Do you think atheists have made the mistake of confusing God with religion?

So, you're saying that atheists are Diests without realizing it? As an atheist, I disagree. I'm an atheist rather than a Diest, because I don't see any reason to fit something God-related into my world view. I can, however, think of many reasons why people might do so. For example: 1) They were raised to believe in God, but have loved ones who will fall apart if it's ever discovered they've stopped believing, so they offer them a watered down version of a god-belief, that borders on atheism without being atheism. 2) They were raised to believe in God, but as they stopped believing, they struggled with having to give up some of the benefits their belief used to give them. Diesm eases the transition. 2) They have some inner sense of there being some greater power underlying the natural world. According to recent research, there may be an innate tendancy toward belief in a higher power in many humans. Someone with such a biological tendancy will be a Diest, while one without will likely be an atheist.