RE: Atheists, what are the most convincing theist arguments you heard of?
March 13, 2017 at 5:19 pm
I can't say I have ever witnessed a theist make a convincing argument for the existence of a supernatural deity. There are certain questions that make me wonder about our origins though...
How did life begin on Earth?
Why is there something instead of nothing... why does anything exist at all?
Are there other planets out there as populated as Earth?
Are there other advanced civilizations out there in the universe?
Some of these questions make me wonder about certain things... but these questions point toward god about as much as they point toward the flying spaghetti monster. The point being, sure, I have questions like everyone else... I just don't jump to conclusions based on zero evidence and an absence of answers.
But convincing arguments from theists? Not that I can remember. Plenty of theists are highly intelligent individuals who I'm sure could make very convincing arguments on almost any other subject. The subject of god, however, is so fantastical that there's not much any theist could do to convince me.
So far we've all seen attempts at...
-proving god's existence through logic or mathematics
-proving the Holy Bible is based on real history and true stories
-proving that Jesus was a real person
-proving that the messages within the Bible are moral
-using nature to prove god's existence
-proving god's existence through claims that its existence is self-evident
-separating religion and science
-proving the existence of god by claiming that religion and science support each other
-proving god's existence through claims of spiritual experiences
...and the list goes on. What we have failed to see, from any and all theists, is quantifiable data, recorded observations or testable experiments.
How did life begin on Earth?
Why is there something instead of nothing... why does anything exist at all?
Are there other planets out there as populated as Earth?
Are there other advanced civilizations out there in the universe?
Some of these questions make me wonder about certain things... but these questions point toward god about as much as they point toward the flying spaghetti monster. The point being, sure, I have questions like everyone else... I just don't jump to conclusions based on zero evidence and an absence of answers.
But convincing arguments from theists? Not that I can remember. Plenty of theists are highly intelligent individuals who I'm sure could make very convincing arguments on almost any other subject. The subject of god, however, is so fantastical that there's not much any theist could do to convince me.
So far we've all seen attempts at...
-proving god's existence through logic or mathematics
-proving the Holy Bible is based on real history and true stories
-proving that Jesus was a real person
-proving that the messages within the Bible are moral
-using nature to prove god's existence
-proving god's existence through claims that its existence is self-evident
-separating religion and science
-proving the existence of god by claiming that religion and science support each other
-proving god's existence through claims of spiritual experiences
...and the list goes on. What we have failed to see, from any and all theists, is quantifiable data, recorded observations or testable experiments.
“Love is the only bow on Life’s dark cloud. It is the morning and the evening star. It shines upon the babe, and sheds its radiance on the quiet tomb. It is the mother of art, inspirer of poet, patriot and philosopher.
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
