"football teams, actors, singers, bands" are all tangible entities. Anyone who could consider them to be
deities needs their head looked at.
This thread isn't about militant athiests or their perception of religion(s), it's about scientology being recognised by the Supreme Court as a religion. Clearly certain people will take this as an affront to their perception of what their own religion represents and means to them. It appears to me that some people think scientology as a religion threatens their very faith.
Personally speaking I really don't get what the big issue is. All organised religions are equally ridiculous in my eyes, that is of course my own personal opinion. Whilst I find the notion of a supreme being ridiculous I do respect everyones right to practice a religion or faith should they wish to do so. If people feel value in doing so then, again, that's fine by me and good luck to them but nobody can have a monopoly on religion and the belief of supreme beings.
To seek to deny others the right to practice a religion different to (some may say in competition with) ones own based on some human interpretaion of semantics is beyond laughable.
Again, as Pierre said, it's religious snobbery at its finest.