General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I am not religious. Can you please categorize Atheism into a "race"? [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)I don't have a problem with "belief system," either.
I think the parameters here are pretty narrow, actually--not "everything else under the kitchen sink."
A religion might be regarded as a belief system, but surely not all belief systems are religions. Or are they? Who decides? Who gets to be the Label Boss, here?
If an atheist wants to say he or she subscribes to a belief system, or even a religion, I'm not going to tell them they're "wrong." That's not my charge. I don't think it's appropriate for anyone else to try to tell them, either. There is no "Head Atheist In Charge" so people can believe whatever the heck they'd like, and if other people calling themselves atheists don't like it, too doggone bad.
The only one you can speak for with any authority on this issue is yourself, and maybe a few pundits who repeat that sorry little TV off/bald head analogy that doesn't really do it for a lot of people discussing this topic, myself included.
That last sentence of yours cuts both ways--maybe you should take your OWN advice!