The Origin of the Universe

[Tiberius]

An atheist will typically say, "Why should I be concerned about something I don't have evidence for?"
Hebrews 11:1 reads - "Now faith is the substance... and evidence of things not seen."

Quoting something from a book isn't an argument. The Koran says some interesting stuff too...

>A felled power line< "Don't touch it! Don't go near it!" Why? We choose to be "extra aware." What is this extra awareness? Do we have the evidence of danger or just the words of warning?

Well I can only speak for me, but as a child I was taught about the dangers of electricity. At school we were shown videos of children (actors) playing near pylons and getting electrocuted. In physics we learned why these things were dangerous. All through my life I've had "extra-awareness" because of the evidence presented to me, because I understand how it works, and because I don't have a death wish.

Even mere invisible word of mouth about law and punishment will discourage a certain behavior of people. Strange how invisible things can demand our respect.

Usually the law has a reason behind it. If someone were to shout at me "Don't go into that building!" or even "Don't go into that building, you'll die", I would ask "why?". Once an explanation has been given I would probably not go in, but even if the person refused to give one, I would probably not risk it either. As I said before, I don't have a death wish. I might ask someone else about the mental state of the person, or try to get confirmation of their warning.

Now then - what is your definition of "faith" or no "faith?" What are your views?

Faith - accepting something as true without proper evidence.

>Btw - nihilism is a cop out. Don’t go there.<

We weren't, although Charles the Christian (another forum member) seems to think all atheists are.

My next challenge: If the formation of life were indeed as accidental as non-creationists suggest; >example: the Big Bang - then, how do you account for the assembly of the simplest living thing from chaotic matter and energy? From my point of view; be it billions or even millions of years,
like a plasmic tornado passing a billion times through a parts warehouse, won’t just cook-up a form of functioning machinery. Or no matter how many times you frappe a strawberry in a blender, you won’t get another terrestrial fruit. If subatomic particles have their place, then from where did they begin? What are your views?

Life isn't complex, all we are are bunches of self replicating molecules. The first "organism" was simply an arrangement of self replicating molecules that joined together. Given the number of chemical reactions that went on for billions of years, it is a simple matter of probability that the right molecules bound together. Once that happened, natural selection took place when they replicated, causing mutations, and evolution.

Your "plasmic tornado" analogy holds no merit. It doesn't accurately describe the conditions of the Earth at the time, nor the mechanisms in place that allowed for life to flourish.