The whole "morality can't exist without religion" argument is completely bogus and has been soundly debunked by many people more articulate than myself. I wasn't going to get involved in this thread because many of you will interpret my views as "religion bashing," but since the OP was asking for differing views and opinions, I think we owe him a counterpoint to all the Christian kumbayah we've seen thus far.
As many of you know, I'm an atheist - have been since I was about 6 or 7. Here's the God's honest truth: I don't understand how anyone with a full understanding and appreciation of the psychological and sociological origins of religious belief, can honestly say they buy into the concept of the supernatural. This leaves the vast majority of people with two options - you're either ignorant, or your delusional (perhaps both).
I know reading substantive academic work is anathema to many of you, but there is so much great stuff out there - some of it by some very smart theologians - about just what it is within Man's nature that creates the need for religious thought. I recommend the following (among others):
Freud
Abe Maslow
That ought to get things rolling.
Oh, and Merry Christmas!
Brett
I used to be religious, but then became atheist, then some shit happened and I started praying, realizing I deep down DID still believe in a god, but I am not a faithful person by any means, so now I am sort of in-between.
I believe there MAY be a creator or ultimate intelligence out there, but I don't have much faith in it is the thing.
I do believe the supernatural, in certain ways, may exist, but I don't believe in the standard Christian stuff.
And the reason for that is because there are simply forces in this universe that we have no real understanding of, for example, the electrical force, light itself, gravity to an extent, quantum mechanics, etc...so maybe there is like "another level" so-to-speak, that can really be explained scientifically, we just lack the knowledge or brainpower to do so right now.
I will still occassionally talk to "God," saying, "Hey God, I have no clue if you're there or not and if you are, I'm not a faithful person because there is no way I will trust someone I don't know personally, but if you ARE there I could use some help...yada yada..." (if some bad stuff is happening).
But otherwise I am just not a religious person. I do like traditional Christian imagery though, like manger scenes, Jesus, etc...
I also do not necessarily believe that if there is an ultimate creator, that when I die, I'll meet it. There could be a creator IMO, but when you die, that's it, you're gone (I really hope this isn't so though as I'd like to see the universe).
I do wonder, though, how in the HELL did this whole universe get created!? There's got to be an answer, whether it's a creator or not, and I unfortunately won't be around to find out
I really would like to go check out the other planets in other galaxies and so forth, see a black hole, etc...the universe is so friggin' HUGE!! and so AWESOME (you astronomy folks know what I mean), but even Star Trek and Star Wars never got beyond the galaxy.
Unless aliens come down and share with us they're life-rejuvenation technology, we are screwed on seeing the universe right now
I do believe that pretty much all humans have some form of religion or beliefs though:
For Righties, it's usually Christianity
For Lefties, the elitists, and the "sophisticated" academics, it is environmentalism (maternal, loving, Mother Earth, as anyone whose been out at sea, on the side of a mountain, in a rain forest, or lying in the wilderness knows how loving nature is
), socialism (got be a religious belief when people continue to believe in a system that's killed 100+ million people), and secularism (or maybe moral relativism?), the belief that there is no ultimate morality, that we humans ourselves define morality.