I have had many a decent debate about atheism vs established religion and all I can draw on is my own limited experiences.
Just before we were deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 (Christmas eve) to take part in the assault on Iraqi forces which had invaded Kuwait, we talked about the existance of God, most of the guys in my Battalion were convinced that there was no God,\never had been, never would they believe that God existed, in short, they were 100% athiest. however, when we were attacked by Iraqi artillery, those same lads were in a trench praying to the very God they had only days before denyed ever existed.
People are only athiest when it suits them (in my humble opinion), when humans are faced with great danger, they need something to believe in,and God, (whether you believe He exists or not) is always there with you