""Who says we believe in nothing? All the time we get this juxtaposition of religious beliefs versus something that religious belief has to kick against.""

I too have trouble with this mindset. I don't believe in the Sasquatch, or the Yeti, but this does not mean that I believe in nothing, it simply is what it is, a lack of belief in two very specific legends.

It does not lessen the possibility that they exist, it simply expresses my opinion as to their existence, and as has been pointed out before, opinions are like navels, everybody has one, but they may not hold much water.

Faith, or belief, is by nature beyond logic and rationality. We only "believe" what we do not, or cannot, "know". Once something has been scientifically proved (proved, mind you, not theorised), it can no longer be the object of faith,or belief.

By way of example, scientists believe that our sun has another five billion years of life ahead. They do not, and cannot, know this for certain, since the human race has only existed for a fraction of a solar life span. This is as great an act of faith as belief in a deity (although somewhat more likely to be true), so scientists too are "men of faith" whether they are prepared to admit it or not.

All human beings have beliefs of some description, and it seems that it is only when dealing with religion that we have these insoluble clashes of ideals.

Faith itself is not the problem here, IMNSHO.

Don T.