Yup

When you have no facts, because there are no facts to have, you start grasping at straws and say really stupid things. Intellectual, l think not. They said the same thing about Justice Scalia, and that man said some of the most nonsensical things l ever heard a human being utter.

Not addressing the morality aspect, but rather just the notion that someone says they don't believe but actually do...

I believe close to the opposite. I truly think that the majority of people that claim to be Christian or similar heaven / hell / monotheistic creator based religion are actually Atheists. They can certainly be agnostic

It's true that the majority of people that I've even met would identify as some form of Christian. However it's also true that the vast majority of these people do not follow the rules so to speak either, not usually at least.

I can't imagine truly believing that there is an omnipotent being that created the universe, and NOT following the rules for the blink of an eye that is our lifetime on earth to get into heaven / avoid hell for ETERNITY.

Imagine that you honestly truly believed that ...let's say... Hafthor Julius Bjornsson aka The Mountain, was watching you every second, and if you broke his rules of um....how about....saying God Damnit! He was going to punch you in the face.
Well...I'm not breaking the rule for a face punch from that guy. So I'm sure as hell not going to offend the Creator of the damn Universe and be burned in hell for eternity.
I can't remember a single "Christian" that I've ever met that didn't ever take the Lord's name in vain, or didn't break some other rule. Hence, I don't think they truly believe what they claim to. I find it more likely that they are just afraid to "not believe".

Kind of amazing that anyone would give such a blatant example of confirmation bias a serious hearing, but particularly in the facts-totally-optional TrumpWorld in which we now live, it doesn't surprise me, really.

The basic problem is that if believers were to consider atheism anything other than the product of a desire to sin in various ways, they would have to allow that it can be a considered position, based on some philosophical considerations, however misguided they may regard them. And that opens a can of worms they are terrified to contemplate. Maybe they would have to actually engage on a level playing field, and actually compete in the marketplace of ideas. It's much easier to consign atheism to the realm of Satanic influence, licentiousness, irrational hatred of god and the godly, total ignorance of religion, and so forth. Gaslighting is much easier and less terrifying and protects them from having to actually address atheist objections to theism.

And the way that most theists deflect, move goalposts, and change the subject in such conversations ... well of course they have to demonize us. What else is there for them to do? It simply reflects the total intellectual bankruptcy of their belief-system.

I think he must be so closed minded and self righteous that he wants to refuse to believe that there are so many people who truly think differently and disagree with him.

I think he nneds a dynarod of the mind to clear it out and start thinking straight