One of the beautiful things about 2001 is it's easy to have both a religious and atheistic interpretation of it. Kubrick has said the "God concept" is at the heart of the movie, though not in the traditional anthropomorphic sense (see last answer on http://www.krusch.com/kubrick/Q12.html). All the pieces are there.. seeing a miracle, making a journey, becoming enlightened and at one with a higher being, etc.
