Posted: Dec 16, 2013 1:07 pm
1. God provides the best explanation of the origin of the universe. Given the scientific evidence we have about our universe and its origins, and bolstered by arguments presented by philosophers for centuries, it is highly probable that the universe had an absolute beginning. Since the universe, like everything else, could not have merely popped into being without a cause, there must exist a transcendent reality beyond time and space that brought the universe into existence. This entity must therefore be enormously powerful. Only a transcendent, unembodied mind suitably fits that description.
This last line is totally without merit. An transcendent, unembodied mind doesn't fit any description. It doesn't even make sense.
2. God provides the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe. Contemporary physics has established that the universe is fine-tuned for the existence of intelligent, interactive life. That is to say, in order for intelligent, interactive life to exist, the fundamental constants and quantities of nature must fall into an incomprehensibly narrow life-permitting range. There are three competing explanations of this remarkable fine-tuning: physical necessity, chance, or design. The first two are highly implausible, given the independence of the fundamental constants and quantities from nature's laws and the desperate maneuvers needed to save the hypothesis of chance. That leaves design as the best explanation.
Design is the worst explanation. Theists say that science answers the How while religion answers the Why. When they say "design" explains the universe they actually mean it as an answer to the Why. They ignore that it is also a How question and will evade trying to answer it as a How as best they can as is evidenced by the refusal of theists to answer this on this very forum. How did God make the universe? What was the Process? From what materials did he forge it? And so forth...
Also, he uses 'chance' in a way that is misleading. Luckily Jesus doesn't mind the odd lie in favour of his cause.
3. God provides the best explanation of objective moral values and duties. Even atheists recognize that some things, for example, the Holocaust, are objectively evil. But if atheism is true, what basis is there for the objectivity of the moral values we affirm? Evolution? Social conditioning? These factors may at best produce in us the subjective feeling that there are objective moral values and duties, but they do nothing to provide a basis for them. If human evolution had taken a different path, a very different set of moral feelings might have evolved. By contrast, God Himself serves as the paradigm of goodness, and His commandments constitute our moral duties. Thus, theism provides a better explanation of objective moral values and duties.
Prove objective morals.
Opps!
4. God provides the best explanation of the historical facts concerning Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Historians have reached something of consensus that the historical Jesus thought that in himself God’s Kingdom had broken into human history, and he carried out a ministry of miracle-working and exorcisms as evidence of that fact. Moreover, most historical scholars agree that after his crucifixion Jesus’ tomb was discovered empty by a group of female disciples, that various individuals and groups saw appearances of Jesus alive after his death, and that the original disciples suddenly and sincerely came to believe in Jesus’ resurrection despite their every predisposition to the contrary. I can think of no better explanation of these facts than the one the original disciples gave: God raised Jesus from the dead.
But we know of "miracle workers" and "exorcisms" to this day and they are better explained by pious fraud, a desperation to believe, shoddy investigation practices and mental illness and abuse of the mentally ill.
Of course, as pointed above, this is all a lie anyway. Historians do not even talk about miracles and exorcism and other supernatural stuff when investigating the historicity of Jesus and take a sceptical approach. Even Christian historians like Diarmaid MacCulloch.
5. God can be personally known and experienced. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Down through history Christians have found through Jesus a personal acquaintance with God that has transformed their lives.
Bollox, pure and simple. The vast majority of Christians are just Christians because their fathers were and so were their fore-fathers etc. They go to Mass on a Sunday, mutter their couple of prayers, and then the rest of the week they don't even think of it. Many figet, restlessly, in their seats waiting for church to be over so they can go home and watch the game.