Keeping Atheism in the Closet

I get bombarded with all sorts of articles on Facebook, and every now and then I stumble upon a gem. This article goes over the phenomenon of keeping Atheism and Atheist in the closet. My personal expedience coming out as a non-believer  is not far off from the stories mentioned in the article. I try to avoid talking about religion but when it does come up I get plenty of "I'm praying for you", "just go to church more", and "you were a Christian when you were younger". I'm not the type that rubs my Atheism in your face. In fact what I enjoy is dialoging, sharing, and learning why others believe what they believe. I'm more interested in the person than the beliefs themselves. The article made a great point as to what drives this uneasiness that believers have of unbelievers:

“For many families, being religious is less about spiritual beliefs, and more about family identity. More than anything else, going to religious services is a family togetherness activity, or even a family duty. As Sally M. says, who was brought up Catholic but has been an atheist since childhood, says, “The whole family has always treated church like a chore, so they probably assumed I was claiming atheism to get out of wasting my Sunday. If my mother had to drag herself and the rest of my siblings out of bed, there was no way I was getting out of it.” And some believers may think that participating in religious rituals will somehow draw atheists back into belief.

 I don't attend church because it doesn't speak to me. Some have said that I need to "let the Spirit in" and then I'll believe, that if I "let go" or "stop trying too hard" that the spirit will flood in. But no matter how I've approached this nothing happens. The only person I will attend church with is my wife, I do this out of love, support, and respect for my wife's beliefs. When I do attend with her I am as respectful as possible but I will not lie about my beliefs, or lack thereof. (Thankfully, and surprisingly, that awkward conversation has not happened. I guess most church goers simply assume everyone else there is a believer.)

So why are believers so uncomfortable with unbelievers even existing? I believe it's because they've been taught not to question their beliefs by fellow believers, pastors/priest, and even scripture itself, that when they meet someone who has wrestled with these questions they begin to question the religious aspect of their identity. I believe the more inclusive and accepting of others the person is the less likely the believer will feel threatened by non-believers. If a belief held by your religious community keeps you in fear of those outside of your group is it really worth it to keep that belief? Did you really choose to follow that belief (Note: I'm talking about a single belief not a religion, or religion as a whole.) or are you only believing out of fear of being excluded or out of tradition?

Get Out!

"To the Atheist watching this telecast if our belief in God offends you, Move!... We don't want you and we won't miss you." John Hagee

I've been silent here for well over a month for personal reason I won't go into too much detail. Let's just say that I had to part ways with an unnamed major cellular company. I worked at their call center for the last year and a half before the stress got to me and I snapped. I am going back to school in the fall to get my M.S. in Computer Science so I'll have a bit more free time to post. One video posted yesterday by Vorjack at Unreasonable Faith (love these guys) caught my attention this morning.



Hagee and the rest of his Super Best Friends are in their death throes clawing and gnashing at everyone and everything that doesn't fit their version of Christianity. What can you do when the latest surveys and reports in the last few years state that churches across America are hemorrhaging young people? Shut the door, plug your ears, and yell. They feel that their existence is in peril, and it is unless they change. And since change is seen as a threat, as polluting the holy, it is out of the question. To them it is much easier to tell your neighbor to move than to shake their hand. It is easier to ignore their existence and even threaten them than to coexist with them. Why? Because they, Hagee and friends, are so stuck on the idea of exclusivity that reality becomes a cosmic battle of dominance. It is either us or them, only one side CAN win. Like the dwarfs sitting in a pitch black stable in C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle some (not all) evangelicals would rather live in their version of reality than embrace the possibility that our neighbor may not be the boogie men some megaphone-mouthed pastors portray them as, but may even be *gasp!* human. What bothers me about this video is not Hagee and his comments, but the audience's overwhelming support. It's the everyday people and their support of these unloving comments in a "house of love". I'm sure at some point the congregation sang a hymn about how much God loves everyone. An ideal which unfortunately has been sacrificed for the temporary survival of the group.

As the shift continues towards more non-traditional forms of spirituality (or even None at all) the fundamentalist theists will get louder and more violent in their rhetoric. The non-theist, agnostic, atheist and non-traditional spiritualist must hold our ground not in fighting fire with fire but to extinguish hateful words with love and understanding. Our goal should be to lessen the suffering of others not add to it. And for those still in a religious group like this one who feel uncomfortable I urge you to leave, not to convert you to my side but to urge you to find your own path, your own cosmic song to sing. Get out and follow that which inspires you to be a better you.

