I find these arguments somewhat puzzling.
There seems to be a rather desperate attempt by the religious crowd here to prove that atheism is a religion - does that mean that to be 'religious' is a bad thing, or just that it is 'bad' not to ascribe to the same religion as they do - do tell?
Awful lot if semantics around the definition of "religion" here, but "any shore when the boat springs a leak", as they say.
To most of us 'religion' means a belief in bogey men and sky fairies of whatever denomination; anything else falls under the headings, "passion for" or "intense interest in".
Jim Carroll