Atheism

In an September 1973 Ensign article entitled ?¢‚Ǩ?ìWhat Every Freshman Should Know,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù Boyd K. Packer makes the claim that atheism is a religion.

There is a crying need for the identification of atheism for what it is, and that is, a religion?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùalbeit a negative one, nevertheless it is a religious expression. It is the one extreme end of the spectrum of thought concerning the causation of things.

He goes on to state the following:

It is equally ridiculous to separate theism from atheism and claim that they are two separate matters, particularly when we condone, in some instances encourage, the atheist to preach his doctrine in the college classroom

and:

Atheism, as theism, is divided into many sects?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùcommunism, agnosticism, skepticism, humanism, pragmatism, and there are others.

Is atheism really a religion? Are atheists defined more by what they are not (believers in God) than by what they are (everything else)? Is someone who does not believe in God automatically going to fall into one of the “sects” Elder Packer lists? Is it possible to separate theism and atheism?