Honest answers, atheists?

Question

What would be proof of God's existence? What would that look like or be to/for you?

I should say, this obviously assumes those who are skeptical and seeking truth, whatever it may be.

Answer 1

Well magicians have walked on water, and I'm sure someone can turn water into wine. Maybe some resurrection......better yet some resurrecting me when I die.

Answer 2

A miracle.

And not just an everyday miracle like a sunrise or the birth of a child, or witnessing inspiring heroism in people.

A big miracle; something that could be corroborated with numerous reliable eye-witnesses. Something that's obviously fantastic, supernatural, and not a hallucination or ill-understood natural phenomenon.

But even then, I might be more inclined to say super-powerful aliens were behind it before I say God was.

I'm not being dogmatic and apologize if that's what I'm sounding like, but God, almost by definition, has many internal consistencies (conceptual difficulties and impossibilities, contradictions in his abilities, etc.), that can't be overcome by a sudden external consistency such as miracles.

Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Shermer's Last Law: "Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God."

So I can't really think of anything that would make me believe. An extremely powerful alien or alien robot seems orders of magnitude more likely than God, because those things can naturally arise, whereas God is... what's the best way to put this?.... "irreducibly complex."

Answer 3

God showing up IN PERSON, allowing him or herself to be tested, and being able to do any act -- ANY act -- that absolutely contradicts the known laws of nature, and which is verifiable.

Create a new life form, not based on carbon. Move the earth from one side of the sun to the other in an instant. Make me 20 years old again. Immediately heal every sick person in the world. Immediately remove every nuclear weapon from the planet. Stuff like that.

Isn't it funny how there are no more "miralces?" That the only miracles happened in a time when superstitious, ignorant people knew nothing of how natural laws worked, and thought thunder was god being angry? How god supposedly did so many wondrous things, but now doesn't do any of them any more? Isn't it more likely that there never was any god, we've just gotten smarter as a race?

No need to worry, none of the above will ever happen. And believers will continue to make excuses for them not happening. They'll continue in their delusion, no matter what evidence arises one way or the other.

Peace.

Answer 4

Valid proof of God's existence?

For starters, it shouldn't depend exclusively on subjective experience. I've "seen God" twice, both during my spiritual hippie period in1969. The first time I took too much LSD. The second time I fasted (no food & no water) for three and one-half days. Even though I was on a vision quest and was actively persuing spiritual enlightenment, the fact is afterwards I knew that I had merely experienced extremely realistic hallucinations. I now doubt that a purely subjective religious experience would prove anything and would most likely cause me to question my own sanity. (Finally -- one of those mythological flashbacks they all warned us about!)

Thus, only an objective physically varifiable proof of God's existence would be compelling. The reason skeptics require such proof is they doubt an imaginary God's ability to manipulate objective physical reality in a meaningful way. If God is anything more than a mental construct, He should be able to manifest himself within the objective reality He supposedly created and He should be able to manipulate that reality in an unambiguous and obvious way.

Answer 5

Any damn thing that was irrefutably contrary to the laws of physics - which seems to be what a miracle is.

Don't theists think it's odd that this deity is so coy? Once - according to Scripture - He chatted to people regularly.

All He need do is write something like 'I Am That I Am' - in blood or fire or similar iconic substance - on the wall at the UN General Assembly building in full session, and all wars and strife - and atheists - would pack up shop the moment the news hit our screens.

Why doesn't He?

And please don't gimme that bilge about requiring 'faith'. Such an act would save millions of lives a year. Surely that should override some silly principle, just on one occasion?

Answer 6

Most of the stuff from the bible would be good; talking and burning bushes, Lazarus's trick, parting a sea, the list is long.

I do look, listen, carefully consider. The first rule a good skeptic should follow is a recognition of his ignorance. The first thing he should question are his own conclusions.

Answer 7

i'm not seeking truth but it would probably convince me if he came down and revealed his extistance to my face. or i guess if i had a true spiritual connection with him. that seems to do the trick for everyone. however i've never had anything like that and i'm not looking for a spiritual connection so i doubt i'll confuse a feeling of enjoyment with a spirital connection at any time in my life.

edit: after reading all the answers i agree with those too! hahaha it wouldnt have to be anything extreme!

Answer 8

Something that cannot be duplicated. The immediate curing of all diseases, a mountain moving, a simultaneous appearance to the whole world. This god guy has some big claims so let's see what he can do.

Answer 9

I would like to see the awesome miracles that the bible speak of. Things like the great flood, God appearing in a burning bush, someone trapped inside the belly of whale and the other various fairy tales the bible speaks of.

Answer 10

That is a very good question. How would I recognize it if I see it?

One thing I do know is that it wouldn't look anything like the Christian,Muslim or Hebrew God.

I'm honestly stumped. Good job.

Answer 11

Appear before me, and I might considered it.


However I must note that I would never worship the biblical god for moral reasons. Even if you could prove to me that he existed, I wouldn't bow down.