List of reasons to believe God exists?

[henryp]

Would it worry you if they were predominantly skeptical on the Deity answer, when you're as convinced as you are that your knowledge of the big bang points towards a Deity?

No. Not unless they found out how this all started and the answer leaves no room for a Deity, then I'd be rocked. But the notion that most scientists are skeptics, in and of itself, doesn't bother me. It tends to be in the nature of these type of folks, which is why they gravitate towards such career field in the first place.

I guess.  But they have as much information as anyone on the topic, and they don't seem to think it's obvious.  Whereas you're looking at the information some of them have gathered, with a layman's understanding, and feel very confident saying deity.

I'm not saying that makes them right and you wrong.  Or that your confidence is unfounded and their skepticism unwarranted.  But it probably should cause serious doubts for you, intuitively.

Unless, maybe, the personal experience you had is actually the biggest confirmation of your belief in God?  I can see how something like that might be information you and only you (and your mom) have that would make you more confident in picking God over the alternative when expert physicists are balking at the notion.

Hypothetical realities are always tough, but if you didn't have the PE, do you think you'd still be as sure about this?

[Catholic_Lady]

No. Not unless they found out how this all started and the answer leaves no room for a Deity, then I'd be rocked. But the notion that most scientists are skeptics, in and of itself, doesn't bother me. It tends to be in the nature of these type of folks, which is why they gravitate towards such career field in the first place.

I guess.  But they have as much information as anyone on the topic, and they don't seem to think it's obvious.  Whereas you're looking at the information some of them have gathered, with a layman's understanding, and feel very confident saying deity.

I'm not saying that makes them right and you wrong.  Or that your confidence is unfounded and their skepticism unwarranted.  But it probably should cause serious doubts for you, intuitively.

Unless, maybe, the personal experience you had is actually the biggest confirmation of your belief in God?  I can see how something like that might be information you and only you (and your mom) have that would make you more confident in picking God over the alternative when expert physicists are balking at the notion.

Hypothetical realities are always tough, but if you didn't have the PE, do you think you'd still be as sure about this?

Science is the study of the natural, physical world. Makes sense a scientist wouldnt bring any sort of deity into the picture since it isnt something they can see, study, or measure in any way. Its outside their field of work, and would be inappropriate for them, as professionals, to do so. Their job is to try to find answers about our world without resorting to a deity for any of it.

It makes the most sense to me personally. We have no answers as to how the first physical thing came to exist, which leaves room for individual speculations and guesses. Some will guess the same as myself, others that it's probable the first thing could have just materialized from nothing, others may think it always existed, and others will guess that it's all an eternal cycle with no beginning and no end. (And of course, some may refrain from having any sort of opinion on the matter, except that the deity proposition certainly isn't it.) There isn't proof or evidence for any of these, and of course I may be wrong about the God thing all together, though obviously I don't think I am.

And yes, my personal experience is by far my strongest piece of evidence. By far. I'd probably still be a Christian without having had it, though not as confident of one.

[possibletarian]

Great video, I enjoyed that.

[henryp]

I guess.  But they have as much information as anyone on the topic, and they don't seem to think it's obvious.  Whereas you're looking at the information some of them have gathered, with a layman's understanding, and feel very confident saying deity.

I'm not saying that makes them right and you wrong.  Or that your confidence is unfounded and their skepticism unwarranted.  But it probably should cause serious doubts for you, intuitively.

Unless, maybe, the personal experience you had is actually the biggest confirmation of your belief in God?  I can see how something like that might be information you and only you (and your mom) have that would make you more confident in picking God over the alternative when expert physicists are balking at the notion.

Hypothetical realities are always tough, but if you didn't have the PE, do you think you'd still be as sure about this?

Science is the study of the natural, physical world. Makes sense a scientist wouldnt bring any sort of deity into the picture since it isnt something they can see, study, or measure in any way. Its outside their field of work, and would be inappropriate for them, as professionals, to do so. Their job is to try to find answers about our world without resorting to a deity for any of it.

