Theists - I want to know what you think

[SteveII]

Yes, lacking belief in God is rational. You have not been presented incontrovertible proof to the contrary and as such a reasonable position to hold. However, such a position is a tacit admission of all kinds of gaps in your worldview--whether you know/admit they exist or not.

This is so interesting.  You, Neo, and Alpha all answered this question essentially the same.  Lack of belief in god is rational,  but incomplete and incorrect.  What, in your personal opinion is incomplete or lacking about it, and if knowing the truth requires something other than reason, did you reach that conclusion using something other than reason?

Naturalism has problems with or explaining free will, consciousness, fine-tuning, biological life, even the question that if evolution selects for survival and not for truth, how can we rely on our cognitive faculties to discover truth about the worldview where such faculties are not an expected outcome. I think that a Christian worldview give more warrant to believe our cognitive faculties. One of these cognitive conclusions found in most people is a predisposition to believe in the supernatural. 

2. Do you believe atheists who say they don’t believe because of lack of evidence?  If so, do you think that is a rational reason to not believe in god?

Perhaps because they do not understand the evidence that is available or have a personal bias against it. There is sufficient evidence and arguments for justified belief in something. But really, IMO, there are always other reasons. For some. Others are more connected to the predisposition of the human race to believe in the supernatural. Still others want to have the relationship with God (and all that goes with that) that they observe in someone else.

Personally, I think human intuition is the wrong thing to rely on when considering the likelihood of a god’s existence, but that’s just a personal opinion. 

Perhaps arguing by intuition only is insufficient, but that is not what I argued. Believing in a Christian God is almost always the result of a cumulative case consisting of personal experience (yours and others), the resonance of the NT message and its relevance to life, reviewing the claims in the NT and finding them compelling, looking at the natural world and seeing that chance is the unlikely cause, etc. etc.  

4. Do you think an atheist and/or rational skeptic can reason their way to belief in god? 

I think reasoning can remove the barriers but not get you over the goal line.

What do you think could get an atheist over the goal line?  Again, interesting that you, Neo, and Alpha expressed the same sentiment on this question.  Not implying you guys are parroting each other, I’m just surprised at how in line in your thinking you guys are with one another. 

God speaks to your heart and you desire the redemption and relationship that is offered. I imagine that Neo, Alpha and I agree on more than 95% of things having to do with Christianity. The misconception that there are so many possible versions has no basis in reality. 

5. Do you think an atheist and/or rational skeptic could be convinced by reasons, or do you think God would have to intervene in some way?

In addition to my #4 answer, IMO, God could intervene or circumstances could develop that gets you to take the very last step of genuine faith.

What could be such a circumstance if you were considering a hypothetical?

The most common I think is when you realize that running your own life with your own philosophy has not equipped you when hard times come. This knowledge could come from within (as in you knew what you were doing) or it could come from someone that God put in your life or somehow the message was conveyed at just the right time (radio, article, TV show). I have heard examples of all kinds where God somehow made himself known at exactly the right time. 

6. Why do you think so many atheists were once theists?  Is it realistic to think a person could re-believe in god after deciding they could no longer believe due to lack of evidence?  Why or why not?

I'm not saying there are not any, but I have not encountered any former theist that understood systematic theology and how the big picture works together. Growing up in a theistic home is not sufficient to equip someone with sound doctrine and a real faith journey. There is always the possibility of changing one's beliefs.

Why would god make it so difficult for someone to get it right?

Further to what I just said, the same message, acquaintance, article, chance encounter that resonates with someone at a specific time could very easily be dismissed (or worse) if the person has not yet gotten to that place where their heart is open to certain truths. Humility is a HUGE factor. Most people raised in a church (no matter how old they are now), do not pursue doctrine classes nor come to completely understand how it all works together (a good grasp on systematic theology). Such a pursuit is not required to 1) be a Christian or 2) belong to a church and pass on your less-than-precise thoughts about how it all works. But if your church and/or family systematically ignores this component, you end up losing a good portion of each new generation when they find they cannot answer the tough questions and their theology is ridiculously easy to pick apart when they go out in the real world. So, where a certain level of knowledge was sufficient for his/her parents, in this day and age, it is not sufficient.  It's a shame, because like I say all the time, we have had answer to difficult questions for centuries. 

7.  Some of you had mentioned ‘sowing the seed’ as a reason to be here at AF.  If you were going to explain to an atheist what the best reason is to believe in god, what would it be?  I’m not trying to set up a ‘burden of proof’ trap.  I just want to know what you think would be, or should be the most convincing to an atheist and/or rational skeptic.

Don't confuse believing in God with living a Christian life. The former is a really low bar--even Satan believes in God. The value of a Christian life is a combination of salvation/redemption, purposeful living and a satisfying peace about the big picture.

Thank you much for your thoughtful responses, Steve. 🙂

NP. I appreciate the chance for a real discussion.