Originally posted by atheroy
seeing this is a thread for clearing up misconceptions- atheism is in no way a religion. it never has been. if it was, it would indeed have many more sects than christianity as you would be hard pressed to find a group of atheists who agreed on a substantial set of beliefs.
Your idea of what a “religion” is, is based on current institutional religions, and as such you cannot see how it is possible for “atheism” to become a religion, which is understandable. But religion does not have to be what we understand it to be in society, it can change.
In society, if someone who has great credibility decides that it is possible to have a religion with no aspirations whatsoever to anything other than “ourselves,” and gave logical and rational arguments to substantiate his claims, showing how it could enrich and maximise your material life. He/she could easily gain momentum.
If we can worship or believe in “ourselves,” then it would not be seen as illogical to worship or believe in another self who is perceived as “better/greater,” this would be the natural evolution.
As time went by, greed, lust and envy would snowball out of control, (as it does) and so on and so forth.
Of course you would not be advised to worship in the same way people do today. No. It would be modified, discreet by comparison, even be seen as cool. It would appeal to the young. If he got the right celebrities to endorse the claim, and the right bands, with some cool gear to go with it, subtlety change all the TV shows to put the claim in a cool and trendy light. Oh! And some pretty girlies, eventually it would become a religion.
So you see, you can call anything a religion (including atheism) in an institutionalise sense, if you make an attractive enough claim, and have shed loads of money and clout.
Why would someone do this?
Money, power, sex, etc......it has nothing to do with real religion.
Love
Jan Ardena.