Is there any test...?

[Willum]

So is there any test that can be made to distinguish God from an imaginary friend of the same name?

An imaginary friend with a popular name, of course.

Any way at all?

The debate topic is: There is none.

[William]

[Replying to post 60 by Willum]

Please explain/expand on your statement by giving an example of a non-scientific test.

Thanks.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 61 by William]

The foxhole test.
Academic test.
Experiential tests.

Any test that yields objective results, so don't go abusing experiential to mean personal experience. The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

[William]

[Replying to post 62 by Willum]

The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

That is science.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 63 by William]

Good grief... no.
Science is:
Observe, research, hypothesize, experiment, collect data, analysis, conclude... start over.

[William]

Observe, The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

research, The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

hypothesize, The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

experiment, The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

collect data, The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

analysis, The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

conclude... The results need to be right and objectively verifiable.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 65 by William]

And? You are posting to...?
I said any test... any way.

You just need to be able to discriminate it from an imaginary thing. Any test that will do that.

A comparative test, eliminates any method, except comparison, and so on.

For example, praying to an imaginary friend and praying to God yields the same results.

[1213]

God's will from scripture is used to justify so many misdeeds, it can't be real.

Ok, so you have really not tested it and can’t say really anything meaningful about this topic.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 67 by 1213]

OK, so you are looking for any reason to dismiss the ideas raised by the topic, and willing to invent your own, and make conclusions, even though, your debate partner really doesn't have a clue what you are trying to say...

So I never really did what?
I have done so many things in the past, as former Christian, in the spirit of things, it is entirely possible I have done whatever you are using to dismiss the topic, and continue with your belief unchallenged.

[marco]

God's will from scripture is used to justify so many misdeeds, it can't be real.

Ok, so you have really not tested it and can’t say really anything meaningful about this topic.

1213, it is unwise to say that people who doubt or disbelieve just haven't tried hard enough. It's said that death concentrates the mind pretty well and those in the Holocaust prayed strenuously, totally believing in God. To no avail.


For many it does seem that God is an illusion, perhaps a phantom friend to whom one speaks but from whom one gets no reply. If someone who thinks otherwise could for a second demonstrate anything other than what can be expected from ordinary chance and coincidence, then God would win many more admirers. Maybe he doesn't want them, of course.

[1213]

1213, it is unwise to say that people who doubt or disbelieve just haven't tried hard enough.

Probably. I think I didn’t do that. I gave the test and the other person told he has not done that. Still he seems to insist God doesn’t exist even though he has not done the test.

... then God would win many more admirers. Maybe he doesn't want them, of course.

Yeah, I believe He wants righteous people. That is different than admirers that seem to be selfish materialists, not loving spiritualists.