botchtowersociety: " Intellectually, I am an atheist but something within me calls me to faith "
In a way BTS, I'm exactly where you are. Although I call myself a committed agnostic, I really don't care about the labels (atheist, agnostic, etc). But I too have those other yearnings that lean towards the non-science I so much uphold. However, I stop short of calling it "faith". What I have settled on is something that science has already indicated: that we have brain functions and centers associated with a sense of spirituality and of "more" and of "connectedness" with the universe, etc. I can't deny that any more than I can ignore having to take a pee. I also realize that such inclinations are more or less pronounced in many individuals. I'm in the process of figuring out how to satisfy that without resorting to mumbo-jumbo. It's not irrational to satisfy a craving simply because we can't explain the craving. And, in my case, it doesn't hurt anyone. So, I say listen to it and see where it takes you. But do it with eyes wide open.