I don't terribly disagree with most of what you're claiming, but I gave up on being militant about it. There are people near to me in my life with whom my relationships would suffer if I constantly reminded them that I considered Jesus to be just another leading brand-name.

Now, while I will agree that you cannot prove there is no such thing as a deity, I do not see it as any reason to accept or tolorate claims that one exists if there is no evidence backing them. Science is accepting things with evidence, not accepting things with nothing disproving them.

That's on the exact same level as theists being intolerant to you holding your position, because you have no evidence backing you up either. I know what science is, but it still hasn't been able to answer certain existential questions that a dwindling percentage of educated mankind has a rabid craving of answers for. And here's the thing; the believers think they do have evidence of some sort backing up their answers to existence. Usually a holy book or the words of powerful figurehead.

It is only through debate that we can refine, hone, and ensure that the ideas that people hold in society have solid footing and will lead society in a proper direction.

How many times can you stomach watching an atheist "destroy" a person of faith with logical attacks? How many times can people of faith stomach watching other believers "destroy" an atheist with powerful religious rhetoric and references to scriptures? It quickly gets very boring, and degenerates into the same type of predictable behavior and content that religion turned me off with.

Religiosity is, like I said, dwindling. It's going out of style in the western world like Crocs™ circa one decade ago, and yes, that is largely due to some increased scientific progress and literacy. Most models predict that religion's decline is inevitable and likely near at-hand, mere centuries away.

So, bioemerl, you can go yell at those people dressed in their Sunday best, driving slow in the fast lane, high on Jeebus. Tell them everything that they're doing wrong. But don't get mad when they turn around and nitpick your faults for all the world to hear as well. And yeah, there's always a chance you'll get through, that you'll make a difference, but you're always introducing yourself and another (usually) harmless human being to conflict, distress, and/or ego-reinforcement, etc.

I thought the graphic was interesting, but I guess I don't fall into a square. I can mark my 'X' far out from the origin on the "agnostic" arrow axis.

Anyway, I can already tell you that we have more in common than most members of my nuclear family, none of whom will ever engage in a decent conversation on Hubski.

Cheers! :)