I called a friend who is a believer...

[Old Baby]

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- GC

1. I never said that I willfully deconstructed my faith.  That's a straw man.  Why did I bother explaining any of this to you if you're not going to read it?

2.  I never said that Truth made God or reality made God.  That's another straw man. 

3. Your arguments for why no man would want to believe in a god unless he knew it existed holds no water because Yahweh is only one out of like a thousand gods that people have at one time believed in.  They obviously DID NOT know those gods existed because they DO NOT exist.  Claiming to know something exists and living their lives as if it does exist is not evidence that this thing actually exists.

4. The "Why would any human being care about being moral if God doesn't exist?" argument has been debunked countless times.

5. What is your miracle that you've experienced?  You've stated numerous times that your experience isn't subjective but based on facts, so why haven't you brought those facts forward?  I can only speculate the reason is because they belong in the same class as just about every "miracle" I've ever witnessed in church, which is people giving God credit for coincidences.  I've also seen people's cancer go into remission after the church prayed.  Of course, I saw way more Christians die from cancer in spite of prayers.  Most Christians nowadays seem satisfied to make claims like "God healed me through doctors" or "God healed her by taking her on home to glory!"  

There was a minister who died a few years ago.  I had as much confidence in this man's zeal and sincerity as anyone I ever met in religion.  He was diagnosed with cancer.  He didn't understand it, but he believed it was God wanting to demonstrate his glory.  This man refused medical treatment and wasted away in his bedroom with thousands of people sending up prayers for him.  He fought and stayed brave until the end, proclaiming his imminent healing, and died a torturous death, leaving thousands of believers standing there in disbelief.  

6. You assert that I was going through the motions or "pretending" and that I never truly believed because I was indoctrinated.  That contradicts itself.  Aside from that, why do you even bother with this conversation if all you're going to do is question my sincerity?  Yes, it's true that deep down I had unbelief.  Did that make me any different than the average Christian?  Are you going to tell me that real Christians don't struggle with this?  The point is that I was sincere.  I repented for that unbelief and asked God to give me strength to be stronger in the faith. 

7. I find it ironic that you conclude science is the product of fallible man, but yet somehow the bible is definitely 100% a book written by God.  Your evidence for this is faith, which means that you really want it to be that way, which is good enough to make it "true".  Where do you get your science?  Ken Ham?

9. If this conversation is God giving me answers, then you have proved that he does not exist.

10. Why is failing to believe something anyone's fault?  You clearly do not understand what it means to actually believe something.  It's not a choice or an act of will.  That is called "faith".