I have no problem with atheism or atheists, but it seems that in the last few years they have done the unthinkable: They have become religious about their non-belief.
Dawkins, Hitchens, Maher, to name but three, have inexplicably chosen to adopt the very behavior that they despise. They are preaching the gospel of atheism with all the fervor of the fundamentalists they hold themselves above. This makes them seem petty and childish, which is disapointing. They have tossed out the one thing they hade going for them - rationality.

While this is an understandable and human reaction to the rise of the Christian right, they should know better, It is poor form to behave the same way that those whom you oppose do.

Alll this nonsense about "proof" and lthe use of logic on spirituual matters just shows a lack of understanding on the part of the atheist advocate that is as problematic as the ridiculous arguments put forth by the religious. What each side seems to be ignoring is that they belong to the same species. Both sides want to be right, anhd what we end up with is a collective of debaters that are all wrong,

To wit:

Believers often argue with the Bible, which they seldom read. Very few have a clue of its origins, much of which is questionable. They search for the parts that prove their point and ignore context altogether. They argue with people who don't accept the Bible anyway, never seeing the futility in this.

Non believers often argue with the scientific method, and they use it the same way believers use the bible. The last time many of them actually tested a hypothesis was in High School or College. They talk of science as if it is infallible, when history shows clearly it is not. They argue with people who won't accept science anyway, never seeing the futility in this.

So both sides seem to be bat shit crazy for arguing with each other at all.

I have no problem with either side, except when they get all religious about their views. This turns them into zealots. I have no use for zealots.

Science was started by religion, btw. The oldest universities all began with church money.
Genetics was discovered by a Monk experimenting with peas.
Somebody should tell Rick Santorum.

Atheism has spawned atrocities as bad as all the religious ones, btw. See the French Revolution (Jacobins!), Stalin's purge of Communist Russia, and what Mao did to China.
Somebody should tell Richard Dawkins. I wish we could tell Hitch.

Science requires faith, has it's own kind of dogma, and is merciless towards those who it considers heretical. See Fleischmann and Pons, or read Arthur C. Clark. And science makes mistakes but glosses over them. See Lord Kelvin on flight, and physics.

Religion is revised all the time. The reformation, the restoration. Count all the flavors of Christianity. Don't understand the difference between Shia and Sunni? Muslims probably have the same issues with Catholics and Methodists.

There is proof of the afterlife, but it is anecdotal, so science dismisses it as nonsense, or explains it away as a biochemical artifact. A hypothesis it accepts without using the scientific method.

Religion ignores the fact that it often contradicts itself.

There's plenty of arrogance and omission from both sides, and neither will admit they are wrong. Both like to feel superior to the other, and assert that each side is "dangerous".

Neither side has much love for those of us who believe that there's room for both disciplines, and can resolve the debate without much trouble. But this debate never seems to be about resolution. It seems to be more concerned about winning the argument and ridiculing the opposition. It's a pissing contest. It's repetition expecting a new result, ad infinitum.

In other words, insanilty.

Surely we have better things to do with our time.