Evidence of “God”

Nan Christianity, God, Religion, , , , , ,

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I suppose the title of this post should actually be evidence of gods (plural) since there are so many. But since I’m the most familiar with the Hebrew/Christian god, I hesitate wandering off into the field of dreams gods.

Having been part of the blogging world for quite some time, I’ve noticed that discussions related to religious matters tend to be some of the most popular — and generally receive the most feedback. In fact, I think I’ve read nearly every believer’s viewpoint on WHY a god exists … as well as those who doubt or adamantly deny the existence of same.

Nevertheless, I find the topic fascinating. 

Many of my regular readers know where I stand. I am convinced that no god of any kind exists … but I’m particularly convinced that the Christian God is a delusion illusion. 

Yes, I admit there was a time when I was sucked into the dreams and hopes of the Christian faith. And yes, I could cite scripture and verse to justify this faith. And of course, I experienced all those “good feelings” of knowing I was … Redeemed! Saved! Bound for Heaven! 

Further, no matter what ANYONE said in dispute, I KNEW all of it was REAL because I could feeeel it in my heart.

So what happened? Well it’s a long story (some of which I covered in my book), but mostly it was because the whole experience started feeling artificial. More times than not, prayer yielded nothing. Bible events and stories frequently contradicted the mantra of a loving being. Following certain mores felt contrived and unnecessary. And of course, evangelizing frequently resulted in the estrangement of friends and family.

Now some may want to point out that their church/religious experience is not like this. And perhaps it isn’t. But I know for a fact there are many, many religious denominations that are far more focused on synthetic actions than they are on presenting evidence for their god.

So the question becomes/remains … Where. Is. The. Evidence?

The Bible is not evidence for innumerable reasons, many of which have been pointed out by scholars far more learned than me. An individual’s feelings are not evidence (except perhaps to that person). So-called answered prayer is not evidence because it is anecdotal and personal.  (Notice that no one talks about unanswered prayers.). A “changed life” is not evidence because simple lifestyle changes or how a person responds to situations are simply part of the human experience.

Someone once made this far-reaching statement: “Everyone knows that God exists.” However, what I’ve discovered in my various and sundry wanderings through books and blogs and branches of knowledge, this is far from an accurate statement. And I tend to believe a majority of my blog followers/readers will agree.

So here’s the deal. If you consider yourself a God-Believer, I invite you to provide solid and indisputable EVIDENCE that a god exists. But before you do, please keep in mind that …

  • The Bible is not evidence.
  • Your feelings are not evidence.
  • Answered prayer is not evidence.
  • A “changed life” is not evidence.

The floor is open.

98 thoughts on “Evidence of “God””

  2. As a kind of answer from the other side of the fence, I learned today that the lack of evidence is proof that no gods exist. I can’t do that one either.

    If all discussion about the existence of gods were done without the addition of “my” religion, you get what you have here so far–silence.

    Of course, religion should be talked about too. But if there is probably no gods, why bother?

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    • I don’t get that at all. The lack of any evidence at all; none, nada, zilch, zero, IS the evidence of absence.

      Do you believe in monsters? Ghosts? UFOs? The Flying Spaghetti Monster? If so, why? If not, why not?

      Evidence HAS to mean something and the lack of it MUST stand for something.

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      • Well, your response (RaPaR) sent me to looking and reading, and more reading, and more thinking and pondering. After all of that I will write a post (in December) for my Dispassionate Doubt blog on the subject of evidence and lack thereof. It’s too much for here. Besides, this debate is even older then I am. 🙂

        I agree that there is no evidence of God. I agree with the conclusion that there is not a God (or gods).

        What I do not understand is why you ask me about ghosts and the FSM. Maybe you’re just a better class of atheist than I am. If so, good for you. 🙂

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        • I was not meaning to be disrespectful, I am sorry if it came across that way. I asked about the other supernaturals to see that you do or do not believe them due to whatever evidence you must be measuring them against, nothing more.

          I’ll look forward to your post!

