I don't think I saw David claim that atheists have no beliefs.
Strictly speaking, it is not necessary to have any beliefs about God(s) to be an atheist. However personally I tend to agree with those that claim it trivialises the word atheist to use it for those that aren't even aware of the concept of God. Once you aware of the concept, and especially the fact that the majority of the world's population believe in some sort of God, it's very difficult not to have a belief "about" God, even if that belief is simply that "most people have a mistaken belief that God exists", or a belief that "God is a man-made myth".
But likewise you also have a belief (indeed, you're certain of it) that most (Western) children have a mistaken belief that Santa Claus exists, and that Santa-Claus is man-made myth. For me, at least, my position on God is precisely the same as any sane adult's position on Santa Claus. Do you consider yourself to actively believe that there is no Santa Claus?

I think too much importance is given to beliefs and I think it is not healthy to hold beliefs as important. Of course in the 1960's drug crazed hippy sociologists invented post modernism , that nothing can be 100% certain. I see that with those who are on drugs , or are drunk or are mentally ill , over tired , self intraspective (Spiritual, superstitious)those who have a weak grasp on reality will believe that there is no true reality and that some how believing in Jesus , or god or spiderman is real is just as valid as reality. Clearly it is not the same thing and the argument that belief is important is really an argument that one has no true grasp of reality. Reality exists in its factual state wether it is believed or not.
Jesus and God agrees with me here through all their sermons in any church as well as the letters they have written to news papers and within this very post. What they have said is nothing because they dont exist. A meglamaniac will claim God speaks through them , a delusionary will claim god speaks to them , the paranoid superstitious will claim god is present in things that occur. It takes willful ignorance to believe in miracles , it takes willful ignorance to believe in magic and yet all gods are only gods because they are magic.

West,
I am sometimes very sceptical when it comes to claims of healings. However an overweight elderly lady in my Church recently was in a coma for 14 days after an operation. Several of her concerned friends from Church prayed over her on the thursday and she walked into Church on the Sunday claiming she had received a miracle of total healing. Believe it or not. She believed she had! The Doctors told her husband if she survived that she would need a wheel chair and would loose some of her cognative ability. She walked into Church and testified fluently that she had fully recovered.

Philo, in a world with 6.5 billion people, it's inevitable that thousands of people recover mysteriously from medical conditions on a daily basis. Given that almost everyone with a medical condition is prayed for by somebody else, people will continue to believe that it is their prayers that were responsible for an otherwise unexplained recovery. I will say that even if it were true that the prayers helped, I can't imagine being particularly respectful for a supernatural being who was so miserly and so random with dishing out his powers of intervention.

But as it is, various scientific studies have been done attempting to show the efficacy of prayer, and all have come up empty-handed.

Hands up all the Atheists who refuse to accept penalty rates when required to work at Christmas, Easter or other Christian based holidays?

Is Mise,

Hands up all Christians who refuse to accept penalty rates when required to work at Christmas, Easter or other Christian based holidays, as they were actually pilfered by Christianity from other European and Mediterranean seasonal celebrations.

If this is wrong, please supply a Biblical reference for the 25th December being the Birth date of the alleged Jesus.

By the way, a holiday is a holiday is a holiday no matter whom or what it is supposed to be in aid of. Now that you realise you are really celebrating ‘pagan’ gods, I guess you will apply the same rules to yourself. Of course, we ‘infidels’ we don’t expect you to.

David