Is Atheism a religion?

Atheists tend to advocate the belief that there are no deities. In Western society Atheism seems to have increased in popularity as measured by census reporting and development of groups advocating a Humanist approach. However, this does raise the question of where Atheism sits in relation to religion.

How successful are atheists in moving us on from religion? Is Atheism developing into a religion of its own?

In this Lit & Phil Philosophy Forum we will investigate aspects such as ‘what is religion?’, the differences and similarities between Theism and Atheism, and what the moral questions are that are resulting from a shift to an Atheist-based society - if that is actually the case.

The session will be presented by David Leader, who wrote the focus paper and who also hosts the regular podcast, ‘Church Ahead’. David will utilise his life experiences from working within the Christian Church whilst also taking a broader perspective looking at other approaches to collective approaches to modern society.

Everyone will be encouraged to become actively involved and given an opportunity to discuss their views.

Good to know: We take pride in putting the fun back into serious philosophy through our friendly and respectful discussions involving different levels of experience of philosophy. The Lit & Phil Philosophy Forum is all about collectively exploring interesting and exciting ideas from different viewpoints … not winning arguments!

We are usually oversubscribed, so if you book but find out later that you cannot attend, please cancel your ticket to free up a place for someone else. Thank you.

Host or Publisher The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society