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  3. I beg your pardon, ma’am, but:

    Heb. 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

    There it is. All the evidence you can get. What more do you need?!!!?

    We loved living in that bubble, didn’t we?

    I know many of us here have come out of that religion and bear some scars from it. I still regret all the years I wasted trying to be something that does not exist and trying to prove it to others. I know I studied my way out of that trap and I know many came out the same way. When we start getting a little education outside the goog ol’ King James Version, if we can overcome our cowardice and prejudice, we find a whole new world.

    I recently read Why Evolution Is True by Jerry Coyne. I mention it because we continue to find evidence of ancient life and my favorite part of it is the paleoanthropology. There is no way to believe that we have dug up the last trace of our ancestors and religious interests have no alternative but to refuse to accept who we are and how closely we are all related. They sometimes agree that evolution pertains to some areas of life, but not to white straight godfearing people. They cannot accept anything that conflicts with their Genesis story. (A story shared by several religions.) They are the people who want to burn books, along with their authors, rewrite history, as we see taking place before our eyes, deny that the very science which has enabled them to reach this point in human development is a false thing that needs to be destroyed.

    I would like to hear from those who are still willing to defend their religion. I don’t expect facts and figures, but would welcome any argument.

    The rocket taking the James Webb Space Telescope to its residence at its lagrange point will launch on Dec. 18. 2021. (Have I mentioned this before?) :-> 100 time more powerful than the Hubble, equipped with infrared capability, plus many more developments that allow observing thing which were heretofore impossible to see.

    You have done good, once again, Nan. I would like to see this discussion developed if you can keep crass and brash individuals like myself from corrupting it. I would like to hear the conversation from the learned, educated intellectual types.

    I remember a line from Darwin in which he points out that the people with the least information/knowledge were prone to make the most vociferous arguments, or something along that line. This may be the category you need to keep in mind pertaining to me.

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  4. I don’t believe that God or no God is that important. Important is your faith, believe or not. More important is whether you lead a decent life. Love, kindness, forgiveness charity are all part of this. Some thought about our universe; where did it come from; is it truly without end? Happy pondering.

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    • our universe; where did it come from

      This is no longer a mystery. See Stephen Hawking’s The Grand Design or Lawrence Krauss’s A Universe from Nothing.

      is it truly without end

      We don’t know yet. Eventually we will, probably within a few decades. Either way, it has nothing to do with evidence for the existence of God.

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    • My thoughts exactly. Have faith in yourself and those whom you love. Be kind to others and……..etc., etc.,

      As Confucius says in the Analects……that’s all you need to know.

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  5. The closest evidence that I can’t quite resolve is the common thread found everywhere in the world outside of the Hebrew religions. That all walks of shamanism have a core likeness and utility that resembles eastern philosophy makes me wonder sometimes what we’re not seeing.
    It carries no contradiction all the way to the Big Bang, or whichever creation myth suites your fancy. It works with all of them. Is that evidence?

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    • IMO, humans throughout the ages have been interested in knowing more about … themselves. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? Why do we die? Etc …

      There have been untold numbers of stories/tales/studies to answer these questions. Are any of them factual? Can any of them be irrefutability proved? Not so far. Nevertheless, humans continue to search simply because … we want to know.

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      • Nan, India has a looong tradition of dealing exaclty with these questions. Just because you haven’t looked in the right places, it’s not fair judgement to say there are no answers to these questions. India has produced hundreds (maybe more) of god-realized beings and layed down precise methods/paths of getting there.

        Let go of this idea that we look for god like we look for a missing sock. God is not some object, like a bird, or a painting. It is much more subtle than that. And much closer to you than you can ever imagine. 😊

        Here is a movie i recommended to jim a while ago, and he really liked it. It’s very beautiful, and quite extraordinary.

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        • First, I RARELY watch videos and I DEFINITELY don’t watch those that are an hour long!

          Second, please reread my first paragraph where I pointed out my post was focused on the Hebrew/Christian god. What the sages of India have concluded related to Jnani is not up for discussion … at least not in this blog post.

