just discovered this thread haven't read it all - sorry if I repeat anything previously said.
First off it seems to me its not a question of the existence of a god but the Christian God.
There are other concepts of what god is.
Seems to me the main atheist argument is a criticism of the New Testament from the point of view of the main stream fundamentalist interpretation, and with out a fundamentalist view of God, a reductionist view of nature/the universe appears weak as well.
Most of all both sides of the debate - Reductionist Science Atheist, & Fundamentalist Christian Religion, are pretty much doing the same thing, both have dogmatic catch phrases, both use pathological literal minded logic and both indirectly claim to have a special knowledge on the nature of existence.
If Religion prevents you from having a Spiritual experience, does Atheism prevent you from having a Scientific understanding? I have to say yes.
Its nothing to do with great questions about the nature of the universe but two club houses seeking to win a bitch fight for popularity money and power.
There are a large range of possible positions to take on the question on the existence or nature of God.
Problem is when these questions are asked it ****** deep introspection of one's own point of view, and often that view is surrounded with insecurity and fear.
there's a lot more to it than the Us vrs Them bitch fight