First of all, with my moderators hat on can I please give a gentle reminder of the “the Watercooler is for friendly, supportive exchange not cantankerous wrangling” line.
With that said, even though I have a different take on the rebirth point from you, I am at the same time not that impressed with unnecessary clobberings of anyone’s earnest efforts to address the question of suffering and enjoy witnessing more sensitive approaches to things. I can very easily understand how it is possible to take highly assertive, even strident, declarations of ‘what’s what’ as dismissive, even belittling challenges to some folk’s best, honest endeavours. All the same, much as I can easily understand how it is possible, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing so, especially as I rather doubt that was the intention.
I don’t exactly know what constitutes “perfunctory verbal expressions of metta” by your assessment, and further I’m not 100% sure what metta is. Regardless, out of an actual, bona fide care for you and your ease of mind might I recommend to you the words of one fine chap: