Why are some christians incapable of basic observation?

Question

One of the common responses I see from christians about their belief in God is "You don't need to see the air we breathe to know it's there, and I don't need to see God to know he's there either"

Why don't they understand the foolishness of such statements?

When you look at distant objects on a humid day, the air is quite visible, making the distant objects lighter, sometimes with a blue hue.

We can compress air, and harness it in everyday living.

We can observe oxygen being converted to energy in the form of flames.

The components of our atmosphere are well understood along with their chemical composition. We can even turn them into liquid form.

We blow up balloons and let our children play with a captured piece of air.

Are there any chemical breakdowns of God?

Can we put him in a balloon?

I know the air is there because I have mountains of evidence to support it.

But it would seem there is absolutely zero evidence for the existence of God

Answer 1

Give it up. You cannot reason with a person that has accepted the idea of the universe being control by an entity called God. The belief in God is childish infantile representation of the entire universe for a mind that cannot fathom the vastness of space and infinity. There are many on this planet that can but they would not waste their time trying to convince a fool that decided that existence could only be the work of an all knowing deity we have named God.

Yes there is an intelligence in the universe. Yes the universe as been here for all of time. Yes there is creation in the universe. All these thing can be observed. Why it is all here cannot be attributed to a God that created all things. That makes absolutely no sense at all but you can't tell that to a person that was told from childhood all things was created by a God that can do anything.

How we got here as life is a what happened not a who happened.

Answer 2

I think what most Christians mean when they say the above is that although such things as air and gravity are invisible, it does not mean they do not exist. One of the primary reasons we know these things exist is their effect and influence. Christians are trying to say that there is an abundance of evidence for the existence of God as well.

You said we blow up balloons and let our children play with a captured piece of air. We cannot see the air in that balloon, can we? But there is other evidence which lets us know that the air in that balloon exists.

Can we put God in a balloon? No. Nor in fact should we expect to be able to do so. But we do have an abundance of evidence that God exists and that gives us sound reasons to believe in Him. Because some do not know how to point to the evidence, explain the evidence, or describe it does not mean it is not there.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 3

I just saw the question which I can INFER (wink) prompted this.
The argument is severely flawed with the furniture maker (also known as the watchmaker argument) because I can OBSERVE someone making furniture.

A simple science class would help some of these people understand the flaws in their argument. Fire is not a basic element, and neither is the sky.
Arguments like this only make them look foolish and cause those who have a good understanding of science to discount what they say.
Why people keep trying to use science to argue faith is beyond me.. the two do not fulfill the same requirements or needs.

Answer 4

Seeing air is good. I like looking at air too.
I would say that you are pretty intelligent and you seem to use a lot of your time arguing, debating and fighting about a God that you don't believe in or think exists. What if He doesn't? Then what?
Do you have any moral compass? Do you have any philosophies?
Have you ever hurt someone or lost their trust? Have you ever been embarassed or vulnerable?
The essence of God and Jesus Christ is not whether or not He exists because I can't prove to you that He does. You're right---their is no evidence that will prove to you He exists. But do you force your loved ones to prove they love you or are loyal to you?
Basically, it doesn't matter if we prove or disprove whether God exists and I'm not here to tell you He does and that you should follow Him. That's your choice. So choose and find something worth living for instead of small semantic arguements that amount more to a waste of time and a misuse of your intelligence. Take care.

Answer 5

I don't think the point is that air is invisible but the effects of it, as you correctly surmise, are not. I have read a similar analogy of God to gravity. I think this is a more appropriate comparison since we don't really know what it is. We can define what it is as a field of influence, because we know how it operates in the Universe. And some scientists think that it is made up of particles called gravitons which travel at the speed of light. However, if we are to be honest, we do not know what gravity "is" in any fundamental way - we only know how it behaves.

Answer 6

I think it's a very stupid comparison, too. Air can be felt, heard, smelled, etc. as well as seen. God is not that easy to see, and unlike air, many people can live just fine without any God at all.

“It is very important not to mistake hemlock for parsley, but to believe or not believe in God is not important at all.”--Denis Diderot

Answer 7

I see your point and condone you for the research you've done on it. Yet, obviously you are firm in YOUR belief and the rest of the world lets you be that way...so i think you should let the rest of the world be firm in their beliefs as well and just leave them alone.

Everyone needs something to get them through. Shame on you for passing judgement on what others might choose.

Answer 8

You say you have 100% evidence that air is out there, But no evidence that God is out there, Let me ask you this question, Who made that air you have that you are 100% sure. Now do you need more proof.

Answer 9

Never heard that one before.

I like to stick with the visible universe and all of nature; quite a few mountains of evidence!

In him we live and move and have our being. Things that are seen prove the unseen, for those who have the eyes to see it.

Answer 10

Because they are so narrow minded.. they so often contradict themselves that they forget what they were trying to prove in the first place.. the bible was written, not by "god" but by priests who wrote it with their own interests at heart, namely money, they sold pieces of paper saying the owner would go to heaven, people blindly follow without considering. What they believe, just is, and they are to narrow minded to believe that anyone could believe in anything other then what they do.