Religion is simply a belief system based upon faith. It may or not have a supernatural element, a deity, a pantheon, etc. Some have argued that marxism is a political religion. Any belief in linear progress toward a steadily improving state has parallels to religion. One of my biggest problems with today's celebrity atheists (Dawkins, Hitchens, etc.) is the shallowness of their thinking. Nietzsche argued famously that "God is dead" but he seriously considered the implications of the the twilight of faith and the death of God in the hearts of men and women. I find no similar depth in the writings of the aforementioned writers.