Atheists Have Been The Nice Guys Throughout History, Man Mucks Up God Cleans Up, If You Don't Like God, You Don't Know Him; Annihilationism, No Peace for the Wicked, Santa Argument...
Response to Comment: "What’s wrong with hating something that has brought more misery than joy?...Hate tends to bring about violence and war and murder and rape. The atheists leave those parts up to the religious to do, and they have done it SO well for thousands of years....I see have seen more lives saved by the non-believers than by the beLIEvers...Oh, but yeah, let’s thank Mother Teresa and Ghandi and the Dalai Lama instead. God, humans are stupid and ungrateful sometimes. "
Christianity has brought more joy to the world not less. See: What Christianity Has Done for the World What Christianity Has Done for the World.
70 million killed in China, 20-30 million in the former Soviet Union, and almost one-third of all Cambodians; the decimation of Tibetan and Chinese culture; totalitarian enslavement of North Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Russians; a generation deprived of human rights in Cuba...(source: Dennis Prager Why Doesn't Communism Have as Bad a Name as Nazism?). The roots of totalitarianism start with hatred for God and his law. When man seeks to live apart from God, people and nations suffer. Karl Marx said "religion is the opiate of the people". When we follow godless leaders or have them thrust upon us, we suffer.
Response to Comment: "Do you not hate cancer? or AIDS? or ebola? or malaria? or famine? or war?"
Disease, death and suffering came into the world due to the fall of Adam. God did not create a diseased, wicked world. Adam brought these things into the world not God. God planned to return mankind back to the perfect world by the blood of Jesus Christ. What man mucks up, God cleans up.
Response to Comment: "[Refusing] to worship the jerk."
Refusing to worship God is your choice. God intends to spend eternity with those who love him.
Clearly, you do not know the God of the Bible. He is good and loving in all that he does. In man's fallen state he quickly blames others for his own circumstance. In fact, in the garden it was the first thing that Adam did--blame Eve. When the world changed due to sin the character of man changed. But God was good before the fall and he remains good today. He has proven that (Ro 5:8).
He had provided a way back to himself.
Response to Comment: "Life has value by itself, it does not matter if you life a trillion, a billion, a million, a thousand or a hundred years. It may be more precious for being short."
There is a false belief called Annihilationism-- we cease to exist when our life is over. This is not a biblical concept. Eternity is written on our hearts (Eccl 3:11). We live eternally in heaven with the Lord or in hell. "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (Js 4:14)." Companionship is important. In Christ, we are promised "I will never leave you, nor forsake you (Heb 13:5)." God understands what we need and he offers it.
Response to Comment: "I think it is up to us to make meaning our life. It's clear by now that there's no God or supernatural forces that are going to do that."
This is idolatry. Making oneself God. You can add nothing good in creation without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You are a lost sinner in need of hope. After you are redeemed, then your works will matter (Js 2:18).
Response to Comment: "[W]e have to find ways to really make life bearable for more and more people."
The wicked often believe that they can make the world better but they cannot. They spread misery (Pr 29:2). The left stands for death, disease and destruction (Jn 10:10). A fools heart is on the left (Eccl 10:2). God is on the right (Ac 2:33).
Response to Comment: "Is life really all that grand and great if we can't find ways to live more equitably? If can't find ways to end the barriers to real happiness for all people? I know it sounds like a utopia...I'm just saying removing as many of the real barriers (political, economic, health) as we can that keep us from reaching our potential in life."
Your barriers are Christians. We uphold moral standards and we will not surrender in that fight. Liberals seek utopia in this life but they will never have it. (Isa 48:22).
Response to Comment: "[M]any hang on out of fear and needing a sense of divine purpose."
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10).
Response to Comment: "Why should we have to [fear God]...to become wise?...If I was to say 'The fear of Santa Claus is the beginning of wisdom' you would label me a loon."
Science is not a reliable way to study the world and mankind's purposes for being in it. The Bible is the only reliable source for living. It is proven historically and it has been attested to by many non-biblical writings as well. You can ignore these facts but your ignorance does not change the truth. You can cover your eyes, but that does not mean that light shines. The charge stands: light has come into the world but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds [are] evil (Jn 3:19).
You have a choice to receive or rebel against God, but you do not have a winning argument.
I would hope that we do not need to label you a loon. But if you do not believe in God that is the conclusion given in the bible (Ps 14:1). That is not my conclusion. That is God's conclusion.