need advice on an argumentative point

a few months ago, i was having a conversation w/ a xtian. it was a polite discourse and the guy was fairly intelligent and so forth...

anyway, we actually ended up stalemating on a subject that, to me, just seemed so absurd that i wasn't even sure how to respond. this guy actually contended that atheism is a religion. imagine my astonishment at such a ludicrous notion.. huh?

of course, the first thing that came to mind was to break out the dictionary:

re·li·gion (rĭ-lĭj'ən) pronunciation
n.

1.
1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
2. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

surely that should squelch his bizarre assertion. nope, he wasn't convinced. so, then i suggested to him that a necessary component of "religion" was a blind faith not rooted in intellectual reason. at this point, he scratched his head and said he'd have to think about that and get back to me -- he never did.

i'm wondering how you guys would have approached this odd and unexpected debate.

note: to be fair, i also found another definition, but it seemed to stretch the meaning of the word quite a bit: "A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion." doesn't this definition imply that "religion" is synonymous with "tenet" or even "maxim??" i don't think it is. thoughts on this as well?

[Tenspace]

Atheism literally means, "Without God". We've argued ad infinitum about whether or not it is a belief system. My opinion is that calling atheism a religion is like calling health a disease or baldness a hair color.

If you want to give him a label to pin on you, tell him you're a Morally Relative Methodological Naturalist. (If he's in Kansas, simply tell him you are in the ape family) :)

Tenspace

Tenspace wrote

(If he's in Kansas, simply tell him you are in the ape family) :)

Tenspace

hehe.. i LOVE telling xtians that they are indeed a member of the great ape family of primates. the stupid expression on their faces is priceless.

who would have thought that 3 units worth of physical anthro down at the local junior college could inspire so much doubt? LOL

[Tenspace]

Try telling them that they are stardust. I usually just get blank stares.

Ten

The last definition you discussed is one that is not wholly literal - same as saying that something is a crime, even when it isn't actually illegal. It's called a figure of speech:

(from worldofquotes.com)
A coward, a most devout coward; religious in it.
Author: William Shakespeare
Source: Twelfth Night, or, What You Will (Fabian at III, iv)