I do like the idea of reincarnation - I like to think that souls are recycled, although not that some forms are better than others. Just that maybe everything alive has a soul.

I don't know much about materialists or atheists in general, but I guess that's a difference between US and UK: religion doesn't really tend to be mentioned much this side of the pond, outside of comments by archbishops on issues, and reports of the problems caused by extremists, both here and abroad.