So What?

I know this piece of news is a bit outdated but I just had to share. RNS posted an article over a week ago about how 4 out of 10 Americans just don't care for anything spiritual. Check out the link to read up on all the numbers but to me I still think numbers are well, numbers. But what catches my attention is the question behind the survey. Why are people drifting away from religion and things spiritual? I believe that Barry Kosmin, co-author of the ARIS and director of the Institute for the Study of Secularism at Trinity College hit the nail on the head.

“But a lot of these people are concerned more with the tangible, the real stuff like mortgages or their favorite football team or the everyday world,” Kosmin said.

People are more concerned with the here and now than what may or may not happen in the afterlife or concerned with seeking for the meaning of life. I know to many people religion is their number one priority and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying just because your neighbor has different priorities that you should change yours, but it wouldn't hurt to get to know the why behind your neighbor's priorities. For example, there was an overly cheery, elderly gentleman who joined my family in the hospital elevator down to the ground floor. We were on our way back home from a visit with my wife's grandfather who is still recovering from major surgery when we ran into this elderly gentleman in the elevator. He was smiling from ear to ear and making small talk and joking with another passenger in the elevator when he made an interesting comment.

"I've not much time left in this world, we're all going to a better place."

 Now in the South you run into someone just about everyday who enjoys witnessing and sharing their faith, and at first this comment appeared as another public witnessing. It wasn't until on the ride home that it hit me: the comment was a cry for help. The poor man was probably visiting someone, his wife perhaps, who doesn't have much time left. He is comforted by the fact that his loved one will soon be going to a better place and that the pain will soon be gone. If I had realized his suffering sooner I might have at the very least given him an it's gonna be okay smile than just a hello smile. Believe me there's a difference. I would have gone as far as having a quick 3 minute prayer session with the gentleman in the hospital corridor even though I don't believe in the power of prayer. Why? Because my spirituality is based on my relationship with my fellow man. Our shared suffering and our shared joy is what brings us and binds us to one another. So when Americans in this survey are saying so what to traditional religion and God I don't think for a second they are saying so what to their fellow man. I believe they are redefining the boundaries of their community and identity. I believe they are moving from just loving their neighbor who sits next them in church to also loving their non-Christian neighbor who they pass by in the supermarket.

Does it really matter if more Americans consider themselves as a part of the Nones category or even as far as this subset of So What? I believe our morality flows from our humanity and our interconnectedness with one another than from any outside divine source. In the original article by Cathy Lynn Grossman, Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, fears that this apathetic mentality and the goodness vs. godliness mindset is a disaster for Christians, "If you're not worried about heaven, you won't notice or care if Jesus is essential your salvation. You're not thinking about any consequences," McConnell says. I believe this fear is more based on the fear of identity erosion than about consequences. Just because you don't believe that Christ is your savior means that all morality gets thrown out with the window. Anyone who has lived in a dormitory understands that even if the dean or the RA is not around doesn't mean you can light firecrackers in the hallway or fail to pay attention where you're "aiming" while using the restroom. We all still live under one global roof and being apathetic to religion and spirituality does not mean we will forget about consequences.

The Spirituality of an Atheist- Part 3

"Just because I'm an atheist and I lack belief in a god doesn't mean I deny spiritual experiences... "~Adam, (The Man of Earth)

Can an Atheist be spiritual? What does it mean to be spiritual? Most people connect spirituality with religion but this does not mean that the words are interchangeable. I believe the spirituality experienced by believers is the same as nonbelievers, there is only a difference in language and context. Some may also confuse the supernatural with the spiritual, which is understandable because of spirituality's close ties to religion. The spirituality described in the previous posts (part 1, part 2) by other Atheist share a common theme: a deeply moving and indescribable connection with the universe. Although they don't go as far as saying they Are the universe, as expressed in Pantheism and Panentheism, but since we are made of stardust we share a connection with the universe. They leave room for awe of the unknown but remain well grounded in reason and reality. Spirituality for Atheist like Adam is an embrace of the transcendent majesty of the universe and our unique position, as walking, talking stardust, which allows us to interact with it. You can see his part 1 video below and part 2, here.



