How is it a cop out. By very definition god is not material, so how is it a cop out? people want a material explanation for something that is not by definition material. I already said to you, not all knowledge obtained is by faith. There are 30 million NDE experiences , some 1,000 odd peer reviewed NDE research papers available online and lots of neuroscience journals talking about consciousness being separate from brain. Yet you keep arguing that nothing is outside "material". This is not science, this is junk science ole mate. If you think consciousness = brain, i urge you to show me the evidence for it. This knowledge can also be obtained through intensive meditation, this has been peer reviewed throughout history by spiritual scientists. To dismiss it without experimentation is not science. When Susan Blackmore published her book to make her case against NDE neuroscientists were quick to call her out about the outrageous conclusions in her book which zero evidence behind it.
Now atheists are totally ok with simulation theory, so someone is simulating us, plausible, right? Nothing is real but everything is a simulation. It can be an alien simulating us or someone else simulating us, but cannot be god! you see the hypocrisy in the statement? so someone has created the whole environment, us, material world etc, as long as it's not good i am fine with it. This is hypocrisy, i am not saying i believe in the simulation theory, i am just pointing out the hypocrisy here! This is a position of faith, even mathematics is faith based, people assume the "axioms" in math, a simple google can tell you that mathematical results will be different if axioms are changed even for simple things like 2 plus 2. Scientists like Micho Kaku always mention this.
Scientists will disagree with you about science and religion (not the organised religion but mysticism), even a great agonist like Sagan: