Can atheism be called a religion?

Yes, you can call it a religion.

In the same way that you can call not robbing a bank to be a crime.

In the same way that you can call the Himalayas flat.

Just because you call something a religion does not mean that it is.

Atheism is a religion in the same way that bald is a hair colour.

Why such ignorance of a simple definition?!! Why are you so hell bent on making christians look so ignorant?!!

ATHEIST - someone who does not believe in a God – any God – not just the Christian one. But that does not mean they do not hold strong moral or religious beliefs! They can follow any religion that does not have a god and there are a lot of those!!

Like BUDDHISM – Religious teaching from Buddha and his followers that by destroying greed, hatred and delusion (the cause of all suffering) man can attain perfect enlightenment!!

Where do you think christianity got it's ideas of a soul and afterlife from for goodness sake?

They stole it from the pagan tribes and peoples which existed hundreds and thousands of years before christianity!!

From the stone age through vikings, Egyptians, Maoris, Aborigines, American Indians and especially the chinese, they all had elaborate funerals and grave goods to speed the soul into the next life with comfort!!

Add christians and muslims together and they amount to just under a third of the world population the majority of the rest is made up of atheists and religions without gods!! So they are in the majority here!!!

Atheism simply cannot be a religion but there are many religions within it!!

If I say I am a voter, does that in any way declare my political affiliation? No. In the same respect, being an atheist or theist is not declaring anything beyond one's position on the belief in the existence of deities.

So if someone wants to call atheism or theism a religion, they may as well start calling voters a political party.

Atheism isn't a religion in it's self, it's a dingle belief. But that belief can fit into religions like natralistic pantheism where you still believe in no god. More info on pantheism at www.PantheistSite.com

No.

1. no "devotional and ritual observances"; no preset moral code

2. no set of beliefs--one defining non-belief and no specific corollary beliefs to form a set

3. no set, as per 2

4. no formal structure

5. no mode of practice

6. metaphorical usage (could apply to golf) that cannot be applied in many cases

7, 8, 9. archaic and inapplicable, archaic idiom, informal and inapplicable

It meets one metaphorical usage in a minority of cases.

No, since Atheism is the disbelief of a deity, or supernatural being. Atheists don't necessarily worship anything so you really can't call it a religion. It's more of philosophy.

It doesn't seem like any of those definitions apply. I have never heard of "religion" that included atheism that wouldn't also include things like gardening or an obsession with fitness.

No, Professor. Try clicking on this:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=atheism

We don't have beliefs, so no.

If atheism is a religion, then NOT collecting coins is a hobby.

No, atheism isn't a set of beliefs. It is the abscense of exactly one belief (belief in God). Nothing more, nothing less.