[troutman]

http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQ...l_religion.htm

For some strange reason, many people keep getting the idea that atheism is itself some sort of religion. It's an assertion which I keep hearing in newsgroups, in private email, and in this site's chat room. Maybe it is because these people are so caught up in their own religious beliefs that they cannot imagine any person living without religion of some sort. Maybe it is due to some persistent misunderstanding of what atheism is. And maybe they just don't care that what they are saying really doesn't make any sense.

Does atheism have anything approaching "clearly defined rules?" Not in the least. There is only one "rule," and that is the rule of the definition of "atheism" - not having any belief in any gods.

Does atheism have an "eschatology? Eschatology is a "belief about the end of the world or the last things." There is absolutely, positively nothing inherent in the disbelief in gods that leads one to any opinions about the end of the world.

Does atheism contain "...a philosophy by which to live?" There is nothing inherent in the disbelief in god(s) which leads a person to any philosophy of life.

As the term is normally used, atheism means not believing in any gods. That's as far as "understanding existence" goes with atheism. Other than gods, there's a lot of room for differences among atheists as to what they think about existence. Thus, atheism itself is not an "understanding", but a single commonality.

Atheism is a disbelief, not a philosophy.