The absolute absurdity of God

[Neo-Scholastic]

I've seen little evidence that belief in God is much of a barrier to sinning.

Here are some significant counterpoints to the claims that theism serves as comfort against grief, relief from ennui, hope for mercy, and longing for eternal justice.

• Relief from the specter or divine judgement.
  
• Freedom from externally imposed significance on one's life.
  
• Liberation from the fear of death.
  
• Unconstrained ability to define one's own ethical norms.
  

These are some very real emotional reasons for wanting atheism to be true. It is difficult, for me at least, to not see that adopting these atheistic attitudes gives one license to rationalize some fairly questionable behaviors.

… I’m asking you to think outside the box of your religion, and consider this scenario objectively for one second. Is it sincerely your position that the most probable reason someone like me is an atheist, is because I have rejected some profound revelation of truth that was waved under my nose? That that explaination is more likely than the notion that I simply don’t find the evidence compelling?

LadyC, I know you directed this reply to SteveII so I hope you don’t mind my addressing this point.

SteveII is very good at presenting a wide swath of observations that Christians believe support their faith and serve as evidence for it, such as historicity of the New Testament, changed lives, and cosmological arguments. These are all fine and good, though I suspect that few unbelievers find apologetics sufficient to positively convince him or her that the claims of the Christianity are true.

The value of the believers’ list of evidences, IMHO, is revealed in the very word apologetics - from the original Greek meaning “speaking in defense”. The arguments serve, in part, as defense against objections to the sacred doctrines of special revelation held by faith. More than anything they remove barriers to belief. The question for believers is not whether there is empirical evidence or compelling logical proof that Christianity is true; but rather, if it is rational to believe that the articles of faith accurately reflect the highly individual and personal sense that there is something Divine calling out to your innermost being.

I submit to you that at least some people, perhaps not all, feel a profound sensus divinitatis (No, not divine ta-tas, that’s another discussion) that requires religious explanation and which in the absence of defeaters is rational to accept as indicative of important truths about reality.