Do Atheists Really Believe in God?

Asking God to harm them or others is just as upsetting to atheists as religious folks. That's the finding of a new study out of Finland. Details are in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. Researchers asked their subjects to decide whether statements like daring God to drown parents or visit friends with disease. The researchers found that even when atheists said such utterances were meaningless, they nevertheless showed discomfort when hooked up to monitors. The study authors say their findings show, at the very least, the idea of God is powerful, even in very secular societies like Finland.