Shinto and Buddhism I have a high respect for

I'm an atheist, therefore I have no doctrines to follow.

I say this respectfully and in the interest of harboring further understanding, but Atheism itself is a doctrine, and typically implies other doctrines. The closest label to not having any doctrines would probably be Agnostic or Nihilist.

Elaborate.

My two cents:

Atheism merely means one does not believe the statement "there is at least one deity" is correct.

Beyond that, there are no principles or practices akin to atheism: we don't worship "Atheos," we don't read The Origin of Species for guidance, don't go to the local science lab every Sunday for mass, etc.

Anyone who tries to make atheism into a religion is missing the point. Atheism is inherently a non-religion because it lacks an agreed-upon moral consensus, rituals or any simialr defining characteristics.

Religions can be atheisTIC, such as LaVeyanism or Buddhism, but they attach their own beliefs nad practices to this concept, sometimes in addition to others i.e. atheism not being the core concept. And I also contest that with the growing popularity of atheism, mroe atheists start grouping together, forming communities, and even formign churches... obviously, they've missed the point aswell.

Becuase of this imposed flexibility, atheism, only implies other doctrines because it's been attached to them. Really, when I look at atheism as the word only (preferably in a neutral typeface), images of the inverted cross and hope to an end to religion in general cross my mind. However, those are my own experiences projected onto an arbitrary mixture of black and white. SOmeone else may look at the word and think of soemthing entirely different. Atheism only imples what a person thinks it implies, jsut like any other random word in the dictionary.

Again, religions can be atheisTIC, but no religion is atheISM and atheISM is not a religion.

Correct and I agree with you, however the belief that there are fewer than one god(s) conforms perfectly to the definition of a doctrine:

doc·trine

noun /ˈdäktrin/ 
doctrines, plural

1. A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group
* - the doctrine of predestination

2. A stated principle of government policy, mainly in foreign or military affairs
* - the Monroe Doctrine

There are often other doctrines that Atheists as individuals adhere to - such as the doctrine of the scientific method, but I am not making that assertion with my previous statement. I'm simply pointing out that a belief in a lack of gods is doctrinal, so saying that there are no doctrines to adhere to as an atheist is a bit self-contradictory.

1. While I can agree atheism would fall under the "other" category, how the hell is it "taught?" Unless it's read in a book, I can't fathom a mehtod of teachign atheism other than saying "atheism is..." And even then, atheism has no place to teach this, unless you do indeed count the bogus chruch of atheism, in chich case I maintin it wouldn't be atheism, rahter it would be atheistic.

The example of predestination also greatly confuses me, as it's just about the opposite of atheism. Unless this came with the dictionary definition, which I could get, but isn't predestination a belief that God has willed every event [ast, present and future? In the case of atheism, obviously, this wouldn't apply.

2. Again makes no sense unless you consider atheism a political movement, which in some respects I could see the connections.

The word "individual" points out the key reason, I think, why atheism has no doctrines, because things liek existentialism, nihilism, satanism, national socialism... all are APPLIED to atheism, but NONE of them are inherently a part of atheism; they can be atheistic but not atheism.

Really, the only thing I can see that ties atheism to a doctrine is half of the first definition, as it is a belief held by a group of some kind.

Now, if you were talking to my anthropology professor, he'ed probably go more into the reasons why atheists aren't a group, but that to me makes it unnecessarily complicated. It may be a matter of inside-looking-out versus outside-looking-in, but no matter where you stand, its already entered the definition of a "group."

I haven't yet found my particular religious/spiritual calling. I do, however, LOVE to read about them all :)

Unitarian Universalist. I can study any of the world's religions with a safe and hopefully logical framework. :3

As far as rituals which are unique to UUism, we have the following:

Flower Communion (PDF)

People were asked to bring a flower of their choice, either from their own gardens. or from the
field or roadside. When they arrived at church a large vase stood waiting in the vestibule,
attended by two young members of the Church School. Each person was asked to place their
own flower in the vase. This signified that it was by their own free will they joined with the
others. The vase that contained all the flowers was a symbol of the united church fellowship.

After the service, as people left the church, they went to the vase and each took a flower from
the vase other than the one that they had brought. The significance of the flower communion
is that as no two flowers are alike, so no two people are alike, yet each has a contribution to
make. Together the different flowers form a beautiful bouquet. Our common bouquet would
not be the same without the unique addition of each individual flower, and thus it is with our
church community, it would not be the same without each and every one of us. Thus this
service is a statement of our community.

By exchanging flowers, we show our willingness to walk together in our Search for truth,
disregarding all that might divide us. Each person takes home a flower brought by someone
else - thus symbolizing our shared celebration in community. This communion of sharing is
essential to a free people of a free religion.

Water Communion

Due to the nature of Unitarian Universalism, traditions vary from one congregation to another; however, most Water Communions follow the same general idea. Throughout the year, members of the congregation collect samples of water from various places they go to, ranging from vacations to homes; film canisters are often used as containers for this purpose. At the service, the samples of water are placed in a bowl and allowed to mix. This water is often used for ceremonial purposes at other times of the year (although some congregations use water "symbolically" from the Communion, as storing the water can be impractical and various bacteria in the water can cause foul odors.)

I am still searching for my beliefs, I find very good philosophies and values in many religions, one of my personal favorites being Hinduism.
I myself like to think I am, in a way, in a religion of my own, maybe even closer tied to LaVeyan Satanism than anything else, not sure, but I do enjoy following the Wicken Ideals of respecting nature, but also I believe in fighting physically for what I believe is right and am all for getting back at someone.

Not sure exactly at the moment.
Go ahead and elaborate on this if you want, if not, that's cool to. ^_^

Hinduism huh? I'm curious about that religion, would you be able to tell me about it?

I can tell you a bit of what I know, but I am far from an expert.
I know it is different for everyone, it is more a set of ideals than a strict guidline to life.

"do you know how many different varieties of hinduism there is? count all the hindus and you will know." Is what my Dad says, he was raised on a Hindu farm, there is even a book about some of the atrocites he had to endure, because said farm was corrupt, it was an underground smuggling stop for drugs and guns, but he did learn many ways of Hinduism and he knows the stories and gods, I can ask him.

also, if you want to know the book, it is "Monkey on a Stick", he grew up with almost everyone in that book.

Quick warning, the book is pretty graphic.