Atheism vs. Religiousness

I'm finding Sam Harris' book "The End of Faith" and the movie "Religulous" from Bill Maher to be quite convincing on the topic of religion. Both Harris and Maher make the point that religious moderates should consider that their moderate beliefs are still perpetuating (and enabling) the religion that the extremists use to justify all the "bad" things that happen in politics (and terrorism). Both believe that religious moderates (people who don't necessarily go to church regularly but still align themselves to a given religion) should stand up and walk away from their religions and I'm finding it difficult to argue otherwise.

The biggest problem I have with the entire debate, however, is the use of atheism as the opposite of religiousness. Atheism is a belief that there is no God. What of the millions and millions of people who believe in a higher power but don't believe in any structured religion? When I use the word God in conversation, I'm referring to an energy that I believe we are all part of, not some gray-haired man in the sky who judges us. My "God" is a lot more secure than any earthly religions make "Him" out to be. As Maher says perfectly: "Why would God be a jealous god? I know people who've gotten over jealousy." Religionists want me to believe that God is so powerful that "He" can prevent me from lifting my little finger if He so chose, yet He isn't powerful enough to not create me as a gay man if that's what He wished (or defeat the devil who planted it in me if that's what you believe).

The problem with Harris, Maher, Christopher Hitchens and many other Atheists is that they want to throw God out with the religious bathwater. They speak of the proof that the Big Bang happened and can trace molecules from that explosion to our current selves through evolution. Some even go so far as to say that the Big Bang is cyclical and that the universe "exhales" and "inhales" over Sagan's "billions and billions of years without end". Ok fine. I agree. My next question for all of them is, "What or who started that cycle?" Asking that question doesn't mean I believe in a talking snake or a burning bush. It simply means that I'm willing to accept that there is more to this universe than our smartest scientific minds can understand and I'm ok calling that territory "God" even if the line keeps moving more towards the "know" column over time. This belief means that I have to be a good person because I choose to be, not because some religion guilts me into it or because I fear for the repercussions from an angry god upon my death.

I know very few atheists. I know many, many people who believe in a higher power. By "higher", they mean higher than they are. Able to rise above petty human emotions such as guilt, anger, vengefulness, and judgment. You know. The stuff of which almost every religious text seems to be based.