Edit: Doh, I see my error now. I did mispeak last, disregard.
Now, to clarify what I meant.
When I say response, I don't mean a personal response, like someone forming an opinion on it. What I mean is that Atheism exists because of religion, making it a response to it. I'll give you an example of what I mean.
Imagine if String Theory, for instance, were to suddenly take over the scientific community, and because of this, many scientists began to identify themselves as Quantists, people who lack a belief or outright reject String Theory.
Now let's pretend that String Theory didn't happen. Would Quantists exist? No. The group was formed as a response to String Theory.
