Atheism is a Religion like Abstinence is a Sex Position

When it comes to debates between religious folks and non-believers, it's not uncommon to hear the former claim that atheism is itself a religion ultimately based on faith. And it's not just your ordinary bible-thumping redneck either. If you've ever watched any of the debates on this blog featuring the philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig, you will have noticed that he's a conniving master at trying to shift the burden of proof to the atheist. He claims that the atheist has to prove that atheism is true (in various logic, probabilistic and evidence-based ways) while the believer merely has to make a case for the possibility of God or to use God as the best explanation for a given set of facts (never mind the fact that he has to posit the existence of the supernatural, without proving it, in order to make his case).

Not only is this disingenuous, and quite possibly impious, but as a philosopher and a self-professed scholar, he should know that those who make affirmative claims (such as "God exists") are the ones who have the responsibility or proving their case. The skeptic is entirely free to reject any claim that doesn't satisfy her own standards of reason and evidence. If I tell you that the Flying Spaghetti Monster touched me in my no-no place with his noodly appendage, it's up to me to prove the truth of this claim. It's not up to you to disprove it.

But back to atheism being a religion. Well, why don't I just let Bill Maher handle this one? Since many people believe that atheism is a religion, then atheists should get to do all the wacky things the religious get to, right? It's only fair. So, Maher decided he's going to unbaptize Mitt Romney's dead father in law :)

Oh, that remark about Ayn Rand just made my day :)