The Case for Theism

[Mystic]

There are two primary reasons I am a theist. First because there are facts (evidence) that supports that belief. Secondly if I were to reject the belief that God created the universe and humans I would have to be persuaded that mindless lifeless forces somehow coughed a universe into existence and without plan or intent caused the right conditions for life to occur. I'd have to believe that life and mind without plan or intent emerged from something totally unlike itself, mindless lifeless forces. I know most atheists prefer we just reject God first and then take it on faith that that our existence was caused by naturalistic forces that didn't intend our existence and that the universe also just came into existence for no particular reason. We should just assume that natural forces did it somehow. I'll leave it to atheists to persuade me such did happen or such could happen. After all we're not supposed to just take things on faith.

I think people believe first and justify later. But the justification was not the reason for their belief.

You may be grounded in belief in a Creator, but when try to articulate why in language, you come up with an irrational reason.

The argument you are making is an argument from ignorance. You don't understand how mindless forces can bring about design, so that it cannot. But scientist who dictate their lives to studying these things, see evidence of just that happening. For examples planets forming, stars forming, etc...

I agree that if indeed there is no evidence in favor of a claim that is a valid reason to decline belief in such a claim (although it by no means disproves such a claim).

There is no evidence in favor of praise, perpetual identity, free-will, value or morality. It's rather a witnessed belief and part of our reasoning, we act with purpose and the purpose at it's root is properly basic even if it branches out with diverse things and complicated situations.

I think a good proof of a designer is the inherent knowledge of purpose we all have. That is one dimension of "reason" we humans have.