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I think there's a good reason why people follow such hollow idols and celebrities - because they have seen religion for the dumb-ass nonsense it really is, but sadly there are no reasonable alternatives. The air-head celebs are the only other idols out there, selling their empty promises and crappy novels. But hey. I never said the alternatives were any good either.
As this debate comes up from time to time I think it's about time I made some strong comments about my faith, as a devout, dedicated and 100% committed athiest. It is rare that athiests get to make their point in a meaningful way so darn it, I'm gonna have my five minutes worth!
The good that religions do:
PaulB and others have rightly said that religions provide a good moral framework (for example, rules on being "good' such as not stealing or killing each other, or providing care for the sick). Fine. But why then should these good contributions be made ridiculous by introducing a belief in a fictional super-being? Athiests do good too, in many ways, but without silly beliefs in god figures or super-beings.
Right and wrong:
Can religion define right from wrong? Behaving in a "right" way is usually guided by our own ideas of morality, and this morality can come from a number of sources as we grow up and develop, including religious influences. But religion does NOT teach people to be "moral". Most of the major religions tend to preach that only people who believe in that particular religion and that particular god can get into heaven, which is very true of many Christian-based religions and Islam. This indicates that most religions are more interested in member loyalty BEFORE morality. It also creates a skewed morality whereby a less-than-good Muslim (or other religion) person is still better than a wholly good non-Muslim person.
Casual misogyny:
It's well know that most religions have a problem with women. Islam considers women inferior; their form is so shameful that they must cover up at all times, they cannot talk to men unless the man is a close relative, and they need permission from a man to do most normal things. Christian history is also smeared with misogyny and sexism.
Belief or Power?
A lot of athiests are suspicious of religions because they think that it is more about brain-washing and control than it is about teaching ancient wisdom. Being a priest or someone in high religious authority suggests that those individuals have a direct line with god and special access to god-like secrets. Such individuals are worshipped, followed, and wield huge influence. Oh, and they probably get rich in the process. Does the Catholic Pope really have more access to "God" than you or me or is it all just a different form of celebrity worship?
Death:
Most religions have death at their center. They focus on some form of afterlife, meeting their god-like creator, or being reunited with long-dead loved ones. To make matters worse, many religious people tend to live their lives missing out on lots of enjoyable or worthwhile experiences because it is incompatible with their "judgement" fears - in other words, they live quiet, obedient lives now in order to get more from their heavenly afterlife. Athiests believe in life, not death, and believe that LIFE is where it's at. Given the reasonable uncertainty of an afterlife, I think athiests have got this one well sussed.
Science and Reason:
The dumbest argument you will ever hear in your life is when a religious person claims that "science is a type of religion / faith too". It is not. Science is a process of reason ("reason" is absent from religious belief which is why religious people fail to grasp it). Let's illustrate with a made-up example. If I see a fallen tree across a path I might use reason to ponder on how it got there. Was it strong wind? Were the roots weak? Did a person chop it down? It is reasonable to suppose that one of those causes might be true, and further investigation into the cause may eventually reveal the truth. I might find axe marks in the stump, which will yield a big clue. A religious person will see the tree laying across the path and wonder who placed it there, and what it's deeper meaning is? Unable to answer this question, they will conclude that God has a higher purpose for causing the tree to fall which is beyond our understanding and leave it at that. You see, science is NOT a faith or a religion as it is purely based on what can be seen, measured, recreated, and eventually understood with evidence to back it up. Religion is based on old stories and actually depends on the total removal of reason in order to continue to exist. Science has probed so deeply into space now that if there were a heaven, we would have surely seen some evidence by now. Religion is also hampering good science. Christian-based religions assert that the earth is only a few thousand years old, simply because it says so somewhere in an ancient book, whereas science can prove with real physical evidence that the earth is billions of years old. And don't even get me started on evolution... I'm actually not offended by the fact that my ancient ancestor might have been an ape rather than Adam.
Secular society:
Many people believe that "secular" society is a religious-free society or anti-religious society. It is in fact a society that wants religion separated from politics. At the moment Church of England representatives hold privileged positions and are able to input some influence on government and policy. Religions also regularly want special exemptions from laws that the rest of us must abide by. A great example is the Catholic hatred of gay people and their so-called "right" to refuse gay people certain access or job positions. A secular group would not get such exemptions granted and would probably not even hold such damning views against a minority in this way. Many athiests believe that a truly secular society would be a lot more healthy and inclusive. Schools are another key area that athiests get fed-up about. Considering that most schools are funded from the public tax purse, all religious influences should be removed from schools which currently allow themselves to be choosy about its pupils and staff based on the religious overtones that govern that school. They should have this element totally removed and be fully inclusive, instead of trying to fill its classrooms with Catholics (or whatever religion the school is) with a few token variations just to appear "diverse".
The "Athiest" Monster:
Quite often, athiests are branded as the ones to blame for society's ills. Secular society has "lost its way", consumed by greed, consumerism, money, sex, drugs, celebrity, and so on. The people most likely to "demonize" athiests in this way are, surprise surprise, religious people. Many Christian groups actually regard the growing number of athiests as a real threat, with prominent athiest spokespeople such as Richard Dawkins targeted as blasphemous enemies who want to destroy the religion and rob them of Jesus. The fact is, athiests are the only ones who will ever challenge, criticize, and question religion, and the religious don't like this. They would rather portray athiests as monsters than face up to the challenges that athiesm presents.
Sex:
Most religions have strong views on sex. Most athiests love having sex! The sad fact is, so do most religious people, yes even the Catholics. I have NEVER understood why sex is seen as sinful, dirty, perverse, or wrong in the eyes of certain religions. Why is a basic and fundamental human need - to feel pleasure, to feel loved, or just to have a harmless wild time - treated with such disgust by religions? Even the birth of Jesus had to happen without the sex (virgin birth indeed). This is a hopelessly outdated world view, and religions really need to get with it. In fact, if these people had a bit more sex and enjoyed themselves a bit more, they might chill out more and be less uptight about their beliefs. They might also stop all the wife-beating and child abuse if they are able to give vent to their passions in more natural ways (mentioning no Catholic or Islamic religions). Sex is natural, and the desire to do it is built-in to our psychology whether we like it or not. To deny it is to deny one of the most basic things that makes us human in a misguided view that it makes us more "god-like". I once heard a remarkable one-liner that I loved - "If everybody in the world f**ked more often, the world wouldn't be so f**ked today". I apologise for the suggested language, but I just had to share that nugget of wisdom!
Prophecy:
I'll end with prophecy. I hate prophecy. I particularly hate self-fulfilling prophecy because I believe that this is the only type of prophecy that there is. The famous athiest Bill Maher said it better than I ever could, so I will use his views on this as they reflect my own. Many religions, especially Christian-based, have a strong belief that we are in "end times". Islam is currently locked in Jihad against infidels, working towards a great catastrophe. Religious influences guide many of the world's government, those same governments that are usually busy fighting wars. Religions are behind many, in fact most, wars. Many quote the Book of Revelations, the End of Days, or whatever you call it, but if enough people believe in it and work towards it then it will likely happen. It becomes self-fullfilling. It's quite possibly the most terrifying aspect of religion. We have built bombs capable of destroying the world and these people are in charge of them. Bill Maher said that it is the one true testament of religion, the one overriding aspect that makes it such a dangerous force in the world, that the human race developed weapons that can destroy the world long before they figured out the wisdom not to want that outcome.
