Why do you believe in God?

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logical thinking
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Why do you believe in God?

Post #1

Post by logical thinking »

Why do you believe in God?

What specific argument or evidence is it, that persuades you?

Can you please outline the argument or piece of evidence that you believe is the STRONGEST reason to believe in God?

For example, is it the beauty and majesty of trees? Is it the Kalam Cosmological argument? Pascal's wager? Is it that you witnessed what you believe is a miracle? Is it the fact that you think the Bible contains prophecies? Is it because it feels good to believe in something greater than yourself?

Why do you believe in God?

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #11

Post by Justin108 »

1213 wrote: For me Bible is the greatest reason to believe. And that is because it has great knowledge and wisdom that I think people would not have without God.
In order to call something "great knowledge", you must first demonstrate that it is in fact knowledge (i.e that it is in fact true)

Name one piece of knowledge or wisdom in the Bible that would not exist if the Bible was never written?

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #12

Post by Justin108 »

JehovahsWitness wrote: [Replying to post 1 by logical thinking]

For me it is just a logical inevitability, there has to be a "first cause" the "uncaused cause".

1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The Universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the Universe had a cause.

How do you know the universe had a beginning?

The Scientific concensus is that it did

SINGULARITY: The theory that an infintesimal point of singularity always existed for all eterntiy in a totally stable condition suddenly exploded into change defies the law of inertia (things that are at rest stay at rest unless unless acted upon by a net unbalanced force).

If everything has to have a creator who made God?
The underlined bit is where you make an unjustified leap in logic. The point before concludes that "there was a first cause", then suddenly you talk about "God". When did "the first cause" become synonymous with "God"?
JehovahsWitness wrote:Everything does not have to have a "creator", everything that had a BEGINNING had to have CAUSE. By definition "first cause" has no beginning and therefore needs no "creator" (cause)
You're defeating your own argument. You admit here that not everything needs a creator, it just needs a beginning. Why do you assume the beginning is necessarily a sentient, intelligent creator?

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Post #13

Post by Justin108 »

Willum wrote: But a God. That's simply impossible.
How so?

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #14

Post by JehovahsWitness »

[Replying to post 12 by Justin108]
For me it is just a logical inevitability, there has to be a "first cause" the "uncaused cause".

1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The Universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the Universe had a cause.

How do you know the universe had a beginning?

The Scientific concensus is that it did

SINGULARITY: The theory that an infintesimal point of singularity always existed for all eterntiy in a totally stable condition suddenly exploded into change defies the law of inertia (things that are at rest stay at rest unless unless acted upon by a net unbalanced force).
"god" is what I is what is called first cause, I could have written "X" or "GwD" or "FC" its a place filler.

===================================================
===================================================

Please disregard my previous answer, I have changed my mind about it, I stand by only this one here.
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #15

Post by Justin108 »

JehovahsWitness wrote: "god" is what I is what is called first cause, I could have written "X" or "GwD" or "FC" its a place filler.
It's a place filler that implies far too much. The moment you write "God" you are immediately assigning unjustified attributes, i.e that this first cause is sentient, intelligent, etc. I see no reason for a place filler at all. Why not just stick to calling it "the first cause"? Furthermore, if you did not mean to make the leap of concluding this first cause is God, then you did not address the OP. The question was "why do you believe in God?" Yet here you explain why you believe in the first cause. So the question remains: Why do you believe in God?

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #16

Post by JehovahsWitness »

[Replying to post 15 by Justin108]

Fine well then I believe in FC and I'll leave the moderators and the OP to decide if my answer is relevant or irrelavant in this thread. It can be removed by a moderator if they think it is totally unrelated or inappropriate here.


JW
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #17

Post by Justin108 »

JehovahsWitness wrote: [Replying to post 15 by Justin108]

Fine well then I believe in FC and I'll leave the moderators and the OP to decide if my answer is relevant or irrelavant in this thread. It can be removed by a moderator if they think it is totally unrelated or inappropriate here.


JW
I doubt the moderators will do anything about this as it doesn't violate any rules...

Why is the OP's opinion on this matter of particular importance? Can you honestly tell me that you answered the question when all you did was argue for the existence of a first cause rather than God as the question requested? A simple yes or no: Do you believe your response addressed the question asked in the OP?

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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #18

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Justin108 wrote:
JehovahsWitness wrote: [Replying to post 15 by Justin108]

Fine well then I believe in FC and I'll leave the moderators and the OP to decide if my answer is relevant or irrelavant in this thread. It can be removed by a moderator if they think it is totally unrelated or inappropriate here.

JW
I doubt the moderators will do anything about this as it doesn't violate any rules...

Why is the OP's opinion on this matter of particular importance?
Good, I do my best not to violate rules, then my answer will probably remain. I refer to the OP out of courtesy since it is his/her thread and it was absolutely not my intention to deraille his thread by posting something unrelated to the question - I know how frustrating that can be.

Okay well then have an excellent day,

Peace out,
JW
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

Justin108
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Re: Why do you believe in God?

Post #19

Post by Justin108 »

JehovahsWitness wrote:
Good then it will remain. I refer to the OP out of courtesy since it is his/her thread and it was absolutely not my intention to deraille his thread - I know how frustrating that can be.

Okay well then, I guess all there is left to say is have an excellent day, goodbye,


JW
You blatantly refuse to answer relevant criticisms to your posts. This is the third time you just ignore relevant points I made. Is asking for an honest debate too much. Whenever you're cornered, you just close your ears and shut your eyes.

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Post #20

Post by marco »

logical thinking wrote:

I encountered that same argument from a 4 year old once, who asked me "If Santa doesn't exist, then how do you explain the presents under the christmas tree?"
You've not quite understood your four-year-old jurist, then. He correctly sees presents whose provenance he has been assured are from Santa and hence he deduces that a giver exists. He is correct. A giver does exist. The nomenclature is irrelevant.

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