God is a fictional figure.

You are correct to a certain extent, that hope is what drives the majority of humanity to do the right thing. However, it is also what blinds us from doing the right thing as well. Although you feel the lesson is to be learned the hard way, why go to drastic measures of birth defects or terminal diseases? Certainly the thought can be put into any individuals mind if you have the full extent of power as God. Our minds relate past experiences with humanistic and moral choices to do the right thing, we've been taught that a lesson the hard way is much more rewarding. Although it is, God has the power to implant the thought into the mind, no matter how big the lesson is, and if he wants to, even implement a "life experience" in there as well, but instead of using powers to his advantage, he chooses to kill of a good majority of the people through a multitude of inhumane ways. Did the people that died early learn a lesson through suffering and even choking on their own internal waste as an infant? If so I don't know what word religion is preaching anymore. On the subject of implementing thoughts, we won't just blindly follow his word, we can be as perfect as he wants us to be. If he created humanity then why did he give us the power to reason and think? Surely an ingenious God capable of creating an entire galaxy and species would know that there would be major consequences to that action. It all boils down to one thing: Why would there even need to be a lesson taught? If he makes the world perfect then what would be the advantage of having this wisdom of suffering and greed? If he did exist, surely he'd make an Eden on Earth, so if we live a life of stress free luxury; then what would the benefit of learning that lesson teach us? It wouldn't help us choose moral situations, we would be living in paradise there's no need for choices. If you're thinking "Well the Earth wasn't made an Eden so that doesn't apply.", Then that brings me back to my primary argument: If he has the power, why is the Earth the way it is instead of an Eden? It would be counter intuitive for someone to make a world of suffering to teach a lesson that isn't needed. You've mentioned that there has to be a 'mastermind' above us, guiding what happens and everything did not just fall into place. The human race is an innovative and curious group of individuals, wanting either self or global profit. We weren't guided into anything, we simply invented and innovated. Your stating that the human race is too illiterate and simple-minded to guide ourselves to a thriving community, and instead we need the guidance of a higher being. We have invented and bettered our lives so much without any guidance from this God. If God is the purpose of all creations, then we should give him credit for anything shouldn't we? He invented the car, and philosophized on the Fermat's Last Theorem correct? Civilization didn't fall into place, we made it into the world we live in today; no God guided us into inventing. Although your argument is thorough, you left out some conceivable points I've mentioned, such as the thought being implemented into our mind at a young age through strong influence of elders. Dean Hammer's "The God Gene" can perfectly describe the situation. In conclusion to argument three, this God didn't gift us anything, instead put us in a world that could have been improved tenfold without any effort. Attempting to preach a lesson that is unneeded and does not have to be taught at such drastic measures. As well as humans, we prospered on our own, we invented on our own, and no guidance was ever need for us to evolve into the society that is today.