There are many other Atheists on Youtube with various descriptions, experiences, and thoughts on Spirituality as Atheists. I encourage everyone interested in the topic to check out the videos or even strike up a conversation with an Atheist on the street (they won't bite, I promise). If you're an Atheist please feel free to leave a comment below on your personal experiences or thoughts on spirituality.

The Spirituality of an Atheist- Part 2

"I don't believe in anything outside the natural world." ~Cristina Rad

Cristina is one of the more rational, engaging, and approachable Youtube Atheist I've come across. In this video Cristina talks about her thoughts on Spirituality as an Atheist. Both Cristina and A. Hughman, another Youtube Atheist, both agree and explain in recent videos that the spirit and spirituality may have more to do with Man's unique characteristics and experiences of imagination, consciousness, and beauty than anything supernatural. Yet they both leave room for wonder, awe, and mystery. Just because we understand the mechanics of a rainbow doesn't make it in any less beautiful or keeps us from, as Cristina puts it, "admiring it like a fool."



I like to call these moments of awe, love, and beauty we experience, God. I don't worship or pray to it, but wish to simply breathe it in and experience, simply BE. I believe it is when we try to capture this experience and, as A. Hughman puts it, "prostitute the awe" do we fail to grasp the sheer joy and excitement of simply living.

The Spirituality of an Atheist

I recently stumbled upon this video by A. Hughman on his spirituality as an Atheist. This is a truly heartbreaking video I recommend to everyone.



What does it mean to be spiritual? The answers differ based on our worldviews yet beneath it all we share the same Human Spirit. My spirituality rests in the sharing between myself and others, and myself with the Universe. To me, being spiritual is allowing the wonder and beauty of All overtake us until we lose our sense of separateness and blend with All.

The Man Behind the Curtain

Which God do you pray to? Is it a jealous and angry anthropomorphic God or a God of transcendent love and the source of infinite creative energy? Is it neither, both, or other? Or do you choose not to pray. Regardless of your answers everyone should consider the characteristics of your view of God. I know Atheists have and they've rejected God partly because of some of these characteristics.




If you're a Christian and you actually sat through that entire video, pat yourself on the back. Did you pick up on the key words he used to describe God? Old Testament God. Today I'm going to play devil's advocate so that we can understand why some Atheists are so against God, or at least the Old Testament God. Just watch it again and listen to a few of the characteristics Mr. Condell uses to describe God. Is he taking certain characteristics of the biblical God out of context while misinterpreting other traits like justice as violence? Some Christians would think so but that doesn't get to the root of the problem. The problem is God's portrayal in the Old Testament; it's too anthropomorphic to be God, unless of course, God is some sort of Exalted Man, then our monotheistic faiths would make perfect sense.

I don't believe that God's true nature can be the same as the God of the Old Testament. He is jealous, angry, vengeful, demands worship, the list goes on and on. Why for example would the Creator of the Universe command us to love him? Love Me or burn.

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Why would God have ANY of these attributes in the first place, unless we are grossly mistaken on the origins of these attributes? I can't see what the people of Egypt did to deserve the plagues caused by Pharaoh's hardened heart in Exodus. Well, maybe he punished them for loving other gods. So why does the God of the Old Testament seem like a "violent manic"? Maybe it's because man created God in his own image except beefed up with the ability to fry whole cities of sexual deviants. The Bible was written, edited, and transmitted by man so how could the God of the Bible avoid being anthropomorphized?

This is not to say that the Bible loses its worth because it was written by man. Not only is it a beautiful literary work it does have gems of truth scattered among its pages. Digging out these gems also does not mean we are creating our own God but revealing the Divine by removing that which reflects man's character. But even our best attempts as fallible creatures could not describe the Divine which can only be personally experienced as we fumble for words to describe that experience. What bugs Atheists is that it seems incredible primitive to worship such an irresponsible child-like god and then encourage others to do likewise. Christians can then say, "but wait, he's not cruel at all but loving. He sent his son to die for us." And of course the obvious response would be that OT God is still cruel BECAUSE he demands blood, no, human sacrifice to reconcile humanity to himself.

