"Is a god the cause of the world? No. But belief in it of one kind or another is the cause of most of the pain and suffering in the world. That's the one after another thing..cause and effect."

E Sykes, the only serious question which any intelligent person could reply with, would be this: What is more apparent from the above statement, ignorance or stupidity?

And that leads to another another question: Should I educate you or pity you?

Perhaps I will just give you some empathetic pity, as that will require less effort of me on a lazy Friday afternoon. It truly must be difficult for you to be as utterly deluded and uninformed as you are. I truly feel for you.

Although admittedly I need to add a caveat. I can't hope to truly empathise with you, as true empathy requires putting myself in your shoes. And since I sincerely doubt I've ever said anything as dumb as this whilst speaking seriously, (which I assume you actually were, in the absence of any pointers towards sarcasm, other than the ludicrous content of your comment), it is obviously difficult for me to do so.

Gee Trav you sure know the meaning of objective, rational debate! ( low level sarcasm intended)
Trav, the idea is to address our comments to the argument, something which you have failed to do in your entire post. If you think the argument presented is false give us some evidence to the contrary. For this particular argument the favourite response by believers is to mention bad atheists like Stalin or (incorrectly) Hitler.
Off you go then!

The late Douglas Adams wrote -The Jatravartid people believe that the Universe was sneezed out of the nose of a being called the Great Green Arkleseizure. They live in perpetual fear of the time they call "The Coming of the Great White Handkerchief".

Why is this nonsense any less valid than some of the other stories (yes stories - not theories) mentioned above?

Priscillian, before Stalin became a Marxist, he attended a Seminary.

This is Sells' sixth article on OLO in seven months. Does anyone else find this excessive?

Dear SilverInCanberra,
Perhaps I could help you understand the true meaning of the examples you chose:
Myth #1. The idea that it is okay and desirable to transfer guilt and punishment to an innocent.
Truth #1: Christianity never demands to transfer guilt or punishment to an innocent individual. Jesus WILLINGLY took on OUR sin (yours, mine and the world’s) so that we could be free to have a relationship with our Father in heaven.
Myth #2. The idea that responsibility for crimes can be passed on from parents to children, and that seeking knowledge should be a crime.
Truth #2: Each of us are responsible for our own decisions in life. We are not pre-destined for doom by our parent’s bad choices. For a pathway to freedom, see Truth #1. Secondly, a loving parent denies their immature child knowledge that is not useful. All knowledge carries responsibilities... and consequences.
Myth #3: The idea that infinite punishment is just for finite crimes.
Truth #3: No-one is forced to go to hell. It is a free choice for all, but entrance to heaven is not on your terms, so get over it. Just as the government, education dept, our parents et al determine the rules we must follow on this earth, God looks after the rules after we die.
Myth #4: Even if the Christian god did exist, with philosophies like these, he deserves scorn not worship.
Truth #4: Perhaps if you focussed more on the multitude of positive things Christ-followers have done you may see that God is in fact worthy of praise, not scorn. The abolition of slavery, much of the foreign aid work in third world countries, care for the sick and homeless, founding of many universities and many, many more great achievements... all done as acts of worship to a God who cares. Even for those who might presently scorn Him.

Candide: << This is Sells' sixth article on OLO in seven months. Does anyone else find this excessive? >>

It's worse than that, Candide. As a part-time cleric, he's been recycling his sermons almost monthly on OLO since 2002. The site wouldn't be the same without him.

And of course he has a few of his own disciples, like Trav:

<< Should I educate you or pity you? bla bla bla >>

I usually don't feed their narcissism... enough.

Wouldn't you hate to share a common room with Sells or Trav?