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          • You’re always welcome to comment, monica. And since I write about a variety of topics. don’t be surprised if one of these days the topic includes a discussion on the various paths to knowledge and/or self-realization. 🙂

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    • There are lots of cases where widely-separated cultures have similar beliefs or concepts. Most cultures have some concept of ghosts, for example. Quite a few have stories of dragons of various kinds. That isn’t evidence for the existence of ghosts or dragons, but rather, evidence of common features in human psychology. That is, in certain cases, humans of any culture tend to interpret things they don’t understand in similar ways.

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      • Why do we assume they didn’t understand? You realize the term spirit, or “great spirit” is a western translation of white missionaries on the native cultures? It wasn’t their definition at all, which was closer to an energy force or source that was in all things living and non living. Closer to modern panpsychism or eastern philosophy.

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  6. Maybe a step a little farther back in in order. What is evidence (in this situation)? This is a good place to start. Another I like is “How would you expect an all-powerful, all-knowing entity to make its existence known. For example, if someone calling himself Jesus were to appear on the White House lawn, hovering in mid-air and introduce himself that would be nice. Then I think he should ask for scientists to be gathered and sick people, especially amputees need to be gathered to be healed. Then this entity tells scientists things they did not already know about their specialties that they can go back to their places of research and confirm and all of the sick people could be healed, including those amputees, which could be verified by medical specialists.

    This would be a good start on establishing his bona fides as a god. I would not worship such a being because that is demeaning to both it and me, and we still have not established that this being, a la Clarke’s Third Law is not just an alien from a very advanced civilization.

    So, this would be quite a process and I suggest that they do it simultaneously around the world (same entity, same spiel in different languages). I think too much trust has been lost between nations for all to accept this happening just once and doing a multiplex of demonstrations simultaneously should add to its authenticity.

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    • I’d take it a step further, and suggest that a being purporting to be able to do anything not limit the demonstration to such small-scale human things as healing a few sick people. A god that could do literally anything could move mountains around. Could make Venus and Mars habitable. Could literally rearrange the stars.

      Human-created gods think small because they were created by small-minded humans.

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  7. Hi Nan! I’m extremely agnostic… very nearly atheist. I’m neither ashamed nor unashamed of it… it’s just what I am. While I don’t conceal it, I don’t go out of my way to talk about it either. I feel it’s always best to coexist.

    I do have ready arguments for folks who push their religion on me, or when political leaders make policy based on scripture. (This is civic duty as far as I’m concerned.) I do try to keep in mind that there are lots of very decent people in this world who simply believe in God. They can’t prove he exists any more than I can prove he doesn’t.

    I’m curious why you’re challenging people to prove God is real rather than just trying to coexist. I understand this may sound belligerent on my part — but it’s not. I just want to know your mission.

    My mom passed away two years ago and her idea of ‘Heaven’ was to reunite with all her dogs, cats and bunnies she had as pets in her lifetime. It brought her great happiness as she got older. While I honestly don’t believe as she did, I certainly didn’t have the heart to demand she provide supporting evidence for how she felt.

    I wasn’t going to write this, but your comment section says “Don’t be shy — Tell us what you think!”

    Here’s what I think:

    I’m good with my agnostic atheism… no need to flaunt it. Except for the exceptions I mentioned, I don’t care who knows or doesn’t. Do you see it differently?

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    • My position is similar to that.

      No, there isn’t any evidence for God. But theists will say that there is lots of evidence. What counts as evidence is not as objective as people like to believe.

      I do not try to persuade theists to change their ways. They are entitled to their beliefs. It would be nice if most theists would reciprocate and not try to persuade us non-believers.

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      • There are a few theists/deists who reciprocate, but not many I’ve ever met, real life of virtually. The thing is, they find strength in numbers (not Numbers) and non-believers are minus numbers to them.

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      • My Roman Catholic wife since 65+ years, our numerous descendents, their in-laws and respective families, plus our and their friends, keep praying for my conversion. Occasionally, someone tries to convince me but I avoid religious debates, as they are pointless. I just explain to them my objections to their beliefs and, reciprocally, almost never does someone insist.
        The gap of the indispensable existence of the (Judeo-Christian) God IS their evidence, and they are all proud of it!
        Interesting topic, Nan!