I'm not saying that OT God IS a violent manic but I can understand how he may come across that way. I mean, we are talking about how a specific people, the Israelites, viewed God thousands of years ago; must we continue to cling to this same image of God? Would it hinder or help us to change how we view God, or is change even allowed? I believe that if change leads us to progress and unity then why not view God as ABOVE AND BEYOND jealousy, anger, and vengeance. Atheist would call to remove God altogether but what have they offered in replacement? If humanity is as stupid as Mr. Condell describes then he should know that we can't quit cold turkey. Science and Reason is great for the enlightened man but what about poor Fiki in Indonesia? If we cling to the supernatural because of our "primitive" minds how can the common man comprehend Science and Reason? Should not Atheist seek first to educate and illuminate mankind rather than look down at the common man for clinging to Bronze Age beliefs about the universe? Religion gives strength to the common man who may not YET comprehend a life without the Divine and this is why I believe religion in some form will be with mankind for quite a while. God is not going anywhere but the questions on how we view him must be embraced for humanity to progress. I don't believe mankind is ready to progress without reliance on the Divine but at least some of us are strong enough to question that dependence. Questioning the sacred and the wisdom gained from it is vital to us regardless of the answer. I am not calling for a departure from God but a search for wisdom and understanding between the mortal and the Divine.

What are we afraid of?

Say Hello to Auntie Ida

Say hello to Auntie Ida. Don't stare at her tail, it makes her uncomfortable. Remember she's part of the family so let's treat her with some respect. If it wasn't for that team of amateur fossil hunters who found her in the Messel Pit in Frankfurt, Germany in 1983 your Auntie Ida wouldn't be here. So be grateful and go and give your Auntie Ida a big hug and kiss and tell her that you love her.

---

I bet Darwinian's, Atheists, and other believers in evolution are celebrating today after Tuesday's proclamation of Ida being the missing link to our evolutionary history. Isn't it great to dig up old relatives and display them for all the world to see? Of course it would be embarrassing if she wasn't related to us and we found out she was somebody else's aunt, Sylvester Stallone's maybe?

Click here and here for the news stories on Ida and click here for her official website. She also has a book coming out, and a TV documentary? She must have a great promotional team to be treated as a celebrity after being stuck in a crater for 47 million years. Of course all this hoopla could be a bit premature and over the top but let's say that she IS the missing link. Although it may not be ironclad proof that we did evolve from monkeys (she is actually the missing link that higher apes, including us, have descended from) what would the implications be if it were a strong piece of evidence for the theory of Evolution? Does that mean that the New Atheists (Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, etc.) are right in saying that the search for truth lies in scientific study of the world around us and not in religion and faith? (I'm assuming that's their view since I have yet to read anything on their view on religion.) Are God and religion pointless now that we have science to lead us into truth? Science be praised.

I'm sure the Creationist people will swarm all over this and say that the scientists are using this as a publicity stunt to push their agenda or that they're severely mistaken on Ida's relation to us. The Creationists may be right but either way this has no affect on my spirituality and my beliefs of the Divine. Whether we were created intact in Eden or evolved after billions of years Evolution does not affect my yearning for the Divine or for understanding and brotherhood. Is my yearning for the Divine just a chemical reaction in the brain and I'm just delusional? Maybe, but if my delusions cause me to love my brother then it is a delusion I wish to live with till the day I die. Could I be just as happy as an Atheist? Possibly, but it seems awfully lonely and disconnected from the rest of the universe. With a Creator God you have that reassurance that our Creator loves us, and with a Pantheistic God we have that reassurance, love, and connectedness to all of reality. Can I overcome this fear of disconnection and have a fulfilling life as an Atheist? Yes, but I feel that I would better understand my fellow man if I didn't disregard God altogether. God is still an important part of the human psyche and to disregard it completely is a terrible mistake. Am I afraid that Evolution is right and I have it all wrong? No, because it's not about being right or wrong it is about connectedness, relationships, love, and understanding your brother even if that brother is a fossilized ancestor.

The Prime Directive

Thousands of Trekkies are probably foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the new Star Trek film (May 8th!!!) directed by J.J. Abrams (co-creator of Lost), and I have to give it them, the trailer looks pretty intense. I never really got into Star Trek except for Voyager. I watched every single episode of Voyager, loved it! One concept in the Star Trek universe that has always caught my attention is their beloved Prime Directive.

"As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Starfleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes introducing superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Starfleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship, unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations, and carries with it the highest moral obligation."

I am not a Trekkie, although I do love Star Trek, so I can only assume that the Prime Directive is the Federation's moral foundation to any interaction with alien life to protect any evolving sentient life to continue their "normal cultural evolution" even if they're meant to become extinct. Any unintentional, and at times intentional, violation of the Prime Directive is equivalent to playing God. Too bad nobody told God about the Prime Directive.

