List of reasons to believe God exists?

[Amarok]

No. Not unless they found out how this all started and the answer leaves no room for a Deity, 

Despite them not having to do any such thing . For theism to be all but refuted . Sorry ignorance is not evidence for a position. But theists will always conjure up excuses .

[Catholic_Lady]

Wally, I have a question. What is your opinion on what humanity's moral standards should be based on? Or do you think there shouldn't be any standards? I am curious to hear your personal philosophy on morals and how you think they should be applied, what they should be based on, etc.

[henryp]

You get mad because you care about something, and someone hurt the something you care about.  By hurting someone you care about, they are hurting you.  So you get angry.  That seems rational to me.  
Rationally, you may also know there's no reason for them to care about hurting you, but that doesn't mean you still shouldn't have a strong dislike for people and things that hurt you.  Where and how you direct those emotions may vary on the logical scale, but it's an emotional response, so you'd expect that?

I see what you are saying. Though not sure that a purely emotional response can ever be called rational, but it does make sense. 

I suppose the question would then be, is it justifiable to feel extreme anger towards a rapist if it's merely my opinion that rape is immoral? I still think mostly everyone would answer yes, even those who say morality is subjective. They still act as though it isnt.       

In america in 2017, most people would say yes.  In America in 1840 if the woman is black?  If you're a viking, and the woman is the village you just overran?  Rape and pillage and whatnot.

It seems more like the opinion depends on societal norms and context than anything else.  Hell, there was a movie in the 80's where the nerd tricks a girl to have sex with him thinking he's her boyfriend, and he was the hero of the story.  16 Candles, they play a fucking Gong every time Long Duck Dong shows up on screen.  50 years ago, if I wanted to slap around my wife, that'd be fine.   

I think you mistake how domesticated we sort of are in America in 2017 and missapply that to our 200,000 year history on the planet.

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Wally, I have a question. What is your opinion on what humanity's moral standards should be based on? Or do you think there shouldn't be any standards? I am curious to hear your personal philosophy on morals and how you think they should be applied, what they should be based on, etc.

I like a practical approach which I don't consider morality.  It's just laws.  We make some rules to protect our interests.  I don't want anyone I care about raped (not that I am pro anyone getting raped).  You don't want anyone raped.  Blammo, we all agree. Rapes against the law, and we create a deterrent (jail or worse) to keep people from doing it.  That methodology takes care of a lot of the easy stuff.

As for overall, it's a tricky business trying to balance my direct personal interests with indirect personal interests, like keeping people from revolting and taking all my stuff.  I've got a bum ankle, and Thunderdome style living wouldn't work out well for me.

[Catholic_Lady]

What is your political standing?

[henryp]

What is your political standing?

I'm a republican.

[Brian37]

Wally, I have a question. What is your opinion on what humanity's moral standards should be based on? Or do you think there shouldn't be any standards? I am curious to hear your personal philosophy on morals and how you think they should be applied, what they should be based on, etc.

This question misses the point. OUR behaviors as humans are not being handed down to us, good or bad. Our species evolved to be social, and in doing that we have a tendency to defend that which is local and that which we are familiar with. Cooperation creates empathy, pain kicks in fight or flight. Outside that our species morality is mostly that which gets handed down to us by our parents. 

Instead of thinking in terms of your holy book, understand it in evolutionary terms. You defend your family for the same reason these elephants protect their family. 





For the same reason this cat protected this kid from a dog.





THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^ Is where morality stems from, evolution. Cooperation creates empathy, pain causes fight our flight.

[Neo-Scholastic]

Just cuz?

You might not have gotten the memo, but there's this little thing called the Principle of Sufficient Reason.

The same "sufficient reason(s)" can be made with respect to belief in fairies,

No it cannot. You have been misinformed. There are valid criticisms of the PSR but that's not one of them.

[Jehanne]

Maybe that's what I'm getting at.  I'm not sure!  It does seem like there's room for some confirmation bias.

On the big bang, I'm just not well read enough science wise.  I wonder what those people think that are.  If you are certain the big bang needs God, you'd expect them to be even more certain with their expertise?

I know Hawkins isn't but he could have some bias against a God what with the wheelchair stuff.  I know a lot of old-timey folks were.  I wonder what most modern physicists who look at the origins of the universe as their primary study say.

Here's a quick overview: https://www.space.com/25126-big-bang-theory.html

The popular belief seems to be that the universe is an infinite cycle of shrinking into a singularity, and expanding back into the cosmos. Though there is no answer as to how something eternal can reconcile with the laws of physics.

Can you read, CL? I posted the proof from David Griffiths. You can Google his name.

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The same "sufficient reason(s)" can be made with respect to belief in fairies,

No it cannot. You have been misinformed. There are valid criticisms of the PSR but that's not one of them.

Wht does PSR apply to God but not fairies?

[henryp]

 there's this little thing called the Principle of Sufficient Reason.

How does PSR work with quantum randomness?  

I didn't know it existed until about 3 minutes ago, but it seems like an intuitive idea rather than some sort of principle you'd start making claims based on.

[Amarok]

No it cannot. You have been misinformed. There are valid criticisms of the PSR but that's not one of them.

Yes it is . PSR can apply to fairies . Theists just special plead.

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Morality is a human invention . But it none the less remains true and objective.