////So Brittany Spears is a religion?////

If she had the apparatus of the state to make an example of anyone who said anything bad about her--yeah, she would be.

/////They said that they were atheist. They told their people not to believe in God.////

Why not? Then you don't have to share power with some damned church. They probably studied the European model for what not to do. Then make themselves god and cut out the middle man.

///They told their people to work for each other and the good of the state.////

Bingo. They ARE the state.

////It's pretty tortured logic to call that religion. Even though Hitchen's does.////

It's tortured not to.