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    • I would be fine with the “Live and Let Live” attitude, were it not for a few problems.

      The first is that evangelical believers are not content to leave it at that They are trying to push their religion into all corners of everybody’s life, including me and my kids. That overreach needs to be pushed back against.

      But more important is that what people believe affects their actions. And how they come to conclusions about what to believe, and who to believe, affects how they come to conclusions about a lot of issues, not just theism. And these people that are accepting bad ideas for bad reasons also vote. And make policy. Their sloppy thinking affects us all. I want people to do a better job of thinking, and if talking about god is a way to teach them how to do a better job of thinking rationally and evaluating evidence in general, then let’s have at it!

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      • You took the words right out of my mouth. The point is, these far right religious folks can be dangerous…think anti vaccine, anti equal rights, racism, homophobia, instilling the ideas and pressure to other people, that they are somehow superior and the only ones who have got it “right” enough to get to heaven. Wars and all kind of killings have been perpetrated by religion. Ostracism of different people, conning people out of their hard earned money, support of someone horrible like trump and acts of terrorism in our own country. I know they are not all like this, but it certainly seems more are and it’s growing. Plus the more liberal or moderate religious people do not speak out against these.

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    • Greg, you ask why I made the challenge.

      I follow various “non-believer” blogs that often include inquiries related to Christian beliefs. In nearly every case. Christian respondents will use one of the four points I included at the end of my post to validate their faith. Yet, when push comes to shove, NONE of the four hold water.

      I was quite certain when I wrote the post that few, if any, Christians would respond since I’d already put them at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, in my blog travels I’ve come across a few of the more “scholarly” types that enjoy responding to such a challenge so I was hopeful.

      Personally, I went through the various stages of “non-belief” when I first walked away from Christianity (some of these feelings were expressed in my book). However, over the years, I’ve become more and more convinced that there simply is “nothing there.” And, as I pointed out, to me the oft-repeated “evidence” is simply without merit.

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      • Thanks Nan, I was just wondering.

        I wrote originally because your post struck me as being ‘too strong’. I myself would not have come right out like that, but I may have been wrong. You absolutely do have a right to express how and why you feel this way. Christians exercise that same right all the time and nobody thinks anything of it. We’re used to hearing it constantly.

        It’s impossible to write even a single sentence more on this subject without going into a rant, so I’ll spare you.

        Have a good night Nan!

        Greg

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  8. Paedophile priests is a good example God does not exist. Not one priest was told by God he was evil and should hand themselves into the law. I would bet none needed an exorcist or was struck by lightning and I expect they all used the leadership position to simply satisfy their deviant fantasies because they knew they would be protected by the corrupt church.

    God did not pick up on these sick priests, they got away with it for centuries and many were homosexuals, the one thing God hates is it not?

    God did nothing while these priests and church officials including the Pope desecrated his house and his name, so what more evidence that God is on a permanent holiday does one need? I am 100% positive no gods exist outside of a theists indoctrinated brain.

    Funny how the religious right nutters claim Hilary Clinton and her clan are all paedophiles when they attend the same churches that were and likely still are a breeding ground for these sick individuals.

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    • I do have some issues with your comments here, particularly “….homosexuals, the one thing god hates is it not?” It seems that in Leviticus he hated A LOT more than just homosexuals, correct? In fact he ALSO thought that working on the Sabbath (Saturday, folks, not Sunday, as man changed it to) was an abomination as BILLIONS and BILLIONS of people do each week! He also hated wearing clothing made out of 2 or more different materials as well which almost EVERYONE does everyday. Recalcitrant children were also an abomination that could be remedied by killing them! Nice.

      Funny though, how somehow he loosed the reigns on the other abominations but held steadfast to the rules against homosexuality. That seems somewhat capricious especially for a “god.” Sorry, but this god seems Ike kind of a dick.

