Do you consider atheism a religion? [Spirituality & Religion]
I was looking at this graph, and I was surprised to see atheism listed on the side. This graph represents the "educational attainment of U.S. religious groups." This post isn't about that specifically, although you're more than welcome to address it if you so wish. It is, however, an example of how atheism is often considered a religion. What are your thoughts?
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It covers religious beliefs, not religions; and appears to try to examine what if any effects there are on educational success, from religious beliefs.
Atheism and agnosticism are beliefs about religion but (obviously) not religions, by the usual definition that a religion is a belief in a supernatural deity.
They, and the abstainers listed as "nothing in particular" had to be included to make the survey socially as well as arithmetically fair.
However if we judge the survey purely by that graph, if that is all its asks, it seems based on a serious flaw. It appears to link educational success only to religious belief; whereas of course it is also linked to social attitudes, possibly more so; and of course and most importantly also to individual ability, outlook and ambitions.
It also cannot consider those who might state a religious belief but be anything from raving fundamentalist proselytiser, to merely nominal "~ist" attending only weddings and funerals; or those who convert to, change or abandon their beliefs.
It would be interesting to know what that survey set out to do, if it was anything more than a purely academic estimation that risks muddling correlation with cause.
