Atheism is a lack of belief in any higher power, yes? So what do you accredit with the beginning of life? The big bang? What came before that? and before that? the questions are endless and unexplainable.

personally, i've always thought atheism is just the refusal to take a side. It's when you decide to just not think about it, and thus tell yourself you have to belief. It is impossible to truly have no belief at all because it is in our genetics to believe in a higher power.

Here's some cold hard science for you: take a group of children, around kindergarden age. Ask them who made the world. About half will say god did and about half will say "i don't know" or "it just appeared that way" with a couple children sprinkled in that say evolution. Take a group of kids in first or second grade and ask the same question. There is a drastic spike in the number that accredit the creation to God even in the families that preach evolution, don't ever discuss religion, or even preach against religion.

it is coded into our dna to believe in a higher power... which means it takes a physical decision to not believe. You have to go against instinct, go against your wiring.

But that's just my two cents. I respect your beliefs, and agree with most of them (about prayer and such). Only thing i disagree in is the belief in a lack of higher power. That goes against humanity