I think this related back to the general theistic conception of "God" and its relationship to spirituality. So the question might be better phased:

"Is atheism simply a reaction/response to theistic conceptions of a personal God?"

and

"If those conceptions ceased to be the dominant view of 'God/spirituality', does that change the focus of the debate? In other words, if 'God' was no longer thought of in terms 'separate entity/enthnocentrism/excuse for biases/omni-ism', but in terms of 'awareness/deepening consciousness/multi-perspectiveness/deepening compassion', does atheism become an abandoned belief system of the rational level of consciousness just as theism is abandoned as a belief system of the high mythic level of consciousness?"

-TC