A brief history of Job--Yahweh makes a bet with his son Satan (who cannot do anything without Yahweh's consent) that Job would worship him no matter what, so he gives Satan permission to inflict anything upon him. So Satan destroys Job's possessions, inflicts Job with boils, and even kills Job's children, just so Yahweh can say "See, I told you Job would worship me no matter what!"

Yes, Yahweh allowed Job's children to be killed just so he could stroke his own ego. How pathetic.

Sometimes, it does feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall when arguing (philosophically, that is) with Christians, but then I am reminded of the quote by Edmund Burke:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

If we did sit around and did nothing against the oppression that is the Abrahamic faiths-- the consequences for us all would be disastrous. Sometimes, anger can be a virtue--especially when fighting against oppression, and Christianity is oppressive. As you said, use your anger effectively--and it can be one of the best weapons against such oppression.

Let me tell you another story--about my father, who eventually became an atheist. You see, he was a member of the Resistance (being a blond blue eyed Dutch man, who spoke fluent German) and was caught and imprisoned in a POW camp. He saw much horror, and never quite got over it, and because of it, he lost his faith in God--but wait the story does not end there.

While in a POW camp, my father caught pneumonia, and was on the verge of death. The German doctor overseeing his care knew he would probably die there, but instead of letting him die, he smuggled my dad a German uniform, which my dad wore the next day as the soldiers were doing there exercises. When he saw an opportunity, he literally walked out, and went from farm house to farm house, where German families took care of him--until he finally reached Rotterdam. He was one of the first soldiers to return just before the end of the war.

The war caused my father--and many others to lose their faith. Logic and reason is the reason I do not believe. So, in this case, according to you, your God saw fit to allow a man to be "saved" from the Germans, only to create more unbelievers, such as myself. Odd--don't you think?

Ray...I want you to think about this on a deeper level. In many ancient African and North American societies, they did not have the problems you mention above such as pedophilia, adultery, porn, etc. Why?--because they were not taught that the body is dirty, and that sex is dirty, and that we as human beings are "born sinners" and cannot help but to sin--this is a Christian teaching. Why, in Africa women used to walk around with barely any clothes on, and no one took notice of it. They did not have high incidences of rape and molestation--because to them the body was sacred and not dirty. In Christian society however, Christians believe the body is "dirty" and should be covered up, and born sinners cannot help but to violate that body. But then all they have to do is ask for forgiveness, and they are still "saved" according to you. No justice for the victim, and the "saved" person then continues the cycle of rape, repent, rape, repent...repeat when necessary.

So, to summarize, the problems you mention stem from the Christian tree, as in our society--and it does not matter if one is atheist or Christian--these problems stem from Christian doctrines that influence society as a whole. If Christianity did not teach that we are born sinners and cannot help but to sin, then the world might be entirely different than it is now. Instead of people doing bad because they think it is their nature to do so, we might have people that do right because they believe it is their nature to do so. Think about that Ray..... I would love to hear your thoughts.

Just like Christians do, Dawkins employed hyperbole in his Tweet. Unless of course you really can move mountains with prayer Ray--would love to see you do it.

We will miss you Mr. Hitchens. You were a voice of reason in a chaotic world.

I agree. It's sad really, that people buy into his schtick, but like PT Barnum said long ago, "There's a sucker born every minute." He was right.

Gee Ray, I wonder what all those starving children in Africa--who believe as fervently as you do in your god--are thankful for? To paraphrase you, what has your god has done for them "personally"?? Let me answer for you-NOTHING. We are what we are due to the circumstances of our birth and our experiences--not your god.

You over generalize, which illustrates your ignorance. I know Christians for instance, that are not thankful for anything, because for them, the only thing that matters is the 'afterlife.' In that sense, Christianity is a very nihilistic religion. This life doesn't matter--its only heaven that counts. How bizarre.

As an atheist, I am probably happier than most theists, as I do not regard this life as a "stepping stone" to the next. This life is precious--because it is the only one I most likely will ever know. I wish more Christians felt the same.

And as for Thanksgiving--I refuse to celebrate holidays that were either co-opted (Christmas and Easter) by Christians from pagan celebrations, or Thanksgiving, which is an attempt to sugar coat the atrocities committed by Christians against the Native Americans. Read "American Holocaust" by David Stannard if you want to know how brutal Christians can really be. So much more so than even Hitler. To really know the true story, you need to analyze both sides. I dare you Ray.

It's 100% clear in Exodus 34, when it states right after the commandment against cooking goats in their mothers milk that these are the ten commandments. It is 100% clear if you choose to read it.

No, you should read Exodus 34--as those are the TEN COMMANDMENTS found in the ark of the covenant. The commandment of not cooking a goat in its mothers milk is a part of the TEN COMMANDMENTS. You really should read your bible thoroughly before making such comments.

Oh Ray, you mean when he spoke audibly to Moses when he dictated the ten commandments--not once but twice! Why is it that you Christians ignore the 10 commandments that are supposedly in the Ark of the Covenant--the ones in Exodus 34? Why do you not display the real 10 commandments on your courthouse walls? Is it because some of them are ridiculously embarrassing, and are the narcissistic ramblings of an impotent god afraid of being rejected for other gods, and other rules which are also followed by other groups that do not worship your god? You know what I am talking about Ray, but if you have forgotten, let me quote the end of the Exodus 34 for you.

“Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning. Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. DO NOT COOK A YOUNG GOAT IN ITS MOTHER'S MILK.”

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. " Exodus 34:25-28

Note, that your god sees nothing wrong with rape, or pedophilia--but cooking goats in its mother's milk is a no-no. Bizarre Ray--truly bizarre.