Reply #77: It is a principle for some groups

[Az]

But that makes it a component and not a religion itself. There are many ways to becoming an atheist and most of them do not involve becoming part of a group. A person that has never been taught about the idea of gods is an atheist. A person that rejects stories about god is an atheist.

Atheism tells you one aspect of a person. It tells you nothing about who they associate with. What moral precepts they hold. Or even if they know another atheist.