---

Do we really need God to tell us not to kill each other? Would mankind have figured out morality without God violating the Prime Directive by sending down His Word down through prophets and revelations? I was just wondering how mankind would have fared without any communication with the divine. If God had not revealed himself in any way would we have progressed this far? God could not have communicated to all people throughout history because that would mean that all religions would have a sliver of truth, and we can't have that now, can we.

If God has not revealed himself to ALL religions then all but a few, or even one, must have sprung up naturally. We would first have to figure out WHICH religions have not communicated with God and then measure the level of morality they have obtained naturally. If no morals can be found whatsoever, nothing, zilch, then we can say that it was good that God taught us to behave. (We have been bad little boys and girls ever since Eden.) This is not the case because religious and non-religious people across all faiths have the same capacity to commit the most heinous to the most loving acts towards one another. I don't believe that any one faith has a monopoly in morality, let alone a monopoly on truth.

I also can not believe that our ability to reason is limited to the point where we need God to tell us not to kill each other. I believe that man's morals along with our view of God has evolved throughout history. Now that we live in a global community we have to think on a global scale. It's not about which tribe's ethics will dominate but how can we keep our GLOBAL tribe from committing suicide. Man can not be completely dependent on the divine for morality or else Atheist would be the most immoral people on the planet for rejecting all things divine. And I really don't see how a lack of belief in the divine leads to any immorality. Atheist share a similar belief using reason as a guide to morality, except they do away with God and faith altogether.

In the end mankind chooses what ethics and morals to follow regardless of the source. I believe we have the ability to evolve without God although I don't believe that God would ever disappear from man's heart (or even mine for that matter). Faith is part of what makes us human. Even Atheists have faith: faith in love, compassion, reason, justice, and the human spirit. So even if God did violate the Prime Directive and decided to meddle with humanity's evolution to cause us to be more loving, respectful, and compassionate to our fellow man, does it really matter? As long as we are headed in the right direction does it matter if God gave us a helpful nudge or not? I don't know. I can't imagine a world without faith. It seems that man naturally yearns for God even in pagan religions. On the other hand, man has committed the most horrendous atrocities in the name of God throughout history. To take a pinch of wisdom from South Park, even without religion man would find other reasons to fight his brother. Are we doomed? No, not yet, I'm sure someone from the Federation will time travel back to save us from complete annihilation, but of course this would be a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive. Oh well.

Live long and prosper.

---

Also: Check this recent post on The Spirituality of Star Trek over at the Science Fiction Gospel blog.

The Clock and it's Maker

I see a pattern, but my imagination cannot picture the maker of that pattern. I see a clock, but I cannot envision the clockmaker. The human mind is unable to conceive of the four dimensions, so how can it conceive of a God, before whom a thousand years and a thousand dimensions are as one? (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, 2000 p. 208)

---

Atheist would argue there is no clockmaker and if there were one he's a pretty shoddy one. There is no point in acknowledging a clockmaker that would intentionally let people suffer. The clock is all there is and ever will be, let's leave it at that.

Believers would argue that there is indeed a clockmaker who made the clock, and all of its complex mechanisms. To not acknowledge the maker is an ungrateful act for the life He has given us. There is more than just the clock, and both are intertwined with each other.

The question is can WE as humans break the Spiritual down into the Physical? The spiritual realm, if one even exists, can not be measured, weighed, or even calculated yet billions of people believe in it. They have trouble describing it because it can't be perceived by the human mind, yet they say it is something you experience. You can not rationalize, measure, or even calculate God, nor does merely believing in Him justify his existence. Atheists can not wrap their minds around believing in something they can not measure anymore than believers can wrap their heads around not believing. Both camps have ways of convincing the other (and I've read a lot of them) but they are both missing the point. They are looking at the Clock/Clockmaker relationship from two different views attempting to answer the same question of purpose. Those who see just the clock say that we should start building a paradise here instead of searching for the paradise in the hereafter. Religion and its bloodthirsty God has caused too much strife, conflict, and death and we should remove the shackles of religion so that we may make progress. Those who see a Maker behind the clock say that acknowledging the Maker is a part of paradise either in this life or the next. Religion is an important part of the Human experience and can not be carved out to be thrown away. We need God as much as we need to breathe.

