what would make you change your beliefs?

[Ace Otana]

Haha! (@ chasm)

@ Ace : I've told you before Ace - that type of assertion belongs over on scienceforums.org ...wrong class dude!

I made an assertion? Please point it out.

The only way for me to be convinced of the existance of a god is with evidence. No evidence = Not interested.

If it's impossible to have evidence of god. Then it's impossible for me to believe in it. I can't be converted without evidence. Saying there is a god is no differant from saying there are ghosts in my house. I'm going to need evidence for such claims.

[Caecilian]

God would have to appear and give me undeniable proof he existed.

Not possible

Well, if god is the deity according to fr0d0, then theres no possibility of my ever having concrete evidence for him existing. Thus there is no possibility of my ever believing in god.

Otoh, if god is more like the biblical literalist deity, then undoubtedly he could give me visible unambiguous signs. Such a god would be able to convince me that he existed, but he'd have his work cut out.

[Tiberius]

There can be no physical manifestation that could ever convince you of the existence of the Christian God. It is only your personal rational conclusions that influence your belief one way or the other.

Well according to your own religion, there was a physical manifestation of the Christian God. I was told his name was Jesus.

[The Omnissiunt One]

A vision a la that of Paul on the way to Damascus, especially if witnessed by several other people, would be quite convincing. Similarly, if there were a miracle witnessed by many people, none of whom had any agenda, and some of whom were skeptics who'd been convinced, or if it were caught on film, with no evidence of tampering or foul play, then I might be persuaded. Some startling piece of scientific or historical foresight in prophecy, with no ambiguity as to its meaning whatsoever, and with no chance of its arising by chance, would persuade me. So too would solid historical evidence, enough to persuade serious and impartial historians, that miracles were performed by figures like Jesus or Mohammad. If a prayer were answered in a way that defied the laws of science, and there was medical evidence that this had occurred, I would be persuaded. As for a deist god, I'm not sure what it would take to persuade me, nor how it could ever be proven, but a universe that appeared less like the work of an incompetent trainee deity on work experience, or a sadistic cackling cosmic fiend, would be a start.

[fr0d0]

There can be no physical manifestation that could ever convince you of the existence of the Christian God. It is only your personal rational conclusions that influence your belief one way or the other.

Well according to your own religion, there was a physical manifestation of the Christian God. I was told his name was Jesus.

Did people that saw him automatically believe then?

[Violet]

Evidence is a very subjective thing. I believe you are attempting to note 'scientific evidence'... which is apparently intersubjective and repeatably demonstrable. Of course... everything might well be one big coincidental delusion.

[Welsh cake]

My question here is: In what instance would your (non) believes be false?

While I'm open to speculating the possibility of the logically unknowable such as deities or other complex alien life-forms, without evidence, without proof the subject in question is demonstrable, I've no reason to change my lack of belief. Atheism, i.e. disbelief is the default position. Subjective personal experiences cannot be trusted as reliable proof of god or gods, I'd have to change my standards of evidence to an appallingly low level before I could ever reconvert back to theism, that, or suffer a brain haemorrhage.

Unless my logic, my cognitive faculties are somehow impaired (sadly no one can rule out the possibility of damage to the brain through accident or illness) I can't see how my inquiry into truth, discerning fact from fantasy, can be squashed with primitive religious dogma.

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

for the Christian god for example: if the deity appeared as a human and performed miracles in open source, I'd believe that a deity existed. i'd have questions but I'd believe in the Christian deity then (if the deity claimed to be the deity described by Christianity 'Jesus').

[Cego_Colher]

I just wanted to say that although I don't have anything to say back, I have been reading answers and I'm finding them most interesting.

[downbeatplumb]

It would have to be something pretty damn convincing,

I honestly cant think of a specific thing that would convince me of gods existence at the moment and had this thought before and drawn a blank.

But even with proof you can be fooled, when I was young when I lost a tooth I gained ten pence, this was my proof for the tooth fairy.

But it was a lie so proof can be false or even falsified you have to be careful.