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      • Doncha’ know? Depending on the particular denomination one follows, only certain OT laws and regulations are valid today. The rest can be ignored because, well, you know … they’re simply not convenient.

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  10. Steve and Neil both brought up an interesting question: What is evidence? I’m sure that the TBs and I would have very different definitions of that term. When someone comes along and says something like “My brother’s ex-girlfriend’s cousin said…” my BS detector automatically tunes them out. But as far as a lot of other people are concerned that is, to them, perfectly valid evidence that something is true. Even more disturbing is the fact that a lot of what is passing for “science” these days is, frankly, BS as well, at least when it comes to how the media reports it. Over and over again I see the media pushing some interesting story about some “discovery” only to find, when I bother to dig up the actual study being cited that either the study was seriously flawed or even said nothing like what the media is reporting.

    I was once associated with an organization that investigated claims of alleged paranormal events. We looked at crop circles, UFO sightings, the Bermuda Triangle and similar “spooky” places, Bigfoot… And we found nothing extraordinary. Ever. In the case of crop circles, every single one we looked into was an outright fraud or prank, or a well known natural process called lodging. We had the people who made the circles, the techniques and tools they used, even videos and photos of them being made. Didn’t matter in the slightest to the true believers. Our evidence was manufactured by us for, well, for “reasons”. We were part of some vast conspiracy intended to suppress the things they believed.

    Anyway, what it boils down to is this – asking for evidence from believers is a futile exercise. In their minds they are right. Period. Their ‘rules of evidence’, so to speak, are entirely different than mine and probably yours. They will eagerly latch onto hearsay, anecdotes, even myths, which tend to support their point of view, and somehow rationalize away anything that contradicts their belief.

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    • The fact that stupid people believe something is evidence doesn’t mean it actually is evidence, or that it should be given the same weight as real evidence. And the fact that the media report incompetently about science says nothing about the validity of the science.

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      • “The fact that stupid people believe something is evidence doesn’t mean it actually is evidence, or that it should be given the same weight as real evidence. And the fact that the media report incompetently about science says nothing about the validity of the science.”

        I never said anything that implied I questioned valid science. I was pointing out that people’s ideas of what constitutes valid evidence can vary wildly depending on their personal beliefs. People who have strongly held beliefs tend to grasp at anything that supports their beliefs, no matter how ridiculous the “evidence” may be. Look at the pizzagate nonsense and how many people believed stories that democrats were running a child trafficking operation out of the basement of a building that didn’t actually even have a basement, or the utterly ridiculous claims made during the so-called “satanic ritual abuse” panic. People actually went to prison over that one and others had their lives ruined despite there being no actual proof SRA was real.

        Nor are the people who accept invalid evidence as true necessarily stupid. That’s part of the problem with all of this. Otherwise intelligent persons, even actual scientists, can become so wedded to their personal beliefs that they will dismiss any valid proof that their beliefs are wrong. Look at what happened with Linus Pauling later in his life with his claims about vitamin C. No one could argue that Pauling was stupid but he latched onto this notion that megadoses of C could cure cancer and other diseases.

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  11. Nan, the question is not ‘is there god’? the only question worth investigating (for all humanity) is “Who or What am I?” who am I truly, beyond any preconceived ideas, social additions, and even physical definitions. removing anything that can be removed, what remains then??
    this is the ONLY question that ever takes man to god: WHO AM I?

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    • You are a mammal. Female. You eat, drink, defecate, mate /have sex for pleasure, and if you choose, produce offspring.
      This is What you are.

      Your blog image indicates you are called Monica.
      That is Who you are?

      Any questions, Monica?

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    • You are overthinking something that is quite simple. You live as we all do then we die, forget spirits, heaven and hell that is not relevant for humans as it is not relevant for every other living thing on planet Earth, because everything supernatural has so far been explained by natural forces or neuroscience.

