The real religion?

[SteveII]

SteveII

Here's the core of your belief, and the failing of your belief, with regards to empiricism.

Empirical evidence is what can be experienced-- NOT the interpretations of experience.  If we look at an apple, that is an apple for 100% of the people, whether they call it that or not.  People can do stuff to apples, and consistently observe the effects of their interactions with apples.

"Empirical evidence is what can be experienced." Why isn't someones self-described relationship with God (experience) 'empirical evidence' for a relationship with God? If a relationship with God is evidenced, doesn't it follow that God exists? 

This is not so with the "empirical" evidence for God.  What you actually experience is a sense that someone is looking over you, or a sense of peace, or whatever.  In fact, you listed many of these "empirical" feelings a few pages back, claiming that only Christianity could lead one to have some of these experiences, and implying that they are evidence for God.

Your problem is that these feelings have been variously interpreted by people.  EVERYONE agrees that an apple is an apple, because it is so by definition.  People across cultures have attributed their feelings to Krshna, to Buddha, to Allah, to Freya, to Mother Nature, to whatever.

I did not say that only Christianity leads to those feelings. I said that the relationship with God has the same (or very similar) effects on individual people and then attempted to describe those effects. I also asked what other non-religious experience consistently produces those effects. 

There is no evidence for God.  There is plenty of evidence for religious experiences and feelings.  Your failure is that you happily draw a bridge between them, when you have no sensible means of doing so.

How can you say there is no evidence for God? What is the NT? It not only provides evidence for God, it provides the framework for a relationship with God--which is further evidence that God exists. You might not find it convincing, but it certainly objectively evidence for God.