Maybe they feel that being an atheist is OK - but being a Godless atheist is just a bit too much.

Maybe those 21% that are backsliding atheists are hoping to one day become born-again atheists. If they attend a Christopher Hitchens revival or something they might get that unholy atheist spirit back. God willing.

it makes sense - Global Warming is just another religion, right?

Last time I checked, believing in God makes one NOT an atheist. I guess I'm just an intolerant, middle-class, white Christian though.

That makes you a simpleton whitey!! SIMPLETON it is impossible to prove God therefore I chose to be an atheist that believes in God and straddle the fence because I'm a hodgepodge of confusion and stupidity muah hahaha. JK folks I'm a born again christian making fun of this.

LOL they probably confused agnostic with being an atheist

So basically that 21% applies the same sort of logical consistency as their Christian counterparts--that is to say, none at all.

Global Warming is just another religion, right?

'kay, where did that come from?

#1 - hahahahaha

#4 - right there with ya (also born again)

#6 - huh? Not sure I'm getting you. Followers of Jesus Christ apply faith, but when you think about it, God sending His Son to rescue us is pretty darn logical, too. We're in no position to save ourselves. And the fact that He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore....you can't get any more consistent than that!

What makes me sad is the large percentage of people who identify themselves as "Christians" yet believe "all roads lead to Heaven". John 14:6 is clear that is not so. We can make up our own God in our head all we want (or deny Him)but for goodness sake if you're going to call yourself something then at least know what it means.

Just my two cents!

It is official- either the people who did the study are lying or the people who took the study shouldn't be trusted with pencils. This is dumber than Nazi-Communist remarks.

The difference between belief and faith is the difference between knowledge and trust.
If I walk into a bar and tell the bartender, "I think I'll have a beer.", that's belief.
If I run into a friend at the bar and he says, "The drinks are on me.", and I trust him, that's faith.

People can believe all sorts of things ABOUT God but not trust him FOR anything.
People can PREACH all sorts of things about morals, ethics and values but not PRACTICE any of them.

The only difference between any two people on Earth that really matters in the long run is the difference in the choices they make.
What they say about themselves, think about themselves or intend to do doesn't amount to jack.
Christians have an edge in that regard because they've been promised help in making the right choices.

Matthew - chapters 5, 6 & 7

I'm wondering if this is related to the view espoused by some secular humanists that they are their own god - and the pollsters just gave a list of "faiths" - like christian, muslim, jewish, agnostic, or atheist - and the respondents felt atheist was closest to their view on divinity, but they still consider themselves their own gods ... ?

Oh hell, 21% of those respondents are morons. I can't figure out any other logical, sane, vaguely intelligent explanation for those contradictory responses.

4 of 7 I like the way you think (and your back-up documentation!) We read the same Book.

I agree with you. Even the devil "believes" in God. Belief is not enough. Putting your trust in Him....an entirely different matter. Like trusting a parachute when you jump out of an airplane (except with God the consequences are eternal).

Oh and I think Estella may be on to something (in both of her paragraphs!)

I don't believe in reincarnation, but in my past life I did.

FrankJ, this is an easy one. Clearly the athiests are Obama supporters.

Just because they're atheists doesn't mean they want to get smited.

I was running through the sermon on the mount (Matthew chap. 5,6,7) for a short verse to go with my last comment but like a kid in a candy store it all looked so good I couldn't decide!
Besides, if anyone was going to look up a short verse, I figured it wouldn't hurt them to read the whole thing!

Here's a thought for the unfaithed and the differently faithed; The news that Jesus Saves isn't 'good' news until you reach the place where you realize that you NEED saving.
A lot of modern secular culture seems engineered to prevent people from coming to that point of realization.

A drowning man can yell for help while he's still got breath to yell with, or he can try to learn to breath water.
Some people can't swim a stroke.
For them it's strictly yell or go down. (like me).
Others swim quite well for a while and may even laugh at those floundering in the shallows, so they swim out past the breakers, over the reef and into the deep water where the sharks are waiting.
From there the metaphor gets ugly.

Check out 'Mere Christianity' by C.S. Lewis - clear, clever and easy to read. highly recommended.