K? Ohhhhhh, K? I was joking. And why can't anyone who holds one or another extreme POV (either there IS a god and you go to heaven OR there's nothing and you fade away) at least sorta admit that maybe the two don't have to be separate. I thing the Higgs Boson is the middle ground to both opposite beliefs.
You don't have to be anything, actually. We've come to accept that we must be 'this', 'this', or 'that'.,. and that in itself is dangerous. Once you identify yourself with any group or entity, you then become a part of that. It's like the muslim who says 'the actions of that muslim does not reflect on all muslims', well.,. actually it does because his actions were influenced by muslim doctrine which you both claim to abide by, rather you agree with the actions or not. Same for political affiliations and others. You'll find yourself most free when you are just ... you.
Not sure if you guys saw this, but famed atheist Richard Dawkins gets spanked in a debate with journalist Mehdi Hassan in the show "Head to Head" here: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/general/2012/12/2012121791038231381.html A room full of atheists, and they're laughing at Dawkins. Good stuff.
I didn't see any "spanking" anywhere. Dawkins managed to perform quite well in his discussion. But there were some off moments on the interviewer's part that is more or less questionable. Also, it wasn't a room full of atheists. The majority of the audience were part of some religious belief, with a small number of atheists/nonreligious people there.
Mr. "selfish gene" was backpeddling, dancing, hedging, conceding points and did indeed have a room full of his compatriots - atheists - laughing at him. Yes it was a room full of atheists. A third of them thought being raised catholic was worst than being molested as a child. Another third thought it was equally bad. Given the venue, and the guest of honor, it's not a stretch to call that a room full of atheists. Mr. Selfish Gene got embarrassed. Good.
So you're assuming in bold, yet the previous statement infers stating otherwise, that you're 100% sure that the room was full of atheists. Hah. That is amusing in of itself. Contrary to popular belief, the entire room were heavily diverse, but more so, individuals who actually hold a belief in a supernatural, nonexistent entity. He never backpedaled in any of his points whatsoever. The tactic used by individuals like the host would be to focus on one part of the book, and then twist it to where its largely taken out of context. Dawkins concentrated on the ills of religious indoctrination. If you read of his books (the religious books mind you), or even watched his interviews, he actually stated that religion isn't the root of all evil and that people like to take the statements out of context. P.S. The Selfish Gene is not a book about religion and its follies. So, unsure why you would make such a silly quip.