(December 28, 2015 at 5:11 pm)Delicate Wrote: On reflection, I've found this thread illuminating.
I've seen some people respond with grace and restraint, to whom I want to extend the same grace and restraint back (and more).
And yet, I've seen some respond with rage and insults. Not just passive cynicism, but a demeaning sort of cynicism that actively tries to pollute good faith dialogue.
Then there are those in between. Those who WANT to respond in good faith but have unrealistic expectations of me doing 40 years of penance, or giving up on what I take to be true as derived from reason and evidence, etc.
I will add, that the overwhelming reason that the vast majority of atheists give for their disbelief is lack of demonstrable evidence and reasoned argument to support the claim that a god exists.
And you claim to have that demonstrable evidence and reasoned argument for the existence of a god. And not just any god, but a specific one that, according to many Christian sects, will punish us for eternity for the thought crime of not believing he exists.
Aren't you bound by Peter 3:15 to try to convince us of the truth of your beliefs?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
