Atheists/Christians -- can you defend it?

Question

Role reversal.

Christians and Atheists, present your best arguments for the OTHER position. (i.e., if you are Christian, what are the best arguments AGAINST god's existence? ...if you are Atheist, what are the best arguments FOR god's existence?)

No embedded counterarguments! This should be tough for everyone.

Most convincing case wins... Good luck. :)

I'm surprised at some of the negativity in some answers, as well as some of the presumptions. Does everyone have an axe to grind?

The question is impartial to both sides. If you don't want to (or can't) play along, just don't answer. No one's forcing you.

Further edit: Next time I need to ask that you state what you are first! Reading the sarcasm in some people's answers is really hard in this context, cause I can't tell if you're just bad at espousing the other's position, not playing along, or being sarcastic to make your case!

Ah!

Answer 1

Interesting challenge and one I had thought of posing myself. I'll get back to you when I'm prepared.
Betting you get more atheists willing to take the challenge than theists.
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Atheist.

Okay, so, there are a set of physical principles in the universe that make the existence of life and even the existence of matter and energy possible. The tuning of the gravitational constant is only one example. This points to a deep underlying mystery at the bottom of all existence and life. This is the deep structure of God. God works through physics to bring life into existence and ultimately humanity.
Human beings have always had a dim awareness of this God. As humanity has matured so has its image of God. The Christian God is a further elaboration of Yahweh.

Christianity, despite it's flaws has brought about a fundamental shift in human nature and an overall improvement in morality in comparison with the morality of the Roman Empire. This is because Christianity places an infinite value on human life which is not characteristic of all religions. This took a long time with many set backs but there was no other model of God that combined so many desirable features into one religion.

Christianity recognizes the importance of reason and preserved classical learning in the monastic system after it had been lost in the outside world. Science was always accepted as a valid pursuit of God so long as it remained subordinate to Faith. Thus our current scientific knowledge is a byproduct of Christianity.

Answer 2

Sorry you haven't had as much luck with this question as you should. It's a fantastic idea. But sarcastic responses are nothing new. That's why I try not to ask questions, lol. Anyway.

Well, since I'm a Christian, I guess I'm arguing AGAINST the existence of God. Okay, I'll try.
1. The existence of other planets. If God is so perfect, and everything He created was perfect, then why were other planets created? They serve no purpose, they can't sustain life, they're just THERE.
2. The fall of "Satan." This concept has never made sense to me. WHY would Satan go against an all-powerful being? And why would God create a creature that WOULD go against Him? Supposedly the difference between angels and humans is that humans have free will. Why and how, then, did Satan CHOOSE to rebel?


That's all I've got. Unfortunately for me (or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it), most of the questions I DID have were answered.

Answer 3

The best argument for the existence of a deity is a realization of something I call the 'Godel Paradox', a realization at the core of John Nash's mental breakdown (though I do not know that he ever refered to it as the Godel Paradox).

The Godel Paradox is the realization that since nothing can be proved, it's literally possible that nothing actually exists -- and yet we seem to exist.

At some point, an infinity must come into play if we genuinely do exist -- something cannot come from nothing, so as such, the visible universe has to come from something.

Regardless of what that infinity is or what form it takes, it holds the power of universal initiation (I avoid the use of the term 'creation' as it implies intellect which is not implied here). Anything that has such a power can reasonably meet all the definitive requirements of 'deity'.

Therefore, a god must exist.


[I can shoot so many holes in this argument, but it's the best available 'proof'...]

Answer 4

Great question. Lemme see.

Beauty exists in a way that transcends the material of an object. We have no reason to find clouds beautiful, yet we do. This aligns with theism more than atheism.

Morality exists in ways unexplanable by atheist philosophy. We hold others accountable as if there were an absolute truth in morality.

Everything must have begun somewhere. Things do not simply appear. If the universe exists, it must have had a creator that is not bound by the rules of the universe.

Shew, that was tough. Good one.

Answer 5

as a Christian who is a former Atheist I can see their point.
Why is there so much evil? Why would I have to suffer and the bad guy get what ever he wants. Why would a tornado destroy 3 states? Why would the hurricane destroy so many homes? Why is there cancer?
How can you believe the world started with a man, a woman and a talking serpent?
Have you ever seen a talking serpent? I havent'.
How do you know Mary was a virgin? Maybe she was raped, which brings us back to evil in the world.
I've never heard God speak, have you? Maybe thats just mental illness. If so why would God let us have mental illness?
What about the discrepancies in the Bible? It was just religious propoganda to get us to fall in line and scare us into what the govt. wanted us to be.

I understand the difficulties believing, but sometimes you just have to stop looking with your eyes and look with your heart.

The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched, but felt with the heart. HELEN KELLER.

Answer 6

Atheist:

The universe exists and is very orderly. Life exists and has not yet been *fully* explained. From a human point of view, most complex things need to be created. Those are pretty much the best reasons to believe that a God exists.

Answer 7

Alright, I will give this my best shot :)

God doesn't exist because there is no way to scientifically prove His existence! The only "evidence" of God's existence is the bible, which is a book that was written by MEN and has been translated numerous times over the centuries.

Conversely there is an immense amount of undeniable evidence supporting the theory of evolution!

If there WAS a God, why would there be natural disasters, sickness and untimely death? Why would there be suffering and poverty in the world?

If I asked God for the winning lottery numbers, would he mystically reveal them to me?? No?? well, there you have it.

Answer 8

Well if I could actually come up with a good argument for god's existence I wouldn't be an Atheist.

The argument that I hear alot though is....it's in the bible, and it's gods word, so it's true.

Answer 9

I love this question! I'm agnostic, but the most convincing argument to me is:

God must exist because "miracles" cannot occur without some higher force. Impossible things, amazing things happen everyday that cannot be explained by science or nature.

Answer 10

From an agnostic--

The Christian point of view-- The Bible tells me so. How can the universe exist without a divine intelligence directing its creation... I have heard of people having near death experiences and experiencing an afterlife or have had a near death experience myself... I have a direct relationship with God everyday and have a sense of enlightenment when I let Christ into my life...