I, on the other hand, take a middle of the road approach. I can not say there is a Maker behind the clock, but I believe there is one. This belief does not blind me from accepting scientific theories and explanations on the creation, evolution, and current state of the universe. In this sense I could be considered an agnostic. Science is man's tool to measuring, weighing, and analyzing the universe. Unless we discover better methods for examining the universe I can't disagree with scientists as long as their results haven't been tampered to meet certain political agendas. It just wouldn't be called pure science any more.

It is because of the profound beauty and intricate complexity of the inner mechanics of the clock that draws me to belief in a Creator God (which can very likely be the universe itself as an eternal creative energy source). Is there a Maker behind the Clock? If it can be discovered through science then I'm sure it will. Does there need to be a Maker behind the clock for the universe to have meaning? No, it doesn't. We, carriers of the Human Spirit, give this universe meaning. Individually, we define who we are, where we're going, and what we do with our lives. I'd rather spend my life in awe of my existence than bicker and peck over the source of all life. Whether or not God exists or even if he can or cannot hear my prayers I give thanks for the opportunity to exist and I pray I may guide myself in a manner worthy of the life I've been given.

Atheists: God's Emancipated Children

First, I don't believe there is a physical Hell present somewhere deep in the Earth's core. I also do not believe that a God who created every ounce of our reality would damn someone to this place ruled by horned demons just because they didn't have enough faith to believe in Him. It seems pretty harsh for God to damn his own creation for doubting His existences when He makes it difficult to believe in Him due to plagues, genocide, and let's not forget His former associate, the Devil.

[Hell, as illustrated in Hortus deliciarum. By Herrad von Landsberg (about 1180)]

Regardless of who is or isn't on the naughty list you have to give it to the Atheist for really sticking their finger into every religious eye they cross. It's not that they do it on purpose, although some due, but that some people can't understand why someone would NOT believe in a Divine Creator. First, Let's go over the pros and cons about being an Atheist.

Pros

• No need to worry about Hell.
• More money in your pocket every week you can spend on one of Sam Harris' books instead of spent as offering.
• Able to sleep in on Sundays.
• Be able to come to a conclusion using Reason instead of faith.
• No pointless ceremonies or arbitrary restrictions, so live it up.
• Sin doesn't exist, try and live as morally as you wish as the law allows.
  

Cons

• Believers from just about any faith will constantly question you for questioning their beliefs.
• Without faith, Atheists sound kind of cold and heartless to believers.
• No life after death since this is the only existence. (This is a quasi-con)
• No connection with or belief in a Divine Being or Universal Consciousness leaves you aware of the savage suffering this existence can bring; ignorance is bliss.
• If there is a God, you would only learn of his existence after death.

These are just a few that I could think off the top of my head. I didn't really touch on morality since this is relevant to your local social mores and folkways. Religious believers and non-believers are equally capable of a wide range of morality and immorality because of our shared humanity. If someone justifies a horrendous act against mankind with religion it is still the person that carried out the act. I have read through too many online forum wars fought by the pro-God and anti-God people to have realized that not only had I wasted a few hours of my life but that neither group is spotless enough to "cast the first stone". This post is not about which side is right. In fact, none of my posts are about which group is right or wrong but this is my pursuit to gather wisdom after the dust settles.

What I like about Atheists is that they relentlessly question EVERYTHING. This is not "rebelling" against the Creator that we can not see, but they question why we need to worship or even acknowledge the invisible Puppet Master in the sky. As humans, with a limited mental capacity, it almost seems unfair for a Divine Being to jealously strike down anyone who does not believe in His existence. That's like kicking a 6 week old puppy for chewing on your shoes. If God were to fry anyone it would be those that intended to cause harm on their fellow man for ANY reason. Intentional harm sounds more evil than doubting. If anything, God would send Atheist to heaven for reasoning out how to be moral without using Him as a crutch. I see Atheist as the Children of God who grew up and learned to take care of themselves.

I am not an Atheist because I see too much order and patterns in the Universe for there not to be a Creator (Primum movens or a First Cause God). Whether this God takes the form of an omnipotent Being outside of the universe or as the universe itself (Universal Consciousness), I do not know nor do I think is important. I see an eternal creative force present in everything throughout the universe and from this force out flows eternal beauty and eternal love. It is this eternal love that I recognize as God. Do you need to acknowledge this force to be a moral person? No, we can doubt it all we want as long as we strive to be loving, compassionate, and respectful to one another.