I must not condemn others for thinking in the same way as I do (this is pretty much the same as the golden rule).

Could you explain what you meant, you worded it in a confusing way. I need it clarified before I answer again.... by the way though being an athiest is a relligion ... the definition is... a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, 2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects:

So yeah I have tons of atheist friends that have the same thoughts as you, so according to this you have common ground and fight for the same thing... so religion. And I hate the idea of religion, but I think science can become a religion...=)

Anyways... please by all means I would appreciate if you wrote me back. danke.

Let's start with the definition of religion. The problem is that both bits of definition you supply apply to most religion, but not everything they describe is a religion. As an atheist, my belief about the cause of nature is that there isn't one, and I similarly think the universe has no purpose. True, lack of belief in these things is an opinion about these things, but I don't think that makes me religious. This would sort of be like my saying that you are someone who knows something about my Uncle Carl, when all you know about him is that you don't know who he is or whether he even exists.

Part #2 isn't much more help. My only religious belief is lack of religious belief, and my religious practices are similarly nonexistent. The risk here is you don't want to accidentally define "family" as a kind of religion just because they share beliefs and practices. This part of the definition would also lead one to conclude that someone who believed in a deity but agreed with nobody about that belief would not be considered religious. Obviously, this isn't true.

This also makes me wonder what you mean when you say that you hate religion. I doubt that you hate people who have an opinion about the universe that other people agree with. And by your definition, science would definitely be a religion. Where I'm going with this is that I don't think the dictionary definition of religion you quoted really matches with your belief of what a religion is. Perhaps if you told me in your own words how you would describe religion it would be more clear.

Now the easy bit -- my second rule.

I must not condemn others for thinking in the same way as I do. For example, if I think, "I shouldn't have to make a full stop at a stop sign" then I can't get mad at someone who doesn't make a full stop at a stop sign. Similarly, if I think, "those who do not share my religion should be killed," then I can't hold it against someone who tries to kill me because of my religion.

Does that make it more clear? If not, I will elaborate.