Timewarp: Is Buddhism a religion? More importantly, does it matter what on earth you call it?

Dear past-me: you're right, it really doesn't matter, and I get that now more than I did back then.

A rose by any other name would surely smell as sweet, or some such.

What Annoys Me
What irks me ever so slightly, is when people use the words atheist and religious as antonyms. Now, I like to think of Buddhism as a religion. But it is an atheist religion. Because all atheist means is that people don’t believe in any gods. I know it shouldn’t matter whether people think Buddhism is a religion, a way of life or a philosophy, and that I shouldn’t have to put a label on it. But thinking of it as a religion makes me feel safe. Maybe it is a religion. I can think of one reason why: rebirth. Surely the idea of reincarnation makes it a religion. Well. Like I said, it doesn’t matter. It just gets a bit annoying when you’re trying to talk about religion and people butt in to tell you that Buddhism isn’t a religion. It’s quite pedantic, I suppose. It is what it is.

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This was written in 2008, and this is what a commenter back then said:

"Religion or not, it’s of much consequence if we don’t try it and see if it works for us. All the time used in arguing would be better spent testing the validity of the teachings."

They're absolutely right.