Ok, I'm kind of cheating here, republishing a comment my friend Nick made on my other friend, Dan's, blog. However, I thought it echoed my own opinions perfectly, so I'm re-posting it here with his permission. All I've edited is his spelling.

The idea of a god bewilders me to no end. The idea of some infinite paradise after death, attainable ONLY through the strict, virtually un-followable guidelines of a book lost in translation a hundred times over makes it impossible for me to believe. bare with me, as I feel like discussing this matter in some detail. *sorry*

First off, God is said to be omnipotent, or otherwise all powerful. I refer you to the omnipotence paradox. For those who are unfamiliar with this, it is as such: Can god create a stone with such mass that even he himself cannot lift it. If not, then he is not omnipotent, for there is something he cannot do. If he can, and is unable to lift said rock, he is again, not omnipotent, as there is again something he is unable to accomplish. My point being here is that god is perceived by most as an all powerful, super-being, which is impossible. it is not possible, nor is it feasible for such an entity to exist. But if you look carefully at society, in this age and any past. Those who question this fact, in almost all cases, are not blinded by religious propaganda, are not force fed misguided views since childhood. Their sense of wonderment is encouraged, instead of stifled, and develop a sense of their surroundings, and the fact that a god has never entered into it.

To quote your sister, Christians, and most other believers certainly do have an answer for everything, even if it makes no sense whatsoever. I have had this experience before. If you ask a Christian to prove to you there is a god, almost every time you will get something along the lines of "read the bible, it's all in there". I have a huge problem with this. The bible has been translated, and re-written so many times, that any other book in existence would have been cast aside as false, yet this book is guiding the lives of millions. Also, if you propose to them the fact that no matter how much you pray, act, call upon, etc.. the "Lord", you will never get a response. Again, the most common response is "thou shalt not tempt the Lord". Basically, no matter what you do, you will never see/hear/smell/touch or otherwise be granted any proof of existence. That is such a blindfolded view of life, it's almost sickening. Believing in a blade of grass makes more sense to me. At least there is physical, spiritual, and any other kind of proof you need of it's existence.

Religions are based on blind-faith, false prophets, and empty promises. You go to church, you are told what to believe, how to act, when to act, what to do, and what not to do. Like sheep you are herded and controlled until you die. Upon that you will realize (technically you wont, as you're dead) that all you have believed your entire life was false.

There is no Heaven, no Hell. No God or Devil, Angels or Demons. They are all perceptions given life by a society unwilling to accept the fact that there isn't a hand guiding them. That there is no guardian angel watching over them. You are alone. The fact that millions of people are unwilling to accept this blatant truth of life is bewildering to me.

I could go on, but I need some sleep.

Yup, I am talking about religion again. This time I would like to share the fact that, despite my belief that there is no higher power(s), despite the fact that I am by no means a Christian (not anymore, anyway), I still celebrate Christmas. And I will tell you why: You do not have to be a Christian to enjoy quality time with your family. You don't even need a holiday as an excuse for it either, but whatever gets people to treat each other a little nicer for a couple months a year is OK with me.

So maybe I should not say I celebrate Christmas, maybe I should call it something else... who's to say. But I think we can all agree that this holiday has transcended religious boundaries in modern times and is simply a time of year that we should all enjoy and cherish. I call it Christmas because that's how I was raised and it is tradition for me, but you can call it whatever you like. Please, post your thoughts.

I'd like to share a recent... revelation? New insight? Sudden outbreak of common sense? Whatever you want to call it, I have recently decided that I shall no longer identify myself as an atheist. To anyone that has ever asked me about my religious inclinations, that has been my response, but I have realized that it does not truly fit my beliefs and what I think is right.

Atheists are, for the most part, hypocrites. Any "atheist" who is not should probably call themselves agnostic instead. The same people who constantly criticize Christians, or Mormons, or <insert _religion_here> for trying to force their beliefs down everyones' throats are essentially doing the same thing by telling them there is no god. Admit it, whether you like it or not, you are still engaging in something like a form of theism by not believing in a higher power, and then being just as much of a jerk by telling those that do believe that they are wrong and you are right. I do not believe in that, I believe in tolerance.