On 5/1/24 15:33, Manar Hussain via Silklist wrote:
On Wed, May 1, 2024 at 12:11 PM Bruce Metcalf wrote:
On 4/30/24 05:27, Udhay Shankar N via Silklist wrote:
On Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 5:26 PM Venkat Mangudi wrote:
>
>> About the existence of a God. I'm an atheist.
>
> What would count as "sufficient evidence" for you in this context?
My initial reaction is that I might be convinced by witnessing a
miracle, for some value of "miracle."
Then again, I'm reminded of the words of Sir Arthur Clarke, "Any
sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
I suppose if I define God as an agent with the power to perform magic,
then I could be convinced of His (or Her or Their) existence, but that
might fall well short of a desire to offer worship.
What convinces you to be an atheist as opposed to agnostic?
Ah, here's where things get interesting!
I never said I was an atheist, nor even an agnostic. I consider myself a
Christian, but one not presently affiliated with a particular denomination.
There is a difference between knowing that a God exists today, and
thinking that the existence of a God, at some point in time, is more
likely than not.
For instance, physics can explain most of what's happened after the Big
Bang, and continues to improve the explanation of what. Physics cannot
address the question of why? For this, one must either adopt a belief in
a cyclical universe, a belief that the universe was self-initiating and
will end in dark chaos, or a belief that a God of some sort initiated it
by exercise of will. This last, however, does not require that God still
be extant, and one theory is that He created the universe out of
Himself, making of Himself a sacrifice.
I'm also reminded of the film, "Oh God!" with George Burns and John
Denver, where the latter's character asks, "What miracles have you
performed lately?" God's answer was, "The '69 Mets. Before that, parting
the Red Sea." Miracles don't have to be frequent or recent, but they
have to leave clear evidence of their existence; existence not presently
seen.
So why Christianity? Part habit, part support for the philosophy
embedded in it, part revulsion for some other faiths. There is also a
social aspect, or would be if I attended with any frequency.
Faith isn't something that is easily explained for most of us, but my
particular faith isn't dependent upon the current existence of God.
Does that make any sense?
Cheers,
/ Bruce /
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