Quincyboy:
Religion serves one purpose and one purpose only, to explain the unexplainable, that is how the first religions were started and why they were mostly polytheistic.
I agree to the extent that explaining the unexplainable is one function of religion??the god in the gaps as we atheists say??but I disagree it's its only purpose. Religion fulfills at least three other functions: to comfort from the viciousness of the human life cycle, to comfort from the inevitability of our own demise, and to provide a sense of meaning to life and of the cosmos. I really don't think, anymore, that philosophical musings of first cause is primarily central to why people believe. When an atheist is discovered by theists, the first response is never "I'm shocked! How could you NOT believe in creationism?" but rather "I'm shocked! How can you live a moral life?"
as the human mind expanded and began to explain these things religions became more and more hard to refute and as more and more people began to believe in certain religions other people saw the opportunity to use this to their own gains (this is where all the politics the apparently forms the basis of every religion comes in)
I'm more inclined to take the position that it has always been so. Religion and its power has been around for about 250,000 years but science has only existed for about 500, starting with the Greeks somewhat but not really kicking in until the 1500's. It was Edward Gibbon who stated various forms of worship were considered by "the people" as equally true, by philosophers as equally false, and by the magistrate as equally useful.
Blind faith is one of the most important aspects of the major Abrahamic religions but even though you wouldn??t like to admit it is also a major aspect of atheism
No, blind faith is not a component of atheism. It's the difference between assumptions and presumptions. Atheism takes a leap of belief, surely??it's called provisional acceptance??but a much, much smaller leap.
the first religions had very abstract ideas to explain everyday forces like the sun rising but as human knowledge progressed, these ideas became explained by science but there a certain things that will never be explainable such as creation that will always leave room for a god, without an explanation of somthing there will always be an abstract idea not based on proof to explain it some may be rediculous and other may be more believable
I think Stephen Weinberg said it best during the BBC documentary "The Atheism Tapes":

There is a mystery, I have to admit. We try to understand nature and we ask questions and we get answers and then we ask follow-up questions. "Why is that true?" Ultimately, we hope to come to a set of elegant physical principles that describe everything and when we have it, the mystery will still be there because we will have to ask, "Why is it that theory and not some other theory?" One answer is the regularity imposed on it by a spirit, a designer, but that doesn't answer anything. Then you have to say, "Why is the designer like that?" Either by a designer you have something in particular in mind??a god who is benevolent, jealous, or humorous??whatever!??or you have nothing in mind and then let's not talk about it. If you have something in mind, then the question arises, "Why is that true?" So, I don't see that having a designer puts us at rest. I think we are permanently in the tragic position of not being able to understand at the deepest possible level why things are the way they are, and you just have to live with that. But saying it's a designer doesn't settle it, doesn't help.
johneg:
"I believe that there is no God. I'm beyond atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy -- you can't prove a negative, so there's no work to do. You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word ''elephant'' includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?"
I instantly recognized that Penn Jillette quote. :thumbsup: