"This is not even a remotely cloudy issue, there is no fuzzy line, nobody glasses should be fogged up. Separation of Church and State. End of story."

Well, as you can see above the Constitution does not use the phrase "separation of church and state". That phrase is contained in a lower court ruling, I believe (didn't somebody link us to that info a while back?). How one interprets the Constitution is always debatable.

I'm not sure when I became less threatened by all the religion around us. I used to get all worked up about bumper stickers, the pledge of allegiance, etc... Doesn't really bother me anymore. I do roll my eyes frequently, though.

IMO, those who proclaim their faith the loudest have the least faith in their convictions. Prosteltyzing (sp?), and participating in organized religion, reaffirms one's own faith, but is likely not actually motivated by the need to recruit more believers. It seems to be that the weaker your faith the more affirmation you need.

Regardless, I believe that many, many, many people have come to the conclusion that there is no god. They either recoil from that realization and all that it entails, seeking solace in their former faith (hence the need to practice religion); or they tackle the angst of a godless existence (no easy task); or they try to forget the whole subject.
Some random questions:

Maybe you guys that are offended by religous references are in that last category? Are you really going to tell your small children something different from what all the other kids are hearing? What are the psychological effects on children raised in atheist housholds in predominately religous communities? What are the psychological effects on children raised with atheism, period? Can a 5 year old deal with the notion that there is no greater meaning to his existence? a 12 year old? 18 yr old?

Hope I don't sound like I'm preaching.