I'd like to note that the highway crosses thing was specifically about the state providing funds for the crosses, and was started by a state/church seperation watchdog group, which like their named animal have a tendancy to bark at anyone passing by(I've been of the opinion that the state is in their right to provide tombstones in that instance of the person's if they left instruction or the families choice).

Most young athiests have a chip on their shoulder, typically caused by being a member of a small group that feels like their under attack(and are in some cases, if only legally or socially) and a personality type that inclines towards iconoclasm and a smug intellectual self-certainty(if you aren't a self styled intellectual, your probably a non admitting agnostic, and if you aren't wholly certain of your ideas your an open agnostic ala Socrates).

Unfortunately, they don't have the peer groups to get beyond that, and oft spend their lives angry and bitter at the strong presence of religion in the world. The emotional stunted growth reeks of ressentiment and leaves me saddened by the death of potential. A good athiest needs to adopt a bit of stoicism and idealism, moving on to a higher moral system that puts the emphasis on helping others and fully accepts the moral responsibility that comes with being sentient. There are no angels or demons, we alone are responsible for the good and evil in the world.

Syd, you should be careful of anecdotal evidence, as it pertains to religious conversion and intolorance. Hindus, jews, and (at least in america) muslims have little power and/or enthusiam for converting other faiths. Im not sure on unitarians, and I'm not sure on the population of protestants in your area. A logic check would also note that Mormons, Jehovah's, and southern babtists are beyond your experience going to statistically be more likely to try and convert a person(and their all proud of it). Intolerance, one need only check the world map and find any number of examples of religions killing each other, from the irish/english, varying factions of muslims, India/Pakistan, Serbs and Croats, etc. Another logic check would point out that this is also very statistically likely, and the line of religion and culture are not so much blurred as blended, but religion plays a part in the prolonging of these conflicts by cultural indoctrinization and inciting and condoning violence.

As an additional counter to the anecdotal evidence, some of my own. My extended family on my mothers side, the only ones I have contact with, are varying levels of practicing catholic. I'm not openly athiest, and in conversation have disclosed a virulent hatred of athiests. My mother has blamed them for inciting god's wrath on america, despite being lapsed. I carry no delusions that if I came out (so to speak) I would be mostly disowned by my family, and I'm not willing at this stage to do so.