While I see your points around the arguments you were hearing, I think you've missed a key point that is maybe not clearly enough stated by any of these 'New Atheists': That it's the extraordinary claims that must be taken on faith with literally no evidence for one to 'belong' in organized religions that is the principle objection - due to what that will do to a human mind. Buddhism and your style of Hinduism seem preferable to the Abrahamic faiths because they do not require any form of 'submission' to a deity necessarily, but still require you to 'feel' your way to 'truth'. I'm not one to decry religions or the religious - I like Weinsteins framing of 'literally false but metaphorically true' in this regard - however having been an absolute atheist for many years now I see a way to live with total ethics, morals, empathy and compassion without ANY need for a religiouos framework. If you understand, as I do, that all we have is this time on earth it makes it somehow MORE valuable, beautiful and precious by that fact, and our actions and the way we live here, and with each other, is everything. Peace and all the best. A well written and thought out piece.