The obsession with a linear existence

Atheists are obsessed with a starting point because without it there would be no progression from point zero toward a constructed world that can be boasted as entirely the product of man's efforts. For them, time has to be linear otherwise the efforts of the human species would be meaningless and it's constant struggle to shape a better future would be futile.
The alternative to a 'random' 'accidental' starting point in the formation of things is a Creator of some kind and so the question is more of a statement of belief than a rational question. It is not rational to have a starting point for existence because 'existence' by it's very nature can never be articulated as having no existence as its precursor. So the question will always be asked what came before the starting point and where did the energy come from to make the start? It is like trying to describe oblivion with words that bring into existence form and substance - the antithesis of 'nothing'. Therefore, belief in time as a linear phenomenom, has no rational basis and if the best it can come up with is the Big Bang Theory then it is probably worse than no theory at all! To describe the unknowable with such pedantic certainty, that relies on a false premise, is a sign of desparation - of clutching at straws in the face of such a marvelous and awesome creation!
What started the thing that came before the thing that ignited the other thing that created the 'spark' that fueled an explosion that flung endless galaxies into space? But what started the first thing? And, when you have worked out what started the first thing, you then have to go back a further step and ask the same question 'what started the thing that started the first thing?'
The problem is the question cannot be answered rationally and any answer has to rely on faith more than on reason, which places the person asking the question on equal footing with the believer in God who asks, 'How did God 'make' Himself'?
If only you would study Jesus' words, you'd understand eternity and how everything else perfectly fits into it.