Somewhere in the middle of Afghanistan, there are the ruins of two demolished Buddha statues...

[longship]

39. The Bamyam Buddhas were not destroyed by atheists.

I sincerely apologize for high jacking this thread. However, as an atheist, I cannot let this topic go without a comment.

I think that many atheists, myself included, have a purient dislike for desecration. Human history is full of inspirations which transcends any philosophy. Bach, Michaelangelo, and the artists who constructed the Bamyam Buddhas, all had inspirations which atheists and theists alike have to admit that the human mind often has inspirations which, although not explicitly explainable, nevertheless illustrates something deep.

As an atheist, I attribute this to how the brain functions, and there is considerable research to support this hypothesis.

A particular conversation which focuses particularly on these topics is when Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris got together at Hitchens' home in DC and discussed these very topics. If you have not seen this, you should. Google four horsemen video and you'll find it, two hours of revelation about modern atheism.

BTW, indeed, Hitchens smokes and drinks scotch on ice throughout. Dennett seems to like a martini. And yes, Hitchens attempts to high jack the conversation more than once. Harris tries to ground it. My favorites are Dennett and Hitchens, who both seem to figure out what it's all about. It is a great conversation. Highly recommended for atheists and theists together, with the emphasis on together.