(May 13, 2016 at 1:01 pm)SteveII Wrote:(May 13, 2016 at 12:11 pm)Jörmungandr Wrote: What gets me is the idea that a timeless, immaterial, omnipotent, spaceless being is somehow a less ludicrous supposition than an infinite past or something coming from nothing. You don't solve an absurdity by proposing an even greater absurdity. The chosen solution, this 'God', is more extreme than the alternatives.
That is a good point. However, no one is using the KCA alone to prove God's existence. There are additional reasons to think that God exists.
Natural Theology:
- Cosmological Argument from Contingency
- Basis for Moral Absolutes
- Teleological Argument from Fine Tuning
- The Ontological Argument
Revealed Theology:
- The OT
- The NT
- Miracles
Individual's personal experience
And don't forget the best reason: Empirical, verifiable evidence for God's existence!
What? Oh, wait, sorry. That one has never been on your list.
(May 13, 2016 at 1:01 pm)SteveII Wrote: While you may debate as to how much evidence each gives, they mostly stand or fall together so if someone wants to say there is no proof for God, you would have to dismantle all of them to support that statement.No, if they "fall together," someone only need to dismantle ONE to bring them all down.
And by "proof," we don't mean syllogisms or ancient texts. We mean that one little thing that has never been on your list... empirical, verifiable evidence.
(May 13, 2016 at 1:01 pm)SteveII Wrote: I am sure there are some people here who think they can do that, but what it really comes down to is that it takes an extremely high level of skepticism to deny all of them. At that level of skepticism, you have to start asking if it possible to believe in anything.It only takes a moderate level of critical thinking to deny these assertions and see them for what they are. And, at the level of skepticism you describe, it is possible to believe in an entire universe full of real things! However, it is not possible to believe imaginary things are real with even a modicum level of healthy skepticism.
(May 13, 2016 at 1:01 pm)SteveII Wrote: OR, is it more often the case that non-belief is a result of an emotional response...perhaps because suffering exists or some related objection?On your thread listing reasons why Christians Believe, you enumerated several reasons based on emotional "appeal." While some physicists might become teary-eyed over contemplating the periodic chart or giddy imagining inflation theory, their beliefs are grounded in evidence and reason, not emotion. Some children cling to the idea of Santa Clause for emotional reasons far beyond the age when they should abandon the idea. Some adults do the same, clinging to their notion of God despite myriad absurdities.