Where the Rubber Hits the Road

This is a mistake on Britain's part. Scientology is an abusive cult. It is NOT a religion .    John Sweeney's book 'Church of Fear: Inside the Weird World of Scientology' makes this case quite convincingly. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about this cult. I've also read Janet Reitman's 'Inside Scientology' which is another excellent exposé on this cult. I suggest reading these or similar works to learn for yourself why Scientology should not be considered a church. Scientology officially recognized as a religion in U.K. after judges rule god not essential to worship | National Post

What a remarkable coincidence! The day after I post a story setting out the argument that atheism could be considered a religion, here's a another post from the Ottawa Citizen stating that 'consumerism' has obtained the status of a 'religion' among today's citizens. I am sincerely trying to understand the arguments made here by Lady Janus and on the Holy Post by 'Rationalist1'. Their point is nuanced and I am having trouble accepting it, but I keep on reading and searching for material such as the Citizen story to help me clarify and refine my logic so that I can decide for myself whether my initial assertion about 'atheism' as a community of belief - for believing that something exists or does not exist seems essentially to me to be the same act.  It is a statement of belief. It is a statement about the essential nature of creation. It is a statement about all that is important regarding the human condition. It bears even to the issue of wha...

What constitutes a 'religion'? RELIGION: (Noun) 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 2. a specific, fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects 3. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience The above definitions, taken from Dictionary.com, focus attention on the essence of what constitutes this universal human phenomena called 'religion'. One might think that the pantheon of religions would contain a relatively static number of belief systems, but as was recently demonstrated in Britain with the acceptance of Druidism, 'new' religions are continuously added to the list. In other parts of the world, partisan...