It makes the most sense to me personally. We have no answers as to how the first physical thing came to exist, which leaves room for individual speculations and guesses. Some will guess the same as myself, others that it's probable the first thing could have just materialized from nothing, others  may think it always existed, and others will guess that it's all an eternal cycle with no beginning and no end. (And of course, some may refrain from having any sort of opinion on the matter, except that the deity proposition certainly isn't it.) There isn't proof or evidence for any of these, and of course I may be wrong about the God thing all together, though obviously I don't think I am.

And yes, my personal experience is by far my strongest piece of evidence. By far.

I should have recognized the bolded earlier.

You get to be 'thomas' with the sticking the hands inside living dead people, while everyone else is just taking some 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand centuries old writings and being asked to believe it.  That's a pretty nice break for you if it all works out as you suspect.

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Great video, I enjoyed that.

I've always wondered if anyone ever clicks on videos in posts.  I guess at least one person does!

[Jehanne]

CL really needs to watch it, also.

[henryp]

CL really needs to watch it, also.

My preferences:
1) Read
2) Be Ignorant
3) Watch a video

[Catholic_Lady]

Science is the study of the natural, physical world. Makes sense a scientist wouldnt bring any sort of deity into the picture since it isnt something they can see, study, or measure in any way. Its outside their field of work, and would be inappropriate for them, as professionals, to do so. Their job is to try to find answers about our world without resorting to a deity for any of it.

It makes the most sense to me personally. We have no answers as to how the first physical thing came to exist, which leaves room for individual speculations and guesses. Some will guess the same as myself, others that it's probable the first thing could have just materialized from nothing, others  may think it always existed, and others will guess that it's all an eternal cycle with no beginning and no end. (And of course, some may refrain from having any sort of opinion on the matter, except that the deity proposition certainly isn't it.) There isn't proof or evidence for any of these, and of course I may be wrong about the God thing all together, though obviously I don't think I am.

And yes, my personal experience is by far my strongest piece of evidence. By far.

I should have recognized the bolded earlier.

You get to be 'thomas' with the sticking the hands inside living dead people, while everyone else is just taking some 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand centuries old writings and being asked to believe it.  That's a pretty nice break for you if it all works out as you suspect.

I was a practicing Catholic prior to the incident. But it is mostly years after the fact when I occasionally find myself wondering if it all actually is true about God and Jesus, it's that incident that grounds me back.

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I'm curious to know... when/why did you become an atheist?

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CL really needs to watch it, also.

My preferences:
1) Read
2) Be Ignorant
3) Watch a video

Yeah I'm not gonna sit through an hour long video from some guy I've never even heard of.

[Succubus]

Every picture tell a story.

[Amarok]

Yeah I'm not gonna sit through an hour long video from some guy I've never even heard of.

Never heard of the famous physicist / cosmologist Sean Carroll. The guy who kicked William Lane Criag ass in public debate on cosmology. And author of 5 textbooks which are standard in physics as well as a large set of peer review literature   . Well that shows how well informed CL is.

[Simon Moon]

Yeah I'm not gonna sit through an hour long video from some guy I've never even heard of.

Yeah, because of course, if CL hasn't heard of them, they couldn't possibly have something important or enlightening to say.

Please, CL, could you list all the people you've heard of, so I can tell who is important enough to watch?

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Never heard of the famous physicist / cosmologist Sean Carroll. The guy who kicked William Lane Criag ass in public debate on cosmology. And author of 5 textbooks which are standard in physics as well as a large set of peer review literature   . Well that shows how well informed CL is.

I loved the part of the debate, where the intellectually dishonest WLC, quotes physicist Alan Guth in an attempt to support his fallacious argument, then Carroll wheels out a video monitor and plays a video from Guth explaining how wrong WLC is.