Willie: Religious belief however involves accepting irrational statements

Some does.

Whilst accepting that religion is a proxy for having power over others, that aside it certainly looks like a superstition to me?

Are you the person who gets to define "superstition"? Or is this just post-modernism in disguise?

There is no difference between the existence of a god and the existence of a hobbit that lives in my pantry but is invisible and therefore I cannot see it. Neither can exist unless and until somebody proves otherwise.

Perhaps no difference you can see. But there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy. Lots of things exist that nobody has proven yet. If they didn't exist you couldn't prove them.