There certainly are atheistic religions such as some of the prominent sects of Buddhism and Jainism. But the claim below that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Atheism is a religion is false. All that that court has done is recognized that atheism is "equivalent to a 'religion' for purposes of the First Amendment", and rightfully so. Those who do not have a religious belief should get the same protection under the constitution as those who have such a belief. Here is a statement from one such U. S. Supreme Court ruling:
QUOTE At one time it was thought that this right [referring to the right to choose one’s own creed] merely proscribed the preference of one Christian sect over another, but would not require equal respect for the conscience of the infidel, the atheist, or the adherent of a non-Christian faith such as Islam or Judaism. But when the underlying principle has been examined in the crucible of litigation, the Court has unambiguously concluded that the individual freedom of conscience protected by the First Amendment embraces the right to select any religious faith or none at all. UNQUOTE ....U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38 (1985) Please note the phrase: "First Amendment embraces the right to select any religious faith or none at all". "None at all" cannot be deemed to be a religious faith by any stretch of the imagination when it is contrasted with religious faith itself by the court. Cheers, Santosh > On Tuesday, July 29, 2014 12:19 PM, Marshall Mendonza <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Atheism is a religion according to a 2005 Wisconsin Federal Court ruling on > the matter of *Kaufman v. McCaughtry*, as well as the *Torcaso v. Watkins* > case > by the 1961 U.S. Supreme Court "the highest court in the land" where > court > rulings become national law. Refer: > > > http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-7th-circuit/1467028.html > > > http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=367&invol=488 > > > Regards, > > > Marshall >
