Response to Credis:
You probably are pretty intelligent and I am as well; however there are people all over the 21st century world with higher intelligence than either you or I reflect, and some of them are convinced that there is an active and involved personal God as the Judeo-Christian scriptures claim, and some of them are convinced that there is nothing in the universe other than the human mind that gives any content to any form of the word "god."  I resent it when Christians make comments about those who do not agree with them indicating a lack of intelligence, and it doesn't work any better when it comes from those who do not share my experience or trust in 'the God and Father of Jesus the Messiah."    I try to make sure that at least half of my serious reading involves reading smart people who disagree with my deepest paradigms and experiences of reality.  You might try reading Pulkinghorne the English Royal Physist who speaks to your comments on "hope" in his recent book, or the sociologist Rodney Stark who provides reams of data to indicate that your reconstruction of the history of faith as primitive and unintelligent is out of touch with a lot of reality, etc.  You may not find them convincing, but any honest reading will not find them lacking in intelligence, nor will it find them fearful, nor will it find them unwilling to look at other points of view.