Of course, atheists, agnostics, and godless Unitarians like me all too often make unfair generalizations about Christians... who, as anyone with a glimmer of awareness knows, embrace beliefs that are all over the spiritual map. Seems to me that Christopher Hitchings and Sam Harris have uttered some pretty snarky condescensions about "Christians." And Bill Maher... wooo!

That being said, the only important question in any discussion about whether God exists is whether mortal humans need to believe in a god in order to guide their life's behavior along moral and ethical principles. It seems obvious to me that neither God nor Jesus are essential to a life well lived.