Most christians and other theists I come across on the internet and in person try to attack atheists and atheism by implying that it is a religion just like theirs. The reason they think that atheism is a religion (according to some theists that I've argued with anyway) is because they believe that atheists are basing their ideas of not believing in a god or gods on faith just as they are believing in a god or gods on faith.
Two things to consider here when christians or other theist makes this claim that atheism is based on faith:
1.)If atheism is a faith or religion, then atheists have no need to criticise other faiths or religions.
2.)If atheism is a faith or religion, then I see no reason why theists should have a problem with atheism being taught in schools as part of religious education, or even the setting up of atheist-run schools right by Potestant, Catholic and Muslim schools for instance. Especially since most christians keep insisting that their religious beliefs should be taught in the first place.
However, the most important thing that theist need to understand about the flaw in their argument is:
Atheism means no theism. If you do not believe in a creator like a god, gods, and goddessses, then you are a atheist.
Also, many theists that make the claim that the atheist's ideas of there not being a god are based on faith say that some atheist based their ideas on a belief. Therefore theists claim that since some atheists use the word "believe" they are basing their ideas of not being a god on faith. Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between the statements, "I believe there is no god" and "I do not believe that god exist". The first statement is implying a belief. The other one is implying no belief. Most atheist (including me of course) I come across always say, "I do not believe that god exist". Not the first statement.
Also keep in mind that atheist (again including me) will say "That god does not exist", not because they choose not to believe so, but because from the description of the god or gods by any theist, and based on reasonable inferences it cannot exist because of it's contradictory attributes. If, for instance, a god is defined as a entity that offers free will; but yet it is omnimpotent and do anything it wants because we are it's property; then this god cannot, and therefore will not exist because of the contradictory attributes. Just like "cubic spheres" cannot and therefore will not exist because of it's contradictory attributes (A cube have 8 corners, a sphere have no corners. You figure the rest out for yourself).
If christians and other theists describe their deity with self-contradicting attributes which makes no sense or in reality, it is impossible, then I can safely say that such a thing does not exist based on the description. It is not faith, it is reasonable inference.
Atheism means away from theism. Atheist do not pray, have churches, preists/pastors/bishops, stop at someone's door to try to convert someone, follow a book of fairy tales (such as the bible), or do any other silly stuff that religious people or theists would do. Atheism cannot be a religion or a faith if there is no god, gods, godesses or some other supernatural creator to believe in.
