Where do atheists think the universe came from at the very start

I'm wondering your views as an Atheist of where the universe came to be

I find you ignorance disturbing.
Religious beliefs have nothing to do with scientific knowledge. Quite a few scientists were priests, such as George Lemaitre. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lema… So stop it with the "atheists" and we'll stop calling you a "bible thumper".


he seemed very sure that the theory of the Big Bang was cause by the two dimensions collapsing in on themselves thus the enormous amount of energy needed for such an event to happen.

Your atheist friend doesn't seem to have studied science, particularly cosmology. A few decades ago, he would have believed that the Universe has been around forever with the same effect. You and him can start with Wikipedia and then proceed from the references in the article on Big Bang. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang


He told me that faith is stupid and believing in something that can not be proven is ridiculous.

Faith is not stupid. If it would make you a better person (such as being more tolerant, which I'm not and neither you are), then I'm all up for faith. Except that religious people, particularly christians, use the cover of faith to impose and diminish others who do not share the same faith, sometimes to the point of bodily and emotional harm and even murder. That's why religion isn't held in too high regard in this forum.