I hope I didn't come across as mean-spirited...

Well, I sure hope I didn't come across as mean-spirited or anything like that. I hope I have expressed myself in a way that is honorable, even if you and I are at odds on some of these fundamental questions.

I don't know if it's possible, but I think it would be beneficial for others to see that Christians and Atheists really can talk to one another about these things without taking cheap shots and ripping into one another. A lot of the debates I've watched, and much of what I've read, tend to degenerate into just that very thing.

I hope you you weren't made to feel I was putting you were "on the spot" as it were. I really am interested in what you think. And I understand atheists don't necessarily march in lock-step, and that your views aren't necessarily representative of other atheists. But they are important.

If you have any questions of me, I will be more than happy to try to answer them. If you don't, I hope you'll be open to further discussion. But I understand if you can't (or won't). I know some of these kinds of questions can take a lot of time to work through and think through. In either case, I appreciate your thoughtfulness and patience.