Damien Sullivan replied to my post: > > The most devout atheists I know were taught by their parents to be > > atheists. > > Not sure what you mean by 'devout'. OK. [Gets down American Heritage, since Steve apparently prefers it] 1. Devoted to religion or to the fulfillment of religious obligations. 2. Displaying reverence or piety. 3. Sincere; earnest. > The most aggressive atheists _I_ know are lapsed Roman > Catholics or Orthodox. The ones raised in a godless > environment tend to be more live-and-let-live. This can > change if some religious person stops letting them live, but > that's only natural. Evangelists of all faiths can be unpleasant if they are aggressive. Atheist, Christian or Hare Krishna. In my own experience, converts are the most aggressive in their evangelism. There's a great line at the end of 'When Harry Met Sally' When you finally figure out who it is that you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want to start spending it with them right now. If it is this way with romance, how much more should it be like this with religion? Casey