as someone on the brink of atheism as well, i find theres really no need for religion.
thats sort of an odd statement.
given as i was raised catholic, much like you lucas, i started to see huge holes in belief. yes having a god that created everything is a comforting feeling. but, there really is no need for a god other than comfort.
i like the theory of the big bounce. infinite numbers of universe floating on an unknown plane. sheets filled with all the necessary elements to create an awe inspiring domain. suddenly one of these planes happens to bump into ours, igniting if you will, the big bang, or bounce. chance or what have you. but beyond our sheet of a universe, theres uncountable others. where did these spawn from? what do they float in? maybe theyre the very fabric or our own universe, just on a very complicated level.
now, if this god fella created our existence he would have had to create it and step back. could he possibly control the expansion, and ultimate contraction, of such a vast place? the elements beyond elements? the wormholes, gravity and quantum mechanics?
maybe god is gravity. a force so huge that we cant exactly say what it is.
this is a little scatterbrained. were gonna have to discuss this further.