Ellis, for the sake of new readers, in summary I repeat what I have said before: Though I respect moral, loving and humane theists, I think of myself as a-theist, but not an atheist. As indicated in this thread: Without insisting that I have the truth, I have opted for new ways of looking at theism--unitheism (GOD as the beginning point of Being), and holotheism (GØD as the whole and evolving universe into all Being). The book of Revelation speaks of God as the Alpha and the Omega; the A to Z.
I have no evidence, or belief, that there is a personal god: One who exists as a separate being, or person; one who is, separate from us and the universe. Therefore, I make no attempt to convert atheists, especially those who are moral, loving and humane to this kind of theism.
But I--and many others--have enough evidence to convince me, if not atheists, to say: I know that what we call the physical universe is a mysterious something more than just what it appears to be to the five senses.
MEANWHILE, I AM ALL IN FAVOUR OF HAVING WHAT I WILL CALL AN EVIDENCE-BASED PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION--ONE THAT GETS THINGS DONE
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BTW, you are no doubt aware that modern physics, especially of the quantum kind, is getting closer and closer to demonstrating that the primary building blocks of the material universe are not material particles at all; they are what physicists call "strings" of pure energy (power).
Interestingly, the root word for God, in Hebrew and Arabic is EL-Al. It simply means "the power"). My personal experiments, and practical experiences, in what I call pneumatology have given me--and others--hard evidence that the human spirit (pneuma) is capable--given the right frame of mind and involving use of the imagination, faith, hope and will--of tapping into and making practical use of these strings of energy.
THIS ENERGY CAN BE USED, BY ATHEISTS OR RELIGIONISTS, TO DO GOOD, OR EVIL
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But keep in mind, this power can be used for good or ill. I am convinced: Ignorance of, neutrality regarding and the evil use of, this power--often by religionists who think of themselves as God's chosen ones--is the basic cause of all pain, suffering, or evil.
Though not adverse to using the name "God", Eckhart Tolle, and others before him, calls this "mysterious something more" Being, or Presence. I prefer using the acronym, GØD. But I'm easy: Good atheists may prefer to call it Nature. What matters most is that, for the sake of the world, we take positive action. The option to remain ignorant and/or neutral is an option for pain and suffering. I presume you agree that no basically good person should make that choice.
