The 'Atheist Bible'

Just read an interesting article on the BBC on 'The Good Book' written by Humanist Anthony Clifford Grayling.

It is an effort to be applauded, anything that tries to illuminate on the human struggle to be good is certainly valuable.

But I'm amused by its description as an 'atheist bible'. I thought at first it was the BBC journalist who had simply used the phrase to get attention, but the book is actually subtitled 'a Secular Bible'.

You could quite easily think that atheists are doing their best at emulating the structures and symbols of religion. I have more than once heard Richard Dawkins being called the 'prophet of atheism' by atheists. I remember the Atheist and Agnostic Society in my university trying to organise 'Atheist Awareness Week' in direct emulation and competition with the Islamic Society's 'Islam Awareness Week'.

It seems as if atheism is becoming a religion without a God. Which is made even more ironic by the fact that most atheists say their gripe isn't with a 'God' (who may or may not exist) but with organised religion. The direct imitation of organised religion then is quite contradictory.

Finally, what I'm most suprised by is that atheists/secularists have not made greater attempts at distinguishing themselves from religion, and from avoiding religous terminology and structures. After all, imitation is sincerest form of flattery.