Within moments of the almost universally unpopular "news feed" being added to our Facebook home pages the masses exploded. Approximately ten thousand and six Facebook groups were created in the following five hours expressing a desire for things to just go back to the way they were. People decried the mini- feed and the little broken heart icon that lets you know when your friends’ relationships are over. I laughed. I cried. I poked Phil Angelides.

Amidst all the hubbub and hurly-burly over Facebook’s latest facelift, I have actually noticed a couple of positive changes. For one thing, it is pretty convenient that all of the information that I would have spent 20 minutes clicking profiles to get is now neatly compiled onto the front page. The only thing that’s really changed for the worse is that it’s now harder to deny the fact that we all love Facebook because it legitimizes stalking. I used to have to spend hours going through people’s garbage and mail to find out whom they’re dating, but now that information is all right there in an easy-to-read format!

One long-overdue new feature is the "religious views" column in the profiles. Facebook profiles have made judging people without knowing them into a science. One glance at someone is enough to tell me if I will like them or if they watch Laguna Beach. I can judge their political views and just about everything except their religion-until now. When I discovered the "religious views" feature, I initially wanted to leave it blank. I didn’t want people to discover that I’m an atheist and become offended (for someone who once wrote a column about killing the homeless to get boners, I am awfully sensitive to other people’s feelings).

I don’t hate religions or religious people, although I do wish they would stop killing people who disagree with them. I don’t get in arguments with people about religion, unless they wish to engage me in debate. When it comes to the subject of a god (or the lack thereof), I am pretty nonconfrontational. That’s why I wanted to leave that part of my profile blank; I didn’t want to appear like some kind of radical atheist antagonist.

But nobody would hesitate, for fear of seeming radical or antagonistic, to declare their Christianity on Facebook. It bothered me that people who practice a religion can just declare it openly but those who do not have to hide it or couch it in wishy-washy terms like "agnostic." Oftentimes whenever I tell people I am an atheist they actually reply with something along the lines of "Don’t you mean agnostic?" No, I don’t. The term agnostic implies resignation to complete uncertainty about God’s existence. Of curse I am not 100 percent sure that there is no God, but neither is even the most devout Christian 100 percent certain that there is a God. They’re just pretty sure they’re right and willing to take it on faith.

Similarly, I am willing to take on faith that there is no God. I don’t want to offend anybody; I just want to be as open about my lack of a religion as Christians are about their enthusiasm for Jesus. I don’t scorn, pity or lambaste Christians any more than people who disagree with me over which flavor of Jolly Rancher is best (watermelon). Is it wrong of me to expect them to share my respectful agree-to-disagree mentality?

Atheism is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a philosophy with an ancient tradition, shared by many great people throughout history-people like Albert Camus, Warren Buffett, and Joss Whedon (creator of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series). Atheism is not a hatred of religion but rather the reasonable and objective belief that the existence of any sort of God definable by man is more than likely bogus. It makes sense-think about the fact that the Ancient Greeks had as much faith in the existence of Zeus as present day fundamentalists have in the existence of God. Ten thousand years from now, all of our present religions will probably be called "mythology" (except for Scientology, of course; that has "science" built right into the name!)

If you don’t agree with me, I respect that. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs. All I ask is that you respect mine. There’s no reason for anybody to feel like they need to hide their religion. My name is John Waste, and I am a proud Facebook atheist.