As I see it, atheism and theist beliefs come in different forms. For atheist, there is the scientist, the political atheist, and the narcissist. For the religious believer there is the inherited believer, the miracle believer, and the seeker. Of course these classifications are generalities and people tend to be a mixture of different groups. But the type of groups that a person tends to will have a big effect on their views of the on going debate between religion and government in our society.

The scientist would generally apply to people who have been academically trained to be observers. This group could include medical doctors, scientist, sociologist, or anyone who looks at life in a materialistic cause and effect way. They tend to dismiss anything that is based on subjective values, and personal testaments. The scientist generally only gives credence to what they can see, or measure. Professional scientist are also under peer pressure not to give credit to notions that some unseen spiritual force could be the cause of the phenomenon that they are observing.

The political atheist is a supporter of secularism. The belief that government and religion shouldbe separated. The secular atheist usually are supporters of Carl Marx and modern communism. It is not enough for the political atheist to have a separation of church and state. Instead they seek to remove any mention of religion in the public forum. Their goal is to ultimately abolish the practice of religion and replace it with state mandated rule. It is this group that has championed the removal of the Ten Commandments from public buildings, the removal of In God We Trust from our money, and support modifying the pledge of allegiance.

The narcissist is a person who rejects the morale aspect of religion in order to indulge in behavior that is considered immoral by religious groups. By rejecting religion they try to remove any sense of guilt, shame, or responsibility for their indulgent behavior. This personality type can be seen in many of the entertainment industry celebrities and among the self-proclaimed elite in America. The narcissist tends to support the political atheist goal to eliminate or reduce the influence of religion.

The inherited believer is a person who grew up in a religious family and continues in their tradition. This person may or may not agree with all of the views of their religion but they tend to stay with it because it is familiar and comfortable. That does not mean that they do not believe in God or the teachings of their religion. It is possible that the person does not fully subscribe to the teachings of their religion but they do not feel comfortable with other religions. Of course the inherited believer can also believe whole heartedly in their religion. A community that is almost exclusively involved in one particular religion or sect will tend towards fanaticism.

The miracle believer is a person who may have had little or no religious beliefs. This person ends up having a pivotal experience in their life that changes their behavior and leads them to a deep belief in the power of God.

The seeker is a person who has an underlying belief in a God or spiritual forces that guide the Earth and Humankind. They tend to be more philosophic then religious and view different religions as a reflection of a greater truth. The seekers tend to look for a common thread in all religions. Another less altruistic group of seekers can be seen in the many neo-pagan groups that have sprung up. The neo-pagan groups tend to be the narcissists of religious people. They believe in spiritual forces guiding the planet but reject any notion that would prevent them from indulging in their personal cravings. Do what thou wilt is a common motto among the neo-pagans.

In political terms the inherited believer and the miracle believer tend to support the inclusion of religious practice and morality in government. They tend to make up what the liberals call the Religious Right.