I find it ludicrous when people, especially Christians, say it takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to be a believer. Anyone who has not had enormous difficulties with their religion has not, in my opinion, given it much thought. Anyone who has not struggled mightily with the concept of placing their identity and lifestyle in an idea that has very little direct empirical evidence of existence is someone who needs some exposure to reality. I really detest people (largely some Christians) who will completely shrug off and mock anything that seems contrary to what they think they believe and label it as nonsense. I live in a land now that has some vocal fundamentalists, and the radio waves are loaded with some sharped-tongued Christians who apparently have a lock on total truth - religiously and even politically.

I believe an honest Christian will tell you that it is intensely difficult being so. Faith is something that places hope in things that are not seen or known. God, for whatever reason, does very little appealing to the senses and cannot be measured or proven. That is the enormous risk that faith is - attesting to something that can never be independently validated. Are there signs that point to God? Certainly. But it is a foolish act of hubris to declare anything that does not immediately point to your God or your understanding of him as falsehood.

How many who denounce evolution and Darwinism have actually read Darwin?
How many who have declared Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and the like first rate heretics have truly listened to them?
When did the Bible move from being a poetic narrative of a people into a historically untouchable science textbook?
If Islam, etc, is a lie, then fine, but do you truly know what they believe? And exactly what makes your religion NOT a lie?

The recent revelation that Mother Theresa had serious doubts about the existence of God seems to be a shocker to many people. But I say, OF COURSE she had those doubts! No one that invested into the call of God in their life can go without some major dilemmas of faith. Doing the kind of work that she did with as much obedience to her belief as she had was a huge risk that was only called for by faith. Faith is not always a steady friend, even for the most convicted. So on those days where faith is hard to find, but your whole life is now in a place that was motivated by it, things can get weird. That's when God is hard to see. That's when the perseverance and humility that is built by faith must kick into high gear and take over until God brings that next burst of fresh wind and fire.

Let's not forget that even the most revered heroes of faith in the Bible were men and women who struggled mightily with God.