Atheists, what are the most convincing theist arguments you heard of?

[Jesster]

Speaking of wasting time...

[masterofpuppets]

All of you are off track.
God is all about love.
Universal and spiritual love and love is not something that you can pass to other.
You got to build up with your own effort.
If you expect to find evidence about God the only way is to build love within.
All the rest will not do so by waiting for evidence somewhere other than your inner self is just a form of mental masturbation.  
A waste of time.  

[Amarok]

(insert Deepak Chopra quote here )

[Neo-Scholastic]

The Kalam argument is nonsensical.

I understand the sentiment because it is a poorly constructed version of the Prime Mover, the First Way of Thomas Aquinas. As such it appears to beg the question, by stating a condition for beings (coming into being) then seems to make an exception for a being with the unique feature of not having come into being. The missing premise that clarifies the demonstration is the continuum of existence from actual being to potential being.

[Brian37]

The Kalam argument is nonsensical.

I understand the sentiment because it is a poorly constructed version of the Prime Mover, the First Way of Thomas Aquinas. As such it appears to beg the question, by stating a condition for beings (coming into being) then seems to make an exception for a being with the unique feature of not having come into being.  The missing premise that clarifies the demonstration is the continuum of existence from actual being to potential being.

Aquinas didn't know shit about modern science, PERIOD. I really do get tired of shit like this. Every religion in the world has members whom attempt to point to their "discoveries". Our species evolved to be curious, we can see curiosity in our primate cousins and even our pets such as cats and dogs. Ask a Muslim they will claim science points to their religion. Ask a Jew they will claim science points to their religion. Ask a Sikh or Hindu, or Buddhist, they too will claim science points to their religion. Nope sorry, science points to our species mentally making bad guesses which end up becoming religions and god claims.

Our species was evolving long before any written language. Evolution was going on long before humans. Our planet is 4 billion years old, our universe is 13.8 billion years old. It is absurd to think humans are special to this planet much less the universe. God is in your head, nowhere else.

[Neo-Scholastic]

When you touch the Absolute, you know it absolutely. I'm not trying to be obscure. It's just something that isn't easy to describe and when people try it just ends up sounding trite or contradictory.

That just begs the question: how do you know whether the absolute is the ordinarily transparent apparatus of consciousness or some secret aspect of the world?

That actually sounds about right. Primal knowledge of one's self as personal existent (the apparatus of consciousness) and seeing the "world" something that actively participates with you in that experience (a secret aspect). This is pretty much what you will find in the historical literature of the faith traditions, as you can read below in a clipped quote of mine from another thread:

...I do not often refer to claims from special revelation but I think they have relevance....

“For now we see in a mirror, darkly…” – 1 Cor 13:12
"I am who I am." - Exodus 3:14
"For in Him we live and move and have our being..." - Acts 17:28
“You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” – Ex 33:2
“And he was transfigured before them and His face shown like the sun and His clothes became white as light.” – Matt 17:2
“…Jesus Himself came up and walked with them, but they were kept from recognizing Him…then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him….” Luke 24:15,16

And for what it is worth:

“Angels have no notion or idea of time and space…” – Emanuel Swedenborg, HH 162
“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to Man as it is, Infinite.” – William Blake.
“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” – Lao-tzu

I mention these references both Scriptural and from mystical writings because all of them acknowledge a clear distinction between the nomenal and phenomenal. The categories of time and space and physicality are other than what we suppose. At the same time, the point of these sources is that dispelling these illusions of fleshly incarnation reveals a divine order that is more fundamental (or spiritual) reality. They encourage people to look beyond the veil of illusions to see reality “as it really is.”

Yes, I have had an inkling of these experiences and that is mine alone. I did not mention it with the intent to convince you that my interpretation is correct. However, these types of experiences have been reported for millennia and systematically and successfully cultivated by practitioners from various times and places across cultures. I think that is something to which skeptics should give serious attention, not as proof, but as an pointer towards something available to them when and if they find themselves dissatisfied with where skepticism has ultimately led them.

[Brian37]

That just begs the question: how do you know whether the absolute is the ordinarily transparent apparatus of consciousness or some secret aspect of the world?

