[Mr E Nigma]

I thought a heathen was just a person who wasn't religious, a person who ignores the idea of gods, etc... As in, not a religion.

I thought that was the general difference between a heathen and an athiest...

Atheism is a religion because it believes in something. It believes that gods and/or deities don't exist, whereas a heathen pays absolutely no attention to it. They don't outright believe gods don't exist, they just ignore the subject matter altogether. They just don't acknowledge it in any way.

I'm neither a heathen or an atheist. So I'm no expert, I could've sworn that's what a heathen was though...