Is God’s Existence Obvious to Everyone?
(Redated post originally published on 26 October 2011) As a ‘friendly atheist,’ I believe that theists can be fully rational in believing that God exists. I know that some theists are ‘unfriendly theists’ in the sense that they believe (1) The existence of God is obvious to everyone. But why believe (1) is true? I’m … Is God’s Existence Obvious to Everyone?
Hostility of the Universe to Life: Understated Evidence about Cosmic Fine-Tuning?
(Redated post originally dated 22 January 2013) I’ve blogged before about the fallacy of understated evidence. Here I want to explore further how it applies to fine-tuning arguments. Let us define the “general fact of cosmic ‘fine-tuning’” as follows. FT: some universe or other has the initial conditions, laws, and constants which make the existence … Hostility of the Universe to Life: Understated Evidence about Cosmic Fine-Tuning?
Paul Draper, the Fallacy of Understated Evidence, Theism, and Naturalism
(Redated post originally published on 23 November 2011) Paul Draper has usefully identified a fallacy of inductive reasoning he calls the “fallacy of understated evidence.” According to Draper, in the context of arguments for theism and against naturalism, proponents of a theistic argument are guilty of this fallacy if they “successfully identify some general fact … Paul Draper, the Fallacy of Understated Evidence, Theism, and Naturalism
Here’s One Way to Resist Naturalistic Arguments: Lack Belief that Matter Exists!
A Christian apologist writing under the pseudonym ‘InvestigativeApologetics’ stated the usual objection to atheism, namely, that it’s impossible to prove or give evidence for the non-existence of God. The fact is that atheists who yell that “there is no evidence for God (or Christianity)” are protesting too much, so to speak, and they are, in … Here’s One Way to Resist Naturalistic Arguments: Lack Belief that Matter Exists!
Are Pain and Suffering the Only Evidence for Atheism?
Frank Turek is a Christian apologist, debater, and author or co-author of several books, including I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist (see my rebuttal here). He recently tweeted the following: Truth? https://t.co/MobF1LkyjF #truth #apologetics pic.twitter.com/hb8cfJobtX — Frank Turek (@Frank_Turek) February 11, 2016 Make sure you click on the link that begins with … Are Pain and Suffering the Only Evidence for Atheism?
Is There a Problem of Evil for Atheism?
In response to various arguments from evil for atheism, some theists attempt to turn the tables on atheists and argue that evil is at least as much of a problem for atheism as it is for theism. I’ve argued repeatedly that this response completely misses the point that the problem of evil can be understood … Is There a Problem of Evil for Atheism?
Does God Exist? Part 2
Here is a third option for breaking down the question “Does God exist?” (click on the image below to get a clearer view of the chart): This is a variation on Option 2 (see the previous post in this series). In this analysis I stick with the process of simply adding on divine attributes to … Does God Exist? Part 2
LINK: Richard Gale’s Atheological Arguments
(Redated post originally published on 13 December 2011) This looks like a nice one-page summary of the logical form of the various atheological arguments in his book, On the Nature and Existence of God. LINK
Does God Exist? Part 1
The overarching question for my ten-year plan is: Is Christianity true or false? After I clarify this overarching question, the first major question to investigate is this: Does God exist? I will, of course, at some point need to address the traditional arguments for the existence of God (ontological, cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments). But I … Does God Exist? Part 1
Why Do So Many People Have a “Winner Takes All” Approach to Evidence about Gods?
If you’ve a regular reader of this blog — or any other blog or website devoted to the existence of God — you’ve probably noticed how often partisans for one side or the other have a “winner takes all” approach to the evidence. In the past, even I was guilty of making statements like, “There … Why Do So Many People Have a “Winner Takes All” Approach to Evidence about Gods?