Atheism isn't really a belief, it's a disbelief.
I attended a lecture on religions around the world in the context of hospice service a few years ago. The speaker made a casual remark that atheists made the decision to be atheists, and that was their choice. That stuck with me, because I don't think atheists actually make a decision about. The theory of the "God gene" is out there, and that makes more sense. Some have it, and others don't. Those who have it are more prone to believe in a supreme being.
When people are admitted to hospice care they are asked about religion, and if they are religious, chaplains are assigned to them. The chaplain could pray with them, discuss the afterlife, or talk about whatever they wish to talk about. Patients who are non-religious would not get any of that. So I guess the aforementioned decision would occur when they answered the admission questions.
I don't believe there's an anti-God gene, but for some reason or other, there are atheists who seem to despise religious people. That, I believe, explains why an atheist is suing to become a Navy Chaplain. It isn't that he wants to preach to atheists as much as he wants to thumb his nose at traditional religion.
Anyway, here's the inspiration for this discussion:
Navy Moves Closer to Approving Atheist ‘Chaplain’ -- Secular humanist Jason Heap sued in; and
Should a 'secular humanist' serve as Navy chaplain? Absolutely not.
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2:19 PM 3/15/2018
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