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How can a religion by atheistic? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Emile Durkheim suggested that religion could largely be characterised as a form of social organisation, in terms of providing a set of moral norms that inhibit anomie or moral lawlessness. In historical terms, religion has tended to function as the crux of social organisation, whether this refers to churches being the centre of village society or establishing schools in nineteenth century Britain. Nonetheless, the diminshing role of religion in increasingly secular and materialistic societies suggests that this social role is one religion is ceasing to be able to fill. As such, there seems little reason why atheists are not able to appropriate the social function of religion to form communities.

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