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Arguments for and against God's existence. I'd like the negative position to take on an equal burden of proof and provide arguments against God's existence, e.g. the problem of suffering, divine hiddenness, etc.
In the philosophy of religion, the problem of evil is the question of how to explain evil if there exists a deity that is omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient (see theism).[1][2] Some philosophers have claimed that the existence of such a God and of evil are logically incompatible or unlikely. Attempts to resolve the question under these contexts have historically been one of the prime concerns of theodicy.
Some responses include the arguments that true free will cannot exist without the possibility of evil, that humans cannot understand God, that suffering is necessary for spiritual growth or evil is the consequence of a fallen world.
There are also many discussions of "evil" and associated "problems" in other philosophical fields, such as secular ethics,[3][4][5] and scientific disciplines such as evolutionary ethics.[6][7] But as usually understood, the "problem of evil" is posed in a theological context.[1][2]
Those who are openly critical of specific practices, of a specific religious sect, as a member of that sect, are the most potent activists. Non-members, who think their criticism from outside will be well understood, are deluding themselves. Then we have these idiots who think that being against religion or religious groups in general is somehow an intelligent and logically rational position.
"Pointing the finger away from oneself is the coward's favorite form of activism" ~atypican
To those the believe that is a soul, or perhaps some other non-corporeal aspect of our lives, why do you believe this? What is your evidence or logic behind such a belief?
I created this debate Thinking of the questions: What percentage of the teachings attributed to Christ must one accept to be a Christian? Can someone be somewhat Christian or is it an all or nothing deal?
There are far too many biased and emotionally heated debates floating around so here is where those who wish to have an informative debate on the existence of God may discuss their vggarious evidences for and against.
Other points/rules -
-If you are presenting a point for a particular religion then note that at the begining, if not then it will be assumed to be an argument regarding God as a concept
Is there a myth that is universal enough that everyone remains susceptible to it?
Something like: "Because of my superior understanding, I no longer need to be concerned about the problems that beset only those of inferior understanding"
"Technically atheists just lack a belief in god, they don't necessarily believe in the non-existence of god." Qoute from a debate here.
The trouble is that atheist don't just use this meaning, they act upon it. They attack God and religion, making atheism a religion. They don't lack a belief, they just have a different one.
Archeological evidence combined with research on cultures from around the globe shows a general trend that can be traced by time, technology, and size of population. It is likely that the earliest human societies had no gods and were purely animist (believing everything had a persona or magical powers). With a few exceptions, animism today tends to be found primarily in small, isolated societies with very low technology. Polytheism seems to have been almost universal among growing civilizations around the world until the Abrahamic religions slowly began overtaking the old ways in popularity. Monotheism has been the leader for some time now, and monotheistic societies tended to be more technologically sophisticated than their polytheistic neighbors for centuries. Now atheism is gradually gaining in popularity globally, and we are now more populous and more technologically advanced than we have ever been.
Is all of this a coincidence, or has the human spiritual condition gradully evolved over time and in response to our knowledge of the world around us and increasing size of population? Do the number of supernatural entities we believe in (everything being supernatural, to everything being controlled by a finite pantheon, to everything being controlled by one god, to none) instinctively decrease as our understanding of science increases and our globalism increases? Will there come a time when the majority of the world is atheist? Or is there some better explanation for the spiritual trends seen in history?