheism broadly enough to include anybody who lacks a belief in God, then it disqualifies atheism as being a religion, because many people who qualify simply lack a religious perspective. However, you can do the same thing with Christianity. If you define Christianity so broadly that it includes anybody who has a generally Christian worldview, but also lacks a real religious perspective on life, then Christianity itself ceases to qualify as a religion; it merely becomes a general philosophy of life.
On the other hand, if you narrow the meaning of atheism to include only those who have a positive belief that there is no God, while using a broader definition of religion that does not require a belief in God, then this form of atheism definitely qualifies as a religion. These people are extremely vocal about their atheism; they strongly believe that their position is the truth, and they want others to agree with them. They meet all of the critical points necessary to qualify as a religion.
------------------------------------
References
Atheism – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
Religion - Cambridge dictionary.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/religion
Religion - dictionary.com
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/religion