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  13. There can be no evidence for something that does not exist. I don’t argue religion any more. My question is, “Where is this supernatural realm called heaven?” To believe that a supernatural realm exists outside of the human mind is a delusion. Children are taught to believe in this imaginary realm where all immaterial entities reside. Cheers. GROG

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  17. Just did a little quick research to show more of the “problem of evil” and just how much god loves us…

    3.1 million children starve to death worldwide every year…”
    World Hunger Facts.” source

    36 million starve yearly if you add in adults…
“The World Counts”..source

    80,000 children worldwide die from cancer..
    ACCO. .org…source

    9.6 million total if you add in adults, die from cancer worldwide…
    Cancer Research UK…source

    95,000 Children murdered worldwide..
    UNICEF..source

    50,000 women murdered by intimate partner or family member a year in worldwide..
    NPR…source

    137 women a day murdered worldwide..
    UNODC..source..

    10,000 children worldwide die each year in armed conflicts..
    UN ..source

    Could not get a total figure on children molested by priests and other religious leaders worldwide, but there were 5,100 names of molesting priests released from just the US dioceses alone in one year…so what do you multiply that figure by 2, 5, 10?

    And on it goes, but god loves you and your children and he will help you find your car keys, make your favorite football team win and save your home in a tornado, but not your neighbor’s, if you just believe the “correct” way and belong to the “right” religion

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    • The point of my post is as I stated: If you consider yourself a God-Believer, I invite you to provide solid and indisputable EVIDENCE that a god exists.

      It’s not to convince me. It’s a thought exercise for believers. And if you missed this point, then it seems apparent you don’t have an answer and are using deflection to avoid answering.

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        • I assume you are using the life force to prove existence of a god? This is bible thinking — already rejected as evidence in my post. Try again.

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          • “Life force” is redundant; life IS force, vitality. And I don’t want to involve bible. Life itself evidences a creator of life.
            Because to me life is too complex and precious to happen without a master creator. I’m basing my life on it.

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        • Life itself evidences a creator of life. And how did you arrive at this conclusion?

          When you say, Because to me …, you are offering personal opinion and this is not evidence.

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        • “Life itself evidences a creator of life.”

          My god pulls the Sun across the sky with his golden chariot. The Sun moves across the sky each day, doesn’t it? That’s proof of my god.

          You don’t get to point to something and claim your god did it. That’s a claim, not evidence.

          That’s the whole point of the original article — pointing out that what most theists (Christians in particular) claim to be ‘evidence’ isn’t.

          Odin promised to destroy the ice giants. You don’t see any ice giants, do you? Therefore Odin exists and keeps his promises.

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      • True Believers don’t use the mind (thought exercises) they use their hearts, as Paul makes clear:

        Romans 8:7 (KJV) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to The Law of God, neither indeed can be.

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          • Oh yes they do, but the heart comes first, as does a gut feeling with the secular wise. They have hearts of flesh, not hearts of stone, as with the carnal minded.

            Ezekiel 11:19 (KJV) And I WILL give them one heart, and I WILL put a new Spirit within you; and I WILL take the stony heart out of their flesh, and I WILL give them an heart of flesh:

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          • Funny, I have never read or heard anything about a heart’s ability to think, write, study, speak … etc. Hmmm.

            TND, I’m sure you think that quoting scripture will do the trick because, as many believers have been taught, God’s word is “alive” and “exerts power” and is “sharper than any double-edged sword.” While that may be true to those who believe “God” has something to say, trust me it has absolutely NO effect on non-believers. So, unless you have something to say that might actually open up a discussion on why you disagree with my post, please stop “preaching.”

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  19. I’m good with this, and I thank you for your thoughtful article.

    I am a believing Christian, but I do not expect my own internal evidence to be compelling to anyone requiring something objective.

    I understand the purely materialistic view of the universe, and I admire many who are close to me and who are good with that view. Some I hold as role models for their intellectual rigor and personal ethics.

    I may be guilty of a simple lack of imagination. I am unable to apply their view to my own daily existence.

    Thank you again for your insights.

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  21. Personally, I think there is no God. assuming you stick to the classical definition of: all powerful, omniscient, ever present. As close as I get is a resonating universe where we might be the sensory mechanism for the seemingly unique sensibilities of justice, beauty and truth. Without a mechanism to detect these aspects the universe is blind to them. Some assembly required.

