By evidence I mean” anything that helps to prove that something is or is not true."
"One or more reasons for believing that something is or is not true.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/evidence
Knowing, understanding, and evidencing God is more like solving a crime than testing one thing. It is also the lack of evidence to the contrary, and the lack of convincing arguments to the contrary. It is more like seeing the forest for the trees. It is the complete answer that encompasses everything and not just a narrow examination of some of the evidence.
My confidence in what I have concluded is much more than just philosophical or intellectual.
It is enhanced and confirmed to me by much personal experience. Such as, I am a lot better person than I was before I became a Christian.
If God exists, there would be something rather than nothing.
If God exists, the universe would have laws.
If God exists, the universe would be testable.
If God exist, the universe would allow for or cause life to exist.
If God exists, intelligent life would arise that could contemplate him.
If God exists, this intelligent life would be free to accept and know him, or reject him.
If God exists, we would be able to do science - That the universe would be knowable, understandable, testable, definable, and explainable.
It is the best match for what I have observed, what I have learned, and what I have experienced. When I take as broad and deep look as I can, consider everything, and ask the tough questions, I come up with God. The Bible’s ability to explain and make sense of what I observe. It is like an armature that makes life understandable. Because it is a comprehensive answer to the difficult questions in a way that makes our existence comprehensible
Because humans can choose to be noble, good, self-sacrificing, benevolent, faithful, and humble.
We are not just machine like, or just simply obeying the laws of nature, but that we have something that transcends nature. It is more than just the mechanistic cause and effects. Our thoughts, actions, and beliefs seem to be more than just a product of electro-chemical processes developed through evolutionary happenstance. Humans are more than just very complicated biological entities. Humans seem to have something like a soul, spirit, minds, consciousness, and free will. Attributes that cannot be explained solely through mechanistic, reductionist, naturalistic explanations.
Humans ability to create. Humans desire for such things like mercy, love, justice, compassion, heaven, purpose, meaning, and truth, point me to something that embodies and fulfills those qualities. When I see a newborn baby, a sunset, a supernova, or a spec of sand, I see evidence of God.
Life only occurring once in the history of the universe (as far as we know), and that life is so profoundly complicated and interdependent. All life on our planet (as far as we know) came from one single event and source. That the universe looks rigged (a gazillion tosses of the coin always coming up heads). As Fred Hoyle said it was as if "a super- intellect has monkeyed with physics". The intricacy and complexity of the entire cosmos makes me pause and wonder. It causes me to doubt that it is nothing more than matter, energy, space and time.
The natural laws. What is their origin? Why do they exist? God seems like the most compelling answer to me. These laws cause me to conclude a creator, and something about this creator. The more I understand science, the more I believe in God.
The universe being logical and rational indicate to me a purpose and meaning. As if there is a divine logical mind (John1:1) behind it all. Life and the universe existing by some massively improbable happenstance, seems like a denial of the obvious to me. There is some purpose echoing through our lives and through the universe. The music of the spheres speaks and evidences God.
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@doG Re: Whitefire's exposure to Cog
Aww, maaan... Now I'm starting to feel bad. I totally forgot to mention to her to go get vaccinated when she first arrived.
Dang-it. I'm so sorry, White... *hanging head in shame*...
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