Of course realizing that one's beliefs don't stand up to support is a good training for evaluating the evidence for Ghod. But I also believe that we can cultivate good evaluative standards without having to practice deception.

Indeed. But evaluating evidence means actually looking at all available evidence, and not scoffing at any report that does not fit a certain worldview without first conducting investigations. Also, a true investigation must be based on a sincere desire to learn the truth, and not just on a knee-jerk hatred of all the evil that religion does, vis a vis by equating certain phenomena with religion, when religion may simply be a subjective interpretation of certain phenomena that has not been adequately explained by science as yet. Just a few reminders. I understand your strong commitment to the materialist view, but in all fairness, as long as I have to see you spout it on a regular basis here, you will have to tolerate my periodic refutations :-P