We live in a world where people are continually arguing about religions in general and their religion in particular. Many people are proud they belong to a religion called Atheism, which many claim is not a religion. Laws in many countries are based around the local dominant religion, and in other countries go out of their way to avoid religion.
Many people object to dates being referred to as AD or BC because this is steeped in religion. The same people are happy to call the days of the week by names derived from the Roman, Norse, and Germanic deities. The Sun, the moon, Tiu, Woden, Thor, Frigg, and Cronos (which after being translated through Latin and German end up as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday).
Likewise, many people nowadays react to the idea of veganism being associated with religious beliefs. This was not always so. Many of the great religions of the world have integrated the believe that one should not eat dead animals. Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism all have strong views opposing the killing of animals for food. Parts of Christianity and Judaism support vegetarianism. When Sikhism began in the 16th century, Guru Nanak advocated vegetarianism and set up a network of vegetarian community kitchens.
Regardless of your immediate gut reaction to the usage of the word religion, many people integrate their veganism into their fundamental belief structure upon which they find peace in the way they lead their life. As such veganism can be seen by some people as a fundamental within their religious beliefs. If you come to feel like this, we are happy for you. If you do not feel like this, we suggest you remain sensitive to the fact that many people do see veganism as part of their religious fundamentals.