In my several years as an atheist, I have dialogued with
many theists, including Christian apologists. In the course of such
interaction, without fail, we get to the point where the theist/apologist does
not reply to my last statement. These are some examples of what I use
that stops the conversation. Oh, if you are reading this and you are a
theist/apologist and wish to respond, please be my guest, and
congratulations. You will be the first!
1) Why should I accept philosophical/theological
speculations and/or personal experience over objective evidence?[1],[2]
2) Please answer the following[3]:
How do you know what you believe is true?
How would you know if you were wrong?
How would you differentiate your belief from a delusion (A belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary.)?
How do you know what you believe is true?
How would you know if you were wrong?
How would you differentiate your belief from a delusion (A belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary.)?
3) What is more PROBABLE, and why?
a) 2000 years ago, god sent his son to save us from the
Original Sin of the first two humans, even though science shows that humanity
did not begin from one couple but from a group[4]
and that human behavior is not unlike that of other social animals[5].
This savior supposedly performed miracles, died and was resurrected. However,
there is no independent, contemporaneous verification from sources outside of
the New Testament for any of this story[6].
In addition, the New Testament was written by unknown people several decades
after the time that these events would have occurred[7],[8].
b) Christianity began like several other myths (Note: Even
if you accept that there was an historical Jesus, the story is essentially
mythical) circulating before and at the same time in the Middle East[9],
and had the subsequent fortune of benefiting from a variety of circumstances to
evolve into a major presence in society. Also consider that, throughout
recorded history and during this period of time, there were many other cultures
in the world practicing animal and human sacrifice to appease a god, or gods[10].
Also consider that there have been many humans who were considered gods[11].
Also consider that there were several other "dying and rising" savior
god stories before and around the time of Jesus[12].
In
Summary
There is no room for the supernatural in our classical
reality[13],[14],
and the beginnings of Christianity are murky[15].
PLEASE NOTE: Reference [13] video has been taken down. this link gives the same information in written form essentially: http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/1geppr/sean_carrol_on_how_the_laws_of_physics_refutes/
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