What lots of other people (like Bill D, Giok and Jeri) said. Count me in as someone with no need for an invisible means of support. Nor does science take the place of religion in my life - science is just another paradigm to me.

So Art said 'My intention in starting this thread was to make a place where us atheists can tell of the philosophical journeys and paths we trod to get to our ways of viewing this life WITHOUT religious people joining in the discussion at all. So please, kindly exit stage right. Just for now though. We like having you around otherwise. ;-) **SMILE** (REALLY)"

...and I am replying: road to Damascus anti-conversion. I realised that religion stuff didn't all make sense, and that a sense of wonder was perfectly possible without a belief in a higher being/spirtuality/insert-appropriate-religious-euphemism here. The more I learn, the more no invisible means of support makes sense.

I wonder why, in a society that is touted as moving away from the Church, and which likes to break more and more taboos, are people still quite shocked (sometimes horrified!) when I explain (when indeed they ask me what religion I am) that I'm an atheist and that I was never baptised?

If, when I die, there's nothing, it won't matter cos I'll be dead. (That's quite appealing sometimes actually.)