A dying message from Hitchens an American Atheist

That's kind of my point, and why I reached to lightning as an example. Wind is another good one. Heck, even the earth itself has been deified by many cultures.

I don't follow your photographer analogy. My point is simple: The greater the claim, the greater the burden of evidence. Infinite power and knowledge is to assume an infinite burden which is unlikely to be met. Similarly, a being who is simply more advanced, while still unlikely to be seen let alone abducted by, is still more likely than one whose claim is finitely larger

You have no reason to assume that even if a being existed, that it has been a part of your life affairs or has any interest in you.

A child burning ants with a magnifying glass is malevolent to the ants. If you're an ant who thinks that the child is benevolent simply because you have been burned (or possibly just unnoticed), you are simply assuming. It's not a rational conclusion until you've actually interacted with the child and it choose to burn you or not. Even if you aren't burned (read: "You haven't been ill treated"), the fact that others have had ill treatment should factor in.

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I have never killed anyone. I hold down a very stressful and busy job. I drive a vehicle. I take care of my animals. I love my husband. I have a decent IQ. I care about my friends. But, of course, since I believe in God, I am mentally ill.

Your completely irrational belief system open you up to the possibility of being talk into doing crazy things that a person that is more rational is not at risk of.

Similar to running a computer without a fire wall or an anti-virus program and therefore greatly increasing the risk of having the computer taken over.

Well, you're mixing oranges into your apple barrel again. I was just pointing out that actions of some religionists explain why atheists take so much interest in a non-entity. But you've just shifted gears from G (general) to P (personal). I haven't said your beliefs affect me (these days), i was just pointing out why it is reasonable that atheists should pay so much attention to the imaginary friends of others.

That would mean I would defend pedophiles, rapists, swingers, etc., etc., etc.

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That would mean I would defend pedophiles, rapists, swingers, etc., etc., etc.

With you swingers get grouped with pedophiles and rapists?

I was asking if you see a difference between willful indulgence in depravity and abuse of others...there are degrees of sin correct? I mean we can always get right with God on our last breath, but we can never undo the damage we do to another human, so abuse has to be worse than lascivious sexual immorality right?

Yes, I recall that the earth, and the moon were deified.
Mostly, though, events which were not understood at the time, were attributed to gods. We still do that on occasion. And even so, we haven't disproven the possibility of a final cause. So Thor doesn't throw down lightning bolts, that
only disproves a particular definition of a god.
The only evidence I see in any of that, is that for a god to exist it must supersede definition by man.

If a god exist, it must supersede definition by man, therefore I have no knowledge of this god, my knowledge is of the creation by this god.

If I were to pretend to define the photographer by his work, being a part of that work, I would see the photographer as 2 dimensional. The creator is outside the frame of reference. Alien abduction is within the frame.

I have every reason to assume that my interaction is with this gods creation.

Again you are comparing a god to an element within said god's creation.

We have no reason to assume that a god resembles anything we have knowledge of.

The apparent poor experience of others on this planet is probably the single most powerful argument for the non existence of god, imo.

It made me sad to read. Doesn't sound as if he feels very peaceful. He sounds preacherly, pedantic and fearfully in need of proving he had (or has if he hasn't died yet) a point.

I would hope I wouldn't feel the need to keep preaching on my deathbed. I hope I would feel more at peace than he sounds.
I feel sad for him and for those he loves that he had to keep making some sort of point right up to the end.
Can you imagine having to live with a guy like that. He can't even shut his mouth about it and contemplate something else- like the beauty of the world around him- while he's dying?