Steve, fair point about faith and bigotry. I think the problem on a site like this kicks in on a couple of levels as far as religion goes... when people of faith who also hold antidiluvian views on social issues post, it can sometimes appear that all normal rules of engagement go out of the window and are replaced by a kind of feeding frenzy on the part of some of those challenging them. And when the debate is purely about faith versus atheism, the atheists can sometimes lose sight of the sense of science and reason they hold dear, and it can all get a tad emotive and irrational.

Don't get me wrong, I too struggle with the notion of any faith that appears to be about winning your spot in the great hereafter by getting as many bums on seats as possible, rather than being purely about your personal relationship with your own notion of god. And as someone who really doesn't 'get' the idea or purpose of having a god, I would have to concur that, to me, all gods are imaginary. However, I'd also add that I doubt the imaginary friend position would succeed in winning over many hearts and minds (though I used to use it myself, mainly in the period after I broke with my own religious upbringing and later out of mischief. I don't any more).

There must be better ways of acheiving a balance in the face of evangelising. I'm not convinced a quasi-evangelical atheism is the way to go. I'd say that practical and acheivable stuff like campaigning for a genuine seperation of church and state might be a more effective starting point.

IMHO, as ever.