Atheism, IMHO, is when the messenger transcends the message. If, for example, one is praying or thinking creator, and one sees an image in their minds - it is a form of paganism; but not necessarilly an evil, just a longer path.
What many do not realise is, that Monotheism is very different from anything which was around before Abraham, and was a greater premise than MC2 a 1000 times. It was also far more deadly than Galeleo's non-flat earth declaration. But we look at it retrospectively now and there is a blase of it. Science is a result of a monotheistic thought, despite that today these appear antithetical premises.
The OT God was not like zeus or thor; the 2nd commandment clearly says we can compare with nthing within the universe; it is perhaps the longest command, detailing no images of anything hidden in the oceans, the heavens or upon the earth. That is a very logical and scientifically based premise: the creator must be - at least - transcendnent of everything the creator created. The first monotheists expended much to sustain this belief - and were ridiculed about an invisable God. Its different from zeus.
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