You can’t weigh Him like you can a five-pound bag of potatoes. Response: The author is entirely correct in maintaining that proof of evolution would not be disproof of God; however, as can be seen in many other "reasons", she seems to be unwilling or unable to recognize that disproof of evolution is likewise not proof of God. All it does is provide a claim of 'what' was created, and 'when', vaguely (and incorrectly) answers the 'how' (magic) but it in no way answers the 'why'. Response: My typical response is to remind the speaker that they themselves have already taken this liar/lord test on hundreds if not thousands of others who have make the exact same claim. What/who knew that had Earth been set nearer to the sun, we would burn up? Atheists do not claim that the Bible must be entirely false in every respect. Matter cannot organise itself. Similar errors and problems exists with most of the other so-called prophecies. Have the believers read any skeptical positions? Response: One possible definition of "random" is having no discernible pattern (discernible in principle, not just as a practical matter). What/who knew that our hunger & thirst had to be catered for by the food & drink which we're supplied with? The fact that the Bible condemns murder, theft and lying is trivial because peoples and even many other animals that are unfamiliar with the Bible also hold these moral values. The laws of evolution fall flat. Can you give me any proof that God exists? What's more, even if the "missing link" were really missing, that does not prove it does not exist. In other words, just because something is not known doesn't mean it cannot be known. If this is a "proof" for God, then we could challenge his benevolence. Response: An uneaten tomato does not "transform" into disorganization. In fact, filling the gap with God or universal invisible sky pixies is not even a solid answer, it is merely just solving a mystery with another mystery and gets nowhere. Even if our eyes are "shut to him," an omnipotent being could certainly open them. Just as the many who continue to do so today. 4 Reasons Why I Believe in God: #3 Vince Vitale takes us through four reasons why he believes in the existence of God, and contrasts them against counter-arguments for a robust discussion on this topic. This fact doesn't have anything to do with God. Why don't they leave this 'God nonsense' alone? the evidence is all around you. Response: If one is to believe in cause and effect, there is no such thing as "sheer chance", even if it gives a illusion of such. Even if "everything must have a cause" necessitated the existence of a god, the fact that "energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed" (the First Law of Thermodynamics) would necessitate an un-created/eternal universe. Furthermore, "chance" is not a description of something we cannot find a reason for; that is "ignorance". That's why we're still working on them. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. It also is guilty of special pleading ("responsibility" is an attribute of intelligence) and is another invocation of the argument from design. Response: This is a form of argumentum ad populum. While this argument attempts to defend the Christian mythological deity, it serves the same function for all other deities, as well as for any other unfalsifiable claim, including Russell's Teapot, you are in the Matrix, or that the universe was created 20 seconds ago by me. PZ Myers, on his blog Pharyngula, identifies the original author as Debra Rufini, an author whose recent book contains "an imaginary scenario in which Richard Dawkins gets psychiatric counseling…from Jesus". No one. The child was named "Jesus" and not "Emmanuel" and thus this prophecy was not fulfilled. Feeling, Emotion, Belief? Benjamin Franklin was accused of heresy by Catholics and Protestants alike, for developing the lightning rod, which was considered an effort to stifle God's wrath. The Anno Domini (AD) dating system was not created until 525 AD. This reason is also contradictory to the argument proposed in Reason 12. Does it just so happen that we exist here today with everything so finely tuned for our living. Life came about through natural selection, and by living organisms. In addition to the miracles and supernatural events described in the Bible, for which there is no historical evidence, many of the historical claims which could theoretically be substantiated with archaeological evidence are contradicted by modern historians. It only proves that "something" was there. Response: Albert Einstein also said, "For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions." It's something that a lot of math-phobes have a hard time accepting. As evolution progresses, organisms have evolved into more complex beings with the ability to communicate, socialize, analyze data and interpret them. See also the Infinite monkey theorem. Response: Those prophecies only come true in the context of the bible, which was compiled and edited after the fact. Natural "unseen" waves manifest in other ways — ways that are detectable and predictable. Given enough time and enough success, life can theoretically arise through natural mechanisms. In essence this is an admission that the results of prayer may not actually be distinguishable from coincidence and chance. An uneaten tomato will not progress on its own accord to form a perfect pineapple. For real!". This is begging the question. For example, the discoveries of leverage and controlled ignition (ie - fire) are generally considered to have been pretty important. There is no middle ground. Response: It is simply not true that "believers believe because they have witnessed". Though there is currently no generally accepted and evidence-supported theory of how life arose on Earth, scientists have demonstrated that abiogenesis is possible (such as in the Miller-Urey experiment), and there are a variety of hypotheses which are more parsimonious than one invoking a transcendent God. Moreover, the earliest New Testament texts were purportedly authored by early church founder Paul of Tarsus, who was not an eyewitness. How could the complexity of the human mind possibly evolve on its own accord out of mindless cells? The history of science, medicine, and mathematics (not to mention politics and religion) are littered with examples of ideas that used to be believed by "most people" and not only are no longer believed today, but have been conclusively disproved. However, by examining the text we learn that Matthew and Luke copied (often verbatim) from Mark - meaning Mark was their source, not eye-witness accounts. You only have to look at life itself for that backup of proof. For instance, Simon bar Kochba gathered a very large group of followers, because he promised the Jewish people salvation and freedom from the Romans. Response: I don't believe you. From the birth of science through to today, there is no evidence to claim that Christianity & science are in opposition. Atheism does not prevent hobbies, partying, etc. We can not always assume that people join a faith because they believe that it is true. We each of us have to decide, from the multitude of conflicting voices around us, what information we are going to accept as reliable. Response: Evolutionary psychologists have proposed explanations for many "moral values" and behaviors that appear to be instinctual; observations of social animals reveal that many have moral codes that are similar to that of humans. She asked. Either God has an observable effect on the universe, and can therefore be studied scientifically, or God does not, and therefore is irrelevant. Skepticism helps people live better, more secure lives. Response: A code does not simply require a designer - it requires an encoder and a decoder who agree on its meaning. He is Creator of matter & spirit. See, for example, the Wikipedia article, Introduction to evolution (or the full Evolution article). This argument does not solve the problem of the first cause; it merely shifts the burden onto an unproven supernatural being. Response: Of course science and logic do not have all the answers. Why Should I Believe God Exists? Kyle Butt, M.Div. Response: Majority opinion is irrelevant to truth. It is this admiration for the structure of the universe that Einstein thought essential to science. There are many works of fiction where predictions are made that come true in the context of that book or film, does this make the stories true? 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