    Heaven and Hell exist only in the sense that humans can potentially create them. Some assembly required. We are pretty good at manifesting aspects of Hell. Heaven … not so much.

    We live in a universe that doesn’t know, doesn’t care, doesn’t care to know, doesn’t know to care. If you want a universe that knows and cares we can make that happen. Again … some assembly required.

    Yes, it can all be done. In theory. Given a nearly infinite amount of time and effort. But we have to figure it out. From first principles on up. What do we really want? Why? We have to define our terms. We have to discover our values. No shortcuts. There are no instruction manuals. No picture or description of what it is supposed to look like. Not even a picture on a box top. It might be a terrible burden. Or a grand adventure. All of it is up to us. Some, a few billion years of dedicated effort by billions of people, assembly required.

    In five billion years we need to be out of this solar system. We have time. We are just beginning.

    Anyway … got a little carried away there. For me: No Gods.

    The one proof that has impressed, but not convinced me, me is simply this: Christians, Muslims, Jews really, really need for there to be a God. They have said so much. Put words into their notional deity’s mouths. Written entire libraries of mythology, assertion, commentary, explanation, and apologetics. They have all committed great and epically heinous acts in the name of their respective God/s. They have lived, died, killed and tortured because they think their version of God has demanded it. They are waaaaay out on a logical limb and seem to be working very hard at sawing that limb off by perpetually doubling down on their claims.

    As it stands the only thing that could, to my way of thinking, prove their claims is literally a second coming. And it better be real deities and not just a more advanced species with a bag full of tricks. I’m going to want to see comprehensive mastery of time, space and the entire material universe. A philosophy that makes everything before it look trivial. Anything short of that won’t get it.

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    • Thank you for your comment, Art! I like the way you put things … and I agree!

      I especially like this: We are pretty good at manifesting aspects of Hell. Heaven … not so much. Oh yes! Hot burning fires for all those bad, bad sinners!

      But absolutely NO idea of what “the saved” are going to be doing for eternity. I mean, really. Worshipping their god forEVER???

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  22. In some parishes the Most Holy Sacrament must be accompanied by a person at any time Parishioners organize themselves to communicate with volunteers who sign up to pray at certain times – often more than one hour..They oblige with dedication and pride; The Holy Sacrament is not to be left unaccompanied for one minute.
    The ritual iscalled perpetual adoration.
    .+

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  24. Hi there, I’m new to this blog and I stumbled upon this post because the title intrigued me! 🙂 I’m curious as to why you wrote at the bottom of your post that the Bible doesn’t count as evidence? I’m just unclear! Thanks, and I hope to hear back from you!

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    • Hello mcKennajh! Thanks for stopping by — and for your question.

      Since I don’t believe any god exists — why would I give evidential support to a book that is all about a particular god?

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    • mckennajh wrote:
      “ I’m curious as to why you wrote at the bottom of your post that the Bible doesn’t count as evidence? ”

      Do you consider The Book of Mormon evidence for Mormonism? The Quran evidence for Islam? Any holy text evidence for its respective religion?

      No. All these, the Bible included, are religious propaganda. They are CLAIMS to be tested, not evidence.

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        • mckennajh wrote:
          “ Whoa, I’m not here to argue, haha! I was just curious. ”

          My response wasn’t meant as argumentative or combative. It was simply meant as an honest reply to your question. The Bible isn’t considered evidence because it isn’t evidence, it’s a claim.

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  25. The Creation is both proof and evidence:

    “All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a Force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this Force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.”

    — Professor Max Planck, the father of quantum physics

    John 1:1-3 (Aramaic Peshitta) In the beginning was The Miltha (The Mind) and that Miltha (Mind) was with God (Elohim – plural) and God (Elohim = plural) was that Miltha (Mind) 2 This (same Mind) was in the beginning with God (Elohim = plural) 3 Everything through His hands existed and without Him not even one thing existed.

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