And, in particular, I think that when someone says “atheism is a religion” they’re (almost?) always saying it for rhetorical effect rather than as a carefully considered statement they’d be prepared to explain the exact meaning of and give justification for. Which means, I think, that it’s reasonable to respond in a way optimized for rhetorical effect (e.g., with the sort of comparison HalMorris posted upthread—I don’t really think it’s a “rationality quote”, but I think it’s a perfectly good response to “atheism is just another religion”).
If the person who said “atheism is a religion” then follows up with something more carefully considered that isn’t refuted by likening atheism to turning the TV off, or being bald, or not playing any notes on the piano, or whatever, that’s a good outcome: you’ve got something actually worth discussing. If they just drop the subject, that’s a different kind of good outcome: a silly rhetorical trick has been neutralized by a less silly rhetorical trick. (Less silly because I think the response is more defensible than the original provocation.)
Right.
And, in particular, I think that when someone says “atheism is a religion” they’re (almost?) always saying it for rhetorical effect rather than as a carefully considered statement they’d be prepared to explain the exact meaning of and give justification for. Which means, I think, that it’s reasonable to respond in a way optimized for rhetorical effect (e.g., with the sort of comparison HalMorris posted upthread—I don’t really think it’s a “rationality quote”, but I think it’s a perfectly good response to “atheism is just another religion”).
If the person who said “atheism is a religion” then follows up with something more carefully considered that isn’t refuted by likening atheism to turning the TV off, or being bald, or not playing any notes on the piano, or whatever, that’s a good outcome: you’ve got something actually worth discussing. If they just drop the subject, that’s a different kind of good outcome: a silly rhetorical trick has been neutralized by a less silly rhetorical trick. (Less silly because I think the response is more defensible than the original provocation.)