(September 22, 2014 at 4:14 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: 3. The problem of evil. Reply: it’s the best of all possible worlds.
So, invoke the "God is not omnipotent" quadrant. Fair enough. Do you have any proof this is actually the case?
(September 22, 2014 at 4:14 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: 4. The failure of positive arguments for God's existence. Reply: the unmoved mover argument remains undefeated.
Yes it has. If you can believe in an eternal being, how do you know the universe isn't eternal? Your question can be "answered" by plugging in other things that aren't god into solution.
That, and it can be solved by saying "We don't know. Perhaps we have more to learn about causality, particularly to how it pertains to the universe.". Admitting you don't have an answer is more honest than plugging in one hypothetical, and otherwise unsupported answer and acting like you've solved something.
The cosmological argument makes sense to you because it fits a narrative you already have. Note that this is not the same as "deducing God"; You're assuming God.