I m not really an expert in logical argument, but some of the comments you have made about your atheism make me wonder if there is no proof of the existence of god as an entity outside of our minds then it makes no sense to accept the argument that it is reasonable to think god might exist. It s like saying the tooth fairy might exist because no-one can prove that it doesn t when many people have looked for evidence for a long time and haven t come up with anything. But that s not really why I wrote in.

I m an atheist who is the kind of person who would like to have faith, but unfortunately for me I do not believe in any gods I ve heard of as a separate entity outside my mind god is an idea that exists in the minds of people - and I can t get the kind of comfort that I seek purely from a constructed idea, or in the wonder of the universe, which although it s benign in the sense that it gives us what we need to exist, it s hardly personal in the way many believers have a personal relationship with their god. I think I m an atheist who lives in hope of compelling evidence for the existence of god. Tough, eh?

Let me clarify a point. I would not say, "it is reasonable to think that god might exist." Instead, I would say, "it is not reasonable to say that god does not exist." I admit the possibility that there is a deity, but I believe that possibility to be vanishingly small. I don't believe that the tooth fairy exists because I see no evidence along those lines, but I can't prove that she doesn't exist.

Regarding your second point, let me ask you a question: Are you an atheist who wishes you could have faith, or an atheist who wishes that there was a God? This is an important distinction. Personally, I am happy to have as little faith as possible, since the less you accept without proof the less chance there is that you believe something untrue. On the other hand, I think it would be great if there was a loving super being who would make sure that the world was a just place and give me a big reward when I die. But if the price of believing in such a being is giving up my devotion to only accepting that which is apparently true, then the cost of belief is too high.

There's nothing wrong with hoping for compelling evidence for God. There's nothing wrong with hoping you'll win the lottery. But, frankly, I think you have a heck of a better chance of getting the latter.