Or my perspective as someone who was raised as a Roman-Catholic, confirmed into the church, studied basically every major religion in the world, who spent the first 18 years of his life as a practicing member of the church and still has close ties to his very religious family? Cause I mean....based on my past I'd say that I have a fairly good view of both sides of the argument.

I don't hold people's religious beliefs against them, and I don't respect anyone any less because of their beliefs. Some people need their religion and it's something that gives them a lot of satisfaction. I respect that, and I'm happy for them.

I understand what you're trying to say, but self-worth has nothing to do with why I would think that an omnipotent being would care about a random person or especially care if a random creature believes in it. It is inconceivable to me that a higher power would care about something so silly as what one person thinks anywhere.

As far as the violence stuff goes, all I really have to say is that more atrocities are committed in the name of god or because of religion than just about anything else that I can think of. The people who perpetuate violence in the name of religion are a minority, and I also accept that...but it doesn't change my perspective that religion causes an inordinate amount of strife and rather than being a uniting force in the world it tends to be divisive instead.

Finally, I never said anything about considering the people that believe in god to be stupid or hicks, or anything of the sort. They simply hold a belief that in my mind is incomprehensible. I view the world in an extremely logical manner, and what I can see feel, or prove is what I find to be real. It may be an extremely cynical view of the world, but it is what it is. I have never seen something that says to me that there is a higher power, I have never seen a single piece of evidence that would even lead me to possibly believe that it is proof of a higher power. I have never felt deep in my heart/soul/whatever that feeling of faith or anything of the sort. On the other hand I've seen plenty of evidence that my view of the world is a correct one. Am I exchanging the god of the bible for one named science and logic? Perhaps I am, but I'm ok with that, because science is tangible.

Do I fear that when I die that I will cease to exist? No, I really don't. I'm ok with accepting that I am a collection of memories and experiences, and that when my body ceases functioning that whatever it is that I am is going to be gone as well.

I have my own theories as to why religion is so pervasive, but I'm not really here to debate my belief on that, because that will offend people, and that isn't my goal. I respect people's religious beliefs and like I said, I think no less of them because of them. If it makes people happy, then I'm glad that they get something from it.