To many Buddhists, it too is a religion. They say so themselves.

I'm reading a wonderfully spiritual and metaphysical book, One, by Richard Bach. In one chapter, they happen upon a man kneeling by a light. Think of the burning bush. Pages of wonderful thoughts come out of the light. Richard wants to safeguard and spread the messages. The man that he came upon talks him through what will happen if he talks up this cause. Wars are predicted. Richard burns the pages that contained the messages he loved. "The old man sighed his relief. 'What a blessed evening!" he said. 'How rarely are we given the chance to save the world from a new religion!'"

...

"'He's right, [Leslie] said [to Richard], looking after the man until he could be seen no more, 'whoever wants truth and light can find it for themselves.'"