Blandiver, the papyrus is absolutely fascinating and brings into question the secure historical biblical data presented as "fact".

You are eloquent in your writing. "Religion is just one small part of a vast common human reality" is so true and some would argue that it is delusional at least in the way that it is commonly practiced by many religious sects.

Atheists (whatever their convictions or opinions) are still in the minority subjected to Christian and Islamic bullying. Jews tend not to be evangelical so they don't bully atheists but accept them into their own faith. The term "Jewish atheist" is not unknown.

"The Atheist looks upon the world as being common to all" says it quite well. Also, an other-worldly view is met with skepticism. For this, and for the criticism of religion and spirituality, atheists of different views are met with from one extreme of civility to outright hostility and cries of pain when religion is criticized.

Back to the thread, atheists have differing ideas, (not to sound like a broken record) and those that try to lump them into one box do so in order to discredit the whole idea and shut down the discussion. Dawkins is a convenient scapegoat because he is logical, a scientist and has written a book that is a best seller. The reason that it sells so well as more and more people are becoming disenchanted with religion.

Instead of going after atheists in general, it would be well if those detractors could read the books by individual atheists and comment on their views. If they disagree with those views, state them objectively and logically then it forms the basis for a discussion.

Atheists, as the thread implies, are not always traumatized by religion but as in the case of Frans de Waal, do not think that it or the discussion of it is relevant. I, for one, have not been traumatized by indoctrination and have come to believe that religion serves as a
means of soothing the act of dying. "There are no atheists in foxholes" is the common
myth.

The Deists who wrote the US Constitution agree with Blandiver that some Christians have " exclusive belief systems perpetuated in the mistaken faith that there is a God out there who gives a fuck".
Thomas Paine said as much in his book, "The Age of Reason".

Thomas Paine was not an atheist but a Deist.

Blandiver, I applaud your intelligence and information.