Accepting there are no gods ensures that individuals take personal responsibility for living a good, productive, altruistic and caring life hopefully helping others in what ever way they can...in the hope of leaving the world a better place. Human intelligence will divine that doing otherwise is not a good thing to do...which means one doesn't need religious books or teachings to tell us so...

And yet many fear a non belief in gods...why is that?

Mortality.

Some have suggested that it is hard wired in us from a primitive time (why we believe in God). It wasn't that long ago that atheism was unknown.... or had a different meaning (In early ancient Greek, the adjective atheos meant "godless". Which meant something totally different then to what it does today). We can see how things have changed from a few years ago. Now there is an estimated 15% of people in the world that doesn't believe in God. Some have suggest that it is higher, but won't report it because of fear of retaliation.

Why is this? Better research, better understanding and more awareness. People like Dawkins have exposed the flaws in such teaching. Give it a few more hundred years (or even less) and we will look back at these times as our primitive period. Man doesn’t need gods, just better understanding.

Epicurus: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”

Unknown: “Don't pray in my school, and I won't think in your church”

Carl Sagan “You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe.”

H. L. Mencken “We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart”

Some of my favourite quotes.

Someone recently described me as a lapsed atheist and that's true. After years of professing non belief, I changed my mind

If your fundamental ideas about the universe about you are not based on reasoning, logic or evidence, I guess that might make you feel quite threatened when they are challenged by... reasoning, logic and evidence?

Exactly. It all stems to wanting to belong to something. We are tribal, thus join something that is similar to us in nature; not necessarily what the inhabits of that tribe preach... but the warmth their people give off.

ATHEISM ...

Such a sad word, so lacking in soul.

What if we believe in something other than the Gods with a capital G on offer at any of the organised religions?

What if we have godliness within, believe in angels, have Faith and Religion?

... are we welcome here?

I would take issue with this statement. From my viewpoint 99% of people that are atheists have not the inclination or intellect to have such high ideals. How do I know. I was a Jehovah‘s witness for one year and I spoke to thousands of ordinary people. I am not religious now and know that there is not an all loving caring entity in an elsewhere place. I removed my rose tinted spectacles a long time ago. You have a far higher opinion of humanity than I do. Try knocking on a few thousand doors and see if you think the same way.

Reply to gloucester

If you cannot understand what I said or doubt my motives then I find you interesting. What group would you be in? The 99% or the 1%. Please explain why and give evidence for. Your profile does suggest one group …smile.

Since you've not said I don't see why I should - but of course I'm in "your" 1% which probably relates to my 80% give or take a wide margin since it's difficult to quantify...