I don't believe I made any assertions that we are living in a sci-fi movie plot. Rather, I simply mentioned the current "life in a simulation" idea because it is an interesting notion and not at all new. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of philosophy will recognize the core ideas of the "life in a simulation" notion as having been around for quite a long time. Whether or not something is "true" (an interesting requirement for a philosophical discussion) is irrelevant if you, like me, just enjoy the questions. Read a bit of this, if you like: http://www.transhumanist.com/volume7/simulation.html

Just for fun, whenever these types of discussions come up, I often consider the idea that we are living in a simulation. There are some compelling philosophical arguments out there for this that are, if nothing else, interesting to read through. I'd provide some links, but a quick google search should provide you with ample reading.

One cannot prove that God exists.
One cannot prove that God does not exist.

These two things may be true, but the only thing that matters is: we all believe is something. We all have faith in something, be it God or Science. Those who believe in God can, to a degree, feel superior to those who do not by using the reasoning that they "really know what everything's about" while the non-believers are (in their eyes) clearly ignorant of the truth. The same holds true for non-believers who have faith in Science - clearly, the hayseeds believe who believe in an invisible man granting them wishes are ignorant...

Yes, in that last sentence I used the phrase faith in Science. Faith in Science? I know what you're thinking...that makes no sense, and this guy must be a bit daft. Well, I may be, but hear me out. The fact is that, just as the majority of Christians do not, in reality, know very much about their religion, the Bible that is behind it, or even fundamental world history, most atheists are not scientists themselves, nor do the majority of them know very much about any number of scientific disciplines.

Instead, just as the Christian goes to church and learns of the religion from their priest/pastor/preacher, the atheists watches the science channel (as a simple example) to learn about what they believe in. It is tempting to say that people do not "believe" or have "faith" in Science, because one can test the theories and demonstrate results. This would seem to negate the very concept of faith (and it does)...however, this type of logic can only apply in the broadest and most general way. In other words, it would be rather silly to say that one "believes" or has "faith" in gravity, when all one need do is drop a ball to the ground to witness proof of its existence. However, when asked to explain how and why the force of gravity works, its relation to the other forces in the universe, why it is the weakest, etc...you will find that most people quickly show how little they actually know on the subject. This is where the belief and faith come into play. All one need do to understand this is to simply replace the preacher explaining the Bible with a scientist explaining the universe.

In other words, we all believe in something. Science is an ever-changing, ever-growing group of concepts in which to believe. Religion, on the other hand, tends to be more static. Science does not demand faith, and anything that a scientist can do to test a hypothesis, another scientist can repeat...as can Joe Public, should he cultivate enough understanding and provided he has the necessary equipment. Religion is something far more variable and far more personal. What one person perceives as God is not quite what the person sitting next to him or her in church perceives. The dogma of any given denomination of Christianity is riddled with contradictions, both externally with other denominations and internally within its own belief system.

Clearly, those seeking knowledge and understanding of the universe in order to further the advancement of humankind and our place within it, will cling to Science. In contrast, those who seek to understand their personal place in a more personal universe in order to achieve varying levels of spiritual enlightenment will cling to religion. In either case, however, only a small few will ever commit to fully studying and understanding any given aspect of what they have chosen to follow. Most will obtain a cursory understand via the proxy of authority: the priest or the scientist. Most will, to put it another way, take it on faith.

** The Wow-This-Guy-Posted-Way-Too-Long-Of-A-Comment-And-I've-Scrolled-Past-Every-Rambling-Word Version Of This Comment **
"Believe what you want to, believe what you can...but all I ever really learned from this life of mine is: love's the only thing worth a damn." - Joshua Kadison

P.S. This comment ended up running way too long for me to bother even a quick proofing for either content or spelling/typos. I apologize in advance if it either makes no sense or is impossible to understand due to crimes against the language. It's late and I should have been asleep a few hours ago...