If "The Something" exists, I imagine it is not static but evolving. I would imagine also that we humans are part of it, and have a responsibility to ensure it evolves in the "right" direction - speaking very vaguely and waving my hands, that means in a direction of maximum freedom, opportunity, discoveries and learning, realizing our potential, etc.

I feel that modern man already has powers (thanks to technology) that the primitive savages who wrote the world's holy books would never have dreamt of ascribing to their gods. If we don't destroy ourselves, we will become as gods - the question is whether we will be good or evil ones.

'Not static but evolving'-- yes. But not evolving 'toward' (S)omething or someplace... rather, direction-less, even meaning-less, which isn't necessarily a negative idea. No 'right direction' (or 'intelligible meaning') because that (always) already presumes an origin as well as a telos, yes?... and why should humans presume it's their responsibility to ensure anything, given that we've just about managed to destroy the planet and ourselves and nearly every other species under our current ascendancy? by saying that, I don't mean to suggest that we should live without an intention to live lightly, to not do harm. I'm just a little sceptical of presuming 'right' directions these days when it comes to human beings, especially when they invoke "The Something" as justification/rationale.

Seems to me that 'Religion' is another way of saying just that: a way of enframing, of limiting choices/actions/thoughts. How about something more akin to those early buddhists, something like karma and spirit; something like energy, which -- and here I'll agree a bit w/ No More Mr. Nice Guy! -- can be utilized by those who are able to tap it (via technology or other means) for multiple purposes, short or long-term. Without trying to sound silly, there's something to that Star Wars idea of 'the force'... which in and of itself is meaning-less, direction-less. Belief in the soul in this sense would simply mean the connection that all living beings share--all animated by energy. How we contribute to its regeneration or depletion through our own actions, thoughts, and intentions would be the measure of 'good' or 'evil', perhaps?

The problem is that atheism has such a narrow meaning. Telling you I'm an atheist really doesn't tell you much about me. It certainly doesn't require that I be passionate about science in general or astronomy in particular.

I suppose a few atheist could get together and describe a larger vision but it just wouldn't apply to everyone who calls themselves atheist.

Mitchell says:

"Would it be possible to believe[...]"

Of course. People do it all the time. But why settle for belief? Why accept mediocrity? Find out.

"To believe that there is not only gloriously more than nothing but gloriously more than the sort of black-white, good-evil, big-daddy-in-the-sky, fairy-tale oversimplification the religious insist upon?"

What is meant by "more"? To understand the desire to know "more" is what is important, not the question of whether or not to believe in "more". The question of "more", "god", "The Something" - name it what you will - is not edifying. It is satisfying and gratifying, but not edifying.

"Are the capital letters a sign that this would devolve into another religion?"

They are a sign of thought attempting to describe the indescribable.

The "Something" seems to be another attempt at naming the unknown. Just the attempt to understand the chaos causes us, using our small minds, to limit it and pin it down, even if it is as vague as the "something".

We may evolve, we certainly are on our way. If we do not destroy our world, we may evolve and if we do we will very likely find we are not alone in our awareness on this planet.

We do not know what is out there and our guesses are usually more wrong than right, even using science. Accepting the limits of our awareness is essential for the limited form of enlightenment our consciousness can achieve.

On the other hand: If one takes your posit as poetry, than it comes as close as anything to communicating the awesomeness of experience.

Words I particularly like from comments above:

"freedom"
"direction-less, even meaning-less, which isn't necessarily a negative idea"
"to describe the indescribable"
"the awesomeness of experience"