We can feel something about the existence of God, but we can't know it.

Believing in the existence of a transcendant being is a matter of faith. Faith being that remarkable piece of cognitive machinery which allows humans to believe in something without requiring evidence. Belief in the divine or in the supernatural is an example of faith in action.

But here's a notion that is often overlooked - atheism (here defined as the conviction that there is no god) is every bit the leap of faith that theism is. It's a leap in the opposite direction. Disbelief requires faith, just as belief does.

Faith is an important part of being human. Let's face it, we're not Vulcans. Going on "gut feeling", instinct, and faith is a significant chunk of our nature. So there is no point denying or rejecting faith. It's an integral aspect of who we are.

And in the interests of understanding and respecting human faith, we ought to call atheism what it really is - a faith. Many's the time I've seen an atheist attempt to debunk the beliefs of a religious person, assuming that the theist's point of view was less logical than their own. And I've also witnessed numerous occasions where a theist has attempted to convert an atheist, assuming that the other person had not yet "seen the light". That sort of thing is ridiculous, as both parties are applying faith to their lives, in their own way.

You can't disprove the existence of a supreme being, any more than you can prove it. Atheism and theism are two sides of the same coin.

All varieties of supernatural belief or disbelief share the property of faith. Everything from Buddhism through Islam, astrology and the Greco-Roman pantheon is an application of faith. Indeed, the only theological stance which does not make use of faith is pure agnosticism.

But I digress. Those who use faith to reach their own conclusions about the universe could do well to stop bickering amongst themselves. Whilst members of different faiths are travelling to different destinations, they are using the same equipment to get there.