I see alot of people identify themselves on this site as atheists.

I see this as a function of youth.

The young are full of beans, as the Morgan Freeman character said of the young, half-blind, would be hit man, in "Silverado." They have energy, confidence and are not afraid to go it on their own, or with a few like-minded young friends.

But, as A.A. literature will tell you, the grandfather of all twelve step programs, it is only a complete indifference to spiritual concepts that will sink your recovery program. Ulimately, you need to get in touch with a "power greater than yourself." It is excessive self confidence that is the root of the problem. By the way, agnosticism, is perfectly O.K.; so is seeing the group and the community as a transitory higher power.

The new organizer hired by Icarus says she/he is a multi-racial, transgender, "queer" (her/his terms); I think that's great. Empowerment starts with embracing who you are. That's the positive side of youthful confidence. You start by loving yourself. But there's got to be real "love".

Now, I know that modern religious dogma is a turnoff, rightly so. But if you go back, which isn't easy, to the real message of the founders of the world's great religions, and other great "saints" that didn't make it to a high level of organization, that message is the same in all places and times and has weight. As J. Krisnamurti, who I like, says, all concepts of the self are conditioned, of the past and dead--just like the dogma--only by moving beyond the ego, to the present, can love be found, a power greater than yourself, where all intelligence and creativity comes from. The only hope for the future. Dig this: Krisnamurti said: "being religious, is being sensitive to reality."

Atheism is just part of the self condtioning: an illusory and dead embrace of the conditioned past. No love, intelligence or creativity lives there. And it gets worse as you age.

That is the downside of youthful confidence.

Don't get stuck in the dead past.