There's no generally accepted definition of "religion", and people use the word in different ways, so people are perfectly entitled to apply it to anything they want, provided they don't expect everyone else necessarily to agree with them.
Plotinus, people are usually respectful in your "Theologian" threads, correct? That's not the case in other threads. If I say "I'm atheist" and someone argues a dozen times afterward that this means I'm "religious" or "follow the atheist religion" or "follow the atheist faith" it honestly feels like trolling. Saying it once could be a mistake or misunderstanding. Saying it many times is just baiting and intending to cause anger - isn't this part of the definition of trolling?There's no generally accepted definition of "religion", and people use the word in different ways, so people are perfectly entitled to apply it to anything they want, provided they don't expect everyone else necessarily to agree with them.
Since my preferred version of Civ is Civ II: Test of Time, religion never comes into it. The only time I bother with anything religion-themed in that game is to quell civil disorder until I can build the relevant Wonders and switch the government to Fanaticism (in the Midgard game). Then any temples or monasteries that got built get sold.If we're talking about Civilization, then no, atheism is not a religion. IRL, though, atheism can reasonably be called a religion, in the same way that zero is a number.
This is what I'm talking about, except it's not a "may be possible" situation. It's blatant and very obvious.However, if a user were to stridently insist on labelling another poster in a way they did not wish to be labelled, it may be possible to discern an objective intention to provoke a negative reaction.
On a limb, I'm guessing this attitude has arisen in / from the USA. Where I live, where the default position is atheism (and where little distinction is made between atheism and agnosticism, let alone gnostic atheism, gnostic theism, agnostic atheism, and agnostic atheism), it would be seen as very weird and silly to go around calling atheism a religion.IRL, though, atheism can reasonably be called a religion, in the same way that zero is a number.
I see many sigs and posts promoting religion (real world religion, not in game CI religions!) in the Civ forums.
When I post something pro-humanistic and object to the religious proselytizing, I am reprimanded in very unkind language. The moderator is clearly some kind of evangelical.
I come here to talk about GAMES, not real world stuff, and it's very disappointing to have to put up with the horrid religious talk, and then to have a sanctimonious mod smack me down for being pro-humanistic.
Is this a christian site, and I just never knew about it till now?
I'm with John Lennon -- give peace a chance and imagine no religion. BUT I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO EXPRESS THOSE VIEWS ON THIS FORUM. It shouldn't even come up!
Why don't they ban all real world religious talk? That's the only way to make it a clean site. You know, separate church and state.
Erm, you've just posted that people in an Internet forum should not be subject to ridicule…
And my name is that of a deity of darkness and destruction and all-round evil lets-conquer-the-world plans in a fictional D&D setting, but I do not go around trying to conquer the world!