If you think you are alone due to your nonbeliever status, perhaps you will find the Spirituality Poll (http://www.parade.com/news/2009/10/04-spirituality-poll-results.html) of 1,051 adults "ages 18 and over" conducted by Insight Express for Parade Magazine between May 6 and 12, 2009 interesting.

Consider the responses to the question...

2. "Which best describes your current religious practice?"

I practice the religion I grew up with                                                             52%

My family did not practice religion but I found my own                                    6%

I practice a different religion because my beliefs have changed                    11%

I converted to another religion because of my spouse/partner                      3%

I do not practice any religion                                                                         27%

So maybe there are more of us who "do not practice any religion" than it might appear given the ubiquitous 24x7 televangelist channels on cable and countless churches with humorous (or not so humorous) signs out front that so often seem to reside on every corner.

Let us hope that Parade Magazine repeats this survey so that it is possible to track rates of change etc. Applying calculus to such statistics might be the only thing capable of squeezing rationality (or a bit of fun) out of religious "faith" (what Samuel Clemens most notably called "believing what you know ain't so").