DR>Is the atheist not forced to believe that something finite, changing
DR>and  dependant comes from nothing? 

No.

An atheist can say that which a religionist can't..."I don't know".

DR>Does the atheist truly "not" believe

YES!

DR>or is he/she simply willing to
DR>face hell for the ephemeral, left-handed pleasures provided by
DR>rebellion against the Ultimate Authority?

I'm no Goth, black wearing, poser. But if I were I'd relate a Nine Inch 
Nails tunes lyric: "If there is a hell...I'll see you there!".

I, as an ADULT atheist, do not "not believe"...I simply "believe that 
which makes sense" and what has evidence supporting same. And
"belief" 
isn't the correct word. I "Find such things reasonable and probable".


BTW, Religionists are MOST oft atheistic too, you know.
They are quite atheistic regarding any other Gods or Gods or Goddesses 
or God-things save for their own. But they have as little "proof" of the 
existence of said Gods, etc, as do atheists.

In short, most religionists are atheists save for theirs!

I say "most" because there are the rare birds called Universalists. 
They think that ALL God stories relate to the same One God.
Silly people they...for the Christian God, for instance, demands that 
you should have no other Gods. But somehow the Universalists tweak their 
minds around logic and reason...like all religionists.

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