American atheists lined up to be "de-baptized" in a ritual using a hair dryer, according to a report Friday on U.S. late-night news program "Nightline."

Leading atheist Edwin Kagin blasted his fellow non-believers with the hair dryer to symbolically dry up the holy water sprinkled on their heads in days past. The styling tool was emblazoned with a label reading "Reason and Truth."

Kagin believes parents are wrong to baptize their children before they are able to make their own choices, even slamming some religious eduction as "child abuse." He said the blast of hot air was a way for adults to undo what their parents had done.

"I was baptized Catholic. I don't remember any of it at all," said 24-year-old Cambridge Boxterman. "According to my mother, I screamed like a banshee ... so you can see that even as a young child I didn't want to be baptized. It's not fair. I was born atheist, and they were forcing me to become Catholic."

Kagin doned a monk's robe and said a few mock-Latin phrases before inviting those wishing to be de-baptized to "come forward now and receive the spirit of hot air that taketh away the stigma and taketh away the remnants of the stain of baptismal water."

Ironically, Kagin's own son became a fundamentalist Christian minister after having "a personal revelation in Jesus Christ."

"One wonders where they went wrong," he chuckled to the TV show.

Well, in order to have the protection of the Free Exercise clause it has to be a religion legally speaking. We've been over the issue a few times here in the past (I think during your absence) and it's pretty much unavoidable that Atheism, other than the "I don't know if there's a God, but I don't think so and don't believe in Him, but I don't care what anyone else thinks" variety is, in fact, a religion. Those who've protested that it isn't seem to want it not to be so that it can evade the Establishment clause and be the state religion without being the state religion.

I would disagree. If a strong-belief system (that is not fact based) and ritual made this a religion then we would have to expand the definition to include fraternities, the Masons, sports teams and a lot of things that we would not normally consider a religion.

I would disagree. If a strong-belief system (that is not fact based) and ritual made this a religion then we would have to expand the definition to include fraternities, the Masons, sports teams and a lot of things that we would not normally consider a religion.

But you will take the time to tell others that their views are "retarded"?

Well, that is, in my experience, generally what atheism is about. At least, from a behavioralist perspective.

Well, that is, in my experience, generally what atheism is about. At least, from a behavioralist perspective.

Yeah, as has been discussed ad nauseam, "I don't know, really" is an agnostic if you're honest about definitions. I know it's not as hip and cool as declaring yourself atheist, because all the cool kids are atheist, not agnostic. That's my theory on where the "No, I don't believe there's no god, I'm just an atheist that's not sure" crap comes from. That, or poor education.

I've explained my position on why athiesm is not a religion many times on these forums, I'm not going to waste my time trying to explain it again.

Well, that is, in my experience, generally what atheism is about. At least, from a behavioralist perspective.

If Atheism becomes a religion does that mean we can get our schools to stop teaching it as truth?

If Atheism becomes a religion does that mean we can get our schools to stop teaching it as truth?

Yes, you've explained. And, when confronted with the reality of how Atheism is practiced, continually fall back on the No True Scotsman fallacy. More to the point, New Atheism and Atheism as you describe it both require active disbelief, which makes both irrational and faith based.

Dude, this is exactly what I mean by "retarded".

Atheism isn't "practiced" as a general rule. Yes there are some zealotous morons out there who are trying to put some ritual around their beliefs, but that is the exception not the rule. Similarly ritual does not equal religion. The Masons, Hell's Angels, Daughters of the Revolution and Sojourners all have rituals they observe in their meetins, yet none are religious organizations.

As I've said before, I'm uncomfortable labeling atheism as a religion because then by the same logic you can label pretty much anything as a religion. HIGW is now a religion. So is every conspiracy theory.