That actually sounds about right. Primal knowledge of one's self as personal existent (the apparatus of consciousness) and seeing the "world" something that actively participates with you in that experience (a secret aspect). This is pretty much what you will find in the historical literature of the faith traditions, as you can read below in a clipped quote of mine from another thread:

...I do not often refer to claims from special revelation but I think they have relevance....

“For now we see in a mirror, darkly…” – 1 Cor 13:12
"I am who I am." - Exodus 3:14
"For in Him we live and move and have our being..." - Acts 17:28
“You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” – Ex 33:2
“And he was transfigured before them and His face shown like the sun and His clothes became white as light.” – Matt 17:2
“…Jesus Himself came up and walked with them, but they were kept from recognizing Him…then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him….” Luke 24:15,16

And for what it is worth:

“Angels have no notion or idea of time and space…” – Emanuel Swedenborg, HH 162
“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to Man as it is, Infinite.” – William Blake.
“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” – Lao-tzu

I mention these references both Scriptural and from mystical writings because all of them acknowledge a clear distinction between the nomenal and phenomenal. The categories of time and space and physicality are other than what we suppose. At the same time, the point of these sources  is that dispelling these illusions of fleshly incarnation reveals a divine order that is more fundamental (or spiritual) reality. They encourage people to look beyond the veil of illusions to see reality “as it really is.”

Yes, I have had an inkling of these experiences and that is mine alone. I did not mention it with the intent to convince you that my interpretation is correct. However, these types of experiences have been reported for millennia and systematically and successfully cultivated by practitioners from various times and places across cultures. I think that is something to which skeptics should give serious attention, not as proof, but as an pointer towards something available to them when and if they find themselves dissatisfied with where skepticism has ultimately led them.

"Personal experience" is not evidence. I used to see real shadows as a kid in my night time room that because of my ignorance and fear and age, my FALSE PERCEPTION lead me to think those shadows were bad ghosts or evil spirits. We do not doubt you had an "experience". We do doubt your perception of what you think you saw. 

People worldwide of all religions make all sorts of fantastic claims about spirits and ghosts and gods, and? So? Funny how when you listen to enough diverse stories the details of those similar "experiences" always match the social norms of the societies the claimer is born into.  A Muslim will chalk up their "experience" to Allah. A Buddhist will chalk their "experience" up to their superstitions It is a myth that Buddhists don't have their own versions of spirits or demons. Hindus will make similar claims and chalk them up to their versions of spirits or deities. 

If you really want to believe that Santa, and not your parents, put those presents under your tree, you will. There are no such things as ghosts or spirits or gods. People's flawed perceptions lead them to gap fill and something that may seem scary they end up believing those things out of ignorance. No not calling them stupid, but simply saying that most humans are ignorant of human psychology and how easily our own brains can fool us.

A majority of our species in the past had the false perception that the world was flat. too.

[Mister Agenda]

Denmark, in fact, does not have a secular government. What now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Denmark

Well congratulations on being the first atheist involved in the original debate to finally admit it.

That's not right, Huggy. I went back and re-read that thread. I couldn't find any post where someone insisted that Denmark has a secular government, and a number of posts acknowledging that it isn't. Denmark is a non-secular nation. However, it is a secular country considering that around 70% of the citizens don't believe in God and most of their nongovernment institutions are secular. Denmark has religious freedom except for the government officially supporting one Christian denomination. And one of the main points of that thread was that a secular government doesn't mean a secular citizenry and vice-versa; and Denmark is an excellent illustration of that: officially religious government, population that is majority 'Nones'.

You've been bringing up this 'atheists won't believe Denmark's government isn't secular' canard for years.

[dyresand]

NOthing.

[purplepurpose]

"Its easier to accept permanent death and live as a non-believer, but its hard to believe in the existence of spiritual plane of reality and move in that direction. I will try to live hoping that there is God". (the average vibes I got from talking to several believers from different religions").

I think that's a good life's motivation if believers don't attempt to "rape" others peoples minds with their religion's doctrine and instead live by those standards themselves.