First things first. Before you start making challenges to me regarding the existence of the Christian god you must first recognize your place in this discussion. As the one making the positive assertion for the existence of god as a statement of fact, the burden of proof is entirely on you. I have learned over the years that you simply cannot prove or disprove the existence of god neither objectively nor empirically. The problem is that subjective evidence alone based on so called spiritual experiences do not count as evidence on their own.
After 19 years of research I have found an explanation for every single so called apparently supernatural/spiritual experience that I had when I was a fundamentalist believer. I can explain glossolalia, faith healing, demonic attacks at night, etc. There are psychological and rational explanations for all of these phenomena that unequivocally eliminate the need for a supernatural cause.
It is ironic that faith requires that you believe without evidence and that Christ in the scriptures likened receiving the kingdom of God to the innocence of a child. Let's review some of the qualities of children. Children are by nature very curious but at the same time very gullible. They will mostly believe anything an authority figure tells them about life and where things come from. Also, there is no malice in children. They are innocent in that at their youngest they can't distinguish right from wrong. They don't intentionally get into mischief they just tend to let their curiosity get the best of them.
Unlike a mature adult a child does not sit around trying to rationalize everything you tell them. They don't sit around mulling your stories and statements of what they consider to be facts around in their little heads. They ask a thousand questions and are usually satisfied with the most inane answers known to man.
"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15 (NIV).
One of my favorite passages from the bible comes from the apostle Paul, and even though he was talking about the virtues of love he made a statement that I thought was relevant to this post and the way I feel about religious beliefs in general.
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me" 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV).
Once you find out the truth about religious beliefs and their origins then you will see them for what they are. Until now I have not found any evidence that would support the existence of a god or a historical Jesus. In fact, I think that the evidence against these beliefs far outweigh the evidence in their favor. I am not afraid of being wrong, but it takes a hell of a lot more than subjective and circumstantial evidence to convince me. Most so called evidence theists put out all start with the presupposition that their god exist and that the bible is historical, accurate, and true.
Higher criticism has exposed many of the bibles errors and inconsistencies and continues to do so to this day. The more we learn about the world we live in, the more the bible recedes back into the realms of myth from whence it came.
Its ridiculous that more religious people actually don’t know there so called sacred and divinely inspired texts. I think you conversations are more than likely very entertaining when you can quote better than the person you are debating. :)
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