While it is true that religion itself is typically defined as
either the organized belief system in (or merely the belief and reverence of)
a divine/supernatural being, there are more than a few world religions (Buddhism
and Taoism being principal examples) that defy one or more typical attributes
of religion. On the other hand, many attributes that characterize the religious
apply to atheists. Atheists believe in their position and have faith in its
correctness, since they do not have concrete evidence (through logic or science)
that demolishes the opposing side's arguments.
In addition, consider the following:
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Atheist-specific and general "freethinker societies"
do exist, as well as atheistic movements—thus, the atheist community
has a degree of organization.
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Conversely, many religious folk are not bound to organizations,
yet are still believers in their respective tenets.
-
Atheists do have moderates who are tolerant and rational,
but also have extremists (i.e. militant atheists) who, like any other religious
belief, are intolerant of any view that does not match their own and seek
to wipe the world of them.
-
Atheists, who completely lack support for their arguments
from science, and only highly debatable considerations based on reason,
believe they are absolutely right regardless and put their faith in the
concept of the lack of a divine being's existence.
- There are atheists and entire atheist movements that have tried and continue
to try to assert the superiority of their beliefs over that of others. They
do this either through overt chest-thumping, litigation, or subversive acts,
such as attempting to co-opt words commonly used to mean intelligent or exceptional
(such as the word 'bright') to mean 'atheist'—a subtle claim by such
zealots that they are mentally superior to religious folk.
-
Atheists, like other religions, try to promote their beliefs,
or outright force them onto others. They have zealots that harass, demonize,
prosecute, and kill in the name of their beliefs.
-
No matter how strong they are in denial of it, the behavior
of atheists demonstrates is little difference between them and their religious
opposites.