Christians, what is your VERY BEST arguments for the existence of God?

[The_Flying_Skeptic]

And science has no variables? You're missing the point. It's the dogged pursuit of truth, the ability and desire to mercilessly introspect and question beliefs that allows futhering of a civilized society. Science has assumed absolutes that are relative, until science further disproves them and expands or better defines the perspective of the locale. We didn't always believe as a populace that the Earth was round or that the sun emitted photons No one believes the origins of aphids arise from the dew which falls on plants, our perspective on science has changed through science. Some theists do use the same rationality and logical questioning to further our understanding of what may or may not lie outside of the physical realm. It's just sad that so many theists use religion for selfish aims and that atheists equate religion with many negative things because of it. Regardless of the field pursuing the truth and questioning does have value and religion is not mutually exclusive to that, was my point.

I do not think that because someone is religious they can't ever practice methodological naturalism:

Regardless of the field pursuing the truth and questioning does have value and religion is not mutually exclusive to that, was my point.

I'm not an atheist solely because of all the war and suffering that religion has caused. Religion is a wild card: I realize that religion may cause someone to not steal, kill, or cause someone to donate to the poor in belief that their is a deity smiling at him or her for this behavior , not that religion is the only reason people don't commit crime or do donate to the poor (e.i. dogma isn't the only reason people are good). I'm an atheist because I have studied a natural explanation for most phenomena: from natural disasters to meteorology to the formation of stars to the origins of species and there is no room for the deity that is described by today's major religions. As you've pointed out, there are many questions WE still haven't answered by methodological naturalism, but the history of knowledge and understanding is evidence that science works because we have only continued to discover. I believe that we will find the answers to origins of life and even the origins of the proton, not by blind faith, but by having studied the consistency of methodological naturalism (or scientific method) at explaining nature throughout history.

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Nor do I expect scientist to throw up their hands and give up. I'm thankful for the quality of life improvements science has given us. All I've tried to point out since I've been here is that the atheist notion of religion can't benefit society is just as closed minded as science explains everything natural. We all understand unchanging dogma and blind anything are detrimental, as is fanaticism, but to see no value in using a conceptual moral absolute or doctrine espousing equality and loving thy fellow man is just as ludacris to me.

First off,
Second, what would the value in a moral absolute be, if we cannot distinguish any? It's not practical in the least.

It would be great if we had a neverending sub sandwich. An absolute sub, that was infinite, and tasted great to everyone. It would solve lots of problems, but present lots of new ones, each more improbable than the next.

Third, doctrine espousing equality is already within secular society. You don't need religion for that, nor do you need divine mandates to tell you who to love. Mutual respect is a by-product of a tolerant, well-balanced society. If you attribute these things only to an absolute God, lots of atrocious thing can be done in the name of this doctrine and be completely justified.

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And science has no variables? You're missing the point. It's the dogged pursuit of truth, the ability and desire to mercilessly introspect and question beliefs that allows futhering of a civilized society. Science has assumed absolutes that are relative, until science further disproves them and expands or better defines the perspective of the locale. We didn't always believe as a populace that the Earth was round or that the sun emitted photons No one believes the origins of aphids arise from the dew which falls on plants, our perspective on science has changed through science. Some theists do use the same rationality and logical questioning to further our understanding of what may or may not lie outside of the physical realm. It's just sad that so many theists use religion for selfish aims and that atheists equate religion with many negative things because of it. Regardless of the field pursuing the truth and questioning does have value and religion is not mutually exclusive to that, was my point.

As I've posed to you in the other thread:

Name ONE thing that has increased our understanding of the world that could only be accomplished with a belief in God.

I feel like giving you a negative for making me scroll down that huge picture of luda...