by Takuan Amaru

Created on: April 22, 2010   Last Updated: April 25, 2010

There has been some debate about whether Atheism should be considered a religion. Recently, many points of view have surfaced on either side of the discussion. If we take a look at the basic components related to the issue, it is possible to come up with a definitive solution to this controversy.

The answer is of course Atheism can be a religion, but it doesn't necessarily have to be...

This is a complex issue, so first let's review the meanings of some of the terms related to the topic.

Some people believe a god exists that created all of humanity and the universe. These people are called "Theists". Others don't believe in the existence of a god and that Creation just occurred by chance, or by some other means. These people are known as "Atheists". Theists rely on faith while Atheists assert that nothing outside of what the senses can perceive can possibly be real, and anything that is perceived outside of the senses is either imagination or insanity.

The "Agnostic" believes that there is no concrete evidence as to the existence of a god but does not deny the possibility that one exists.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines "Religion" as the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship.

So according to this definition, it's pretty cut and dry that Atheism is not, and couldn't possibly be a religion. However, English, like all language, is an on-going, evolving entity. This definition for religion is a recent development and differs quite significantly from what the word originally meant.

A deeper study of what religion really means sheds some light and reveals this not to be so complicated after all.

The term "Religion" is derived from the Latin word, "Relegare", which is composed of the word roots, "Re", which means "return" or "go back" and "Ligon", which means "to hold, link, or bind". So the original meaning of religion was to "link back" to the Creator. More specifically, "to link the soul of the follower to its original source. This "original source" is known by a myriad of names such as God, Allah, Buddha, New Jerusalem, Jah, Jehovah, El, Nirvana, Yahweh, the Holy Spirit, amongst many others.

Atheists may not believe in a "Christ figure”, but that does not mean they are not into salvation. In Atheism, salvation is achieved by living life as they see fit, not according to any dogma or set of beliefs. Put another way, they believe salvation comes from doing that which makes an individual happy. Throughout history

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