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 forces 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