Debating Atheists

My daughter told me that she just had a debate with an atheist, I think it was on twitter or FB.  We had a long discussion. We talked about it for quite a long time and I related to her the things that I learnt from my own debates, particularly with atheist fellow students at the university.

The basic points are the same. I find it interesting that they have not changed since more than two decades ago.  So there really is no point in me elaborating the points and their counter arguments at this time.

However, there was one point that I feel needs to be said. The atheists she was talking to were denigrating religions and people who follow religions.  One thing that they failed to notice is that they too are following a religion. Think about it. Religions, for example the three Abrahamic religions, are systems of beliefs and possibly ways of life that are based on several basic principles that are derived from one basic belief: the belief in One God.  Similarly, atheism is really a system of belief and possibly a way of life that is derived from onbe basic belief, that is the belief in the absence of God. For intents and purposes then, atheism is a religion.  So when these people say all those terrible things about religions and people who believe in religions, they are really talking about themselves also.