[Incitatus]

'First...No offense, but because you are an atheist, you are starting from a place where you believe there is no deity, so why would you believe there is evidence of a deity? '

Why not? Your reasoning is a little fallacious. An atheist chooses not to believe in God on the basis of the evidence to hand. Very rarely because the atheist is anti-theist. Should further evidence come to light in support of a deity, that belief is, for most atheists including myself, quite amenable to change.

That said, my Anglican upbringing always taught me that faith is faith pure and simple. That people need material evidence to support their faith is surely indicative of an essentialy weakness in their faith?

[Incitatus]

The 'atheists' and 'foxholes' argument is quaint, but actually supports atheism over theism by identifying a key drive behind theism; the human desire for comfort and emotional security. The fact that a human mind, when under the extreme pressures of war, finds solace in the belief of a higher power is completely consistent with psychology.

As it is though, I'm not sure if one did the math that the precentage of atheists that have served their country would significantly differ from the percentage of theists. I'd have to look it up.

[Paved Paradise]

Silverback isn't an atheist.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

That said, my Anglican upbringing always taught me that faith is faith pure and simple. That people need material evidence to support their faith is surely indicative of an essentialy weakness in their faith?

I think of it like this:

“If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.”

- Louis Armstrong