RE: Atheists, what are the most convincing theist arguments you heard of?
March 31, 2017 at 3:40 pm
(March 31, 2017 at 12:12 am)Kernel Sohcahtoa Wrote: Hello AF members. I have a few questions that are directed at the Christian theist members here.
Out of curiosity, to what degree does faith play a factor in religious argumentation? When trying to establish the existence of god via a reason-based approach (observations in nature, science, logical argumentation etc.), do theists ultimately have to revert back to their holy books and faith in order to link their arguments and conclusions with their particular god? [1] If theists link humanity's current knowledge base to ancient texts, then could this lead to a backward understanding of their deity and inhibit new theistic insights/discoveries? How do theists ensure that their understanding of their deity leads them forward and not backward? [2]
1. "Faith" and "revert back to their holy books" are not the same thing. You do not need faith to rationally argue about the existence of God. You do not need a holy books either. However, you will nee some direct revelation (contained in a holy book) if you want to find out what particular characteristics, purpose, or goals your proposed God has.
2. Why would this lead to a backwards understanding of God? That only makes sense if you believe that somehow God evolved over time (which is certainly not the belief in Christianity).
