Theists...what is the best argument against the existence of God?

[Brennan77]

If you describe yourself as a theist, I ask you to share with the community what you consider to be the most compelling argument against the existence of God.

 

[Beach Friends]

Portland, OR.

Seriously, I have more questions about why specific writings should be believed as the Word of God than I do the "existence of God."

 

[Brennan77]

Portland, OR.

Seriously, I have more questions about why specific writings should be believed as the Word of God than I do the "existence of God."

That's a really good question as well. For me, it's a question that only begins having first established that God is real and that we are capable of recognizing and knowing Him.

So if I were to connect it to the original question, I might categorize this as a doubt in our own ability to know of God or understand His communication assuming He desired to reveal himself. But that at best leads us to agnosticism rather than being able to assert that God does not exist.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

For me, it's that the theory of God, if you will, is not falsifiable. Therefore, it's impossible to prove or disprove, which is rather unsatisfactory for me.

 

[MT15]

I don‘t neatly fall into either category. But I guess the best case against God for me is the sheer randomness of what we view as The Bible, what was included, what was excluded, how it was decided. I have a hard time thinking every step of the way was divinely inspired, and that it’s a perfect representation of the Christian faith.

Every time I think of something else, when I actually examine it, it turns out to be a human failing in religion rather than an argument against the existence of God. I have several problems with various sects of Christianity and some other religions as well, although I know much less about religions other than Christianity.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Apologies, for I am most certainly not a theist. God is always assumed, never proven. I hold with Hitchens who argued that the burden of proof lies entirely those who would assert the existence of God. Why should I have to disprove God(s) any more than I would the Easter Bunny?

 

[Rawlings]

If you describe yourself as a theist, I ask you to share with the community what you consider to be the most compelling argument against the existence of God.

All arguments against God's existence are childish. Some are simply worse than others.

 

[Yggdrasill]

All arguments against God's existence are childish. Some are simply worse than others.

Your powers of rhetoric are overwhelming. I'm convinced!

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

I don't really consider myself an atheist, maybe I kinda am, but I look at things as how they are as opposed to how I was told how to view things, like when someone says after a tragedy "this was part of God's plan" or "God needed so and so because they were an angel on earth" or whatever. Anyway, I just can't grasp the concept of their being a good all powerful being up above watching over us, inspiring some to do his work or putting people in a place to do right when there is so much evil in this world.

My breaking point, or the point where I just said "there can't be a God" was a couple years ago, there was this story of a 3 year old little girl who disappeared at a family/friends b-day party, who was later found dead in a dumpster....stuff like this happens often but for some odd reason this incident just hit me harder...can't explain why, it just did. But IMO, if there was really an all powerful God, surely he would've intervened had he/she/it existed? right?

OTOH maybe there really is a God but he really just doesn't care about us as much as we think he does...IDK.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

I don't really consider myself an atheist, maybe I kinda am, but I look at things as how they are as opposed to how I was told how to view things, like when someone says after a tragedy "this was part of God's plan" or "God needed so and so because they were an angel on earth" or whatever. Anyway, I just can't grasp the concept of their being a good all powerful being up above watching over us, inspiring some to do his work or putting people in a place to do right when there is so much evil in this world.

My breaking point, or the point where I just said "there can't be a God" was a couple years ago, there was this story of a 3 year old little girl who disappeared at a family/friends b-day party, who was later found dead in a dumpster....stuff like this happens often but for some odd reason this incident just hit me harder...can't explain why, it just did. But IMO, if there was really an all powerful God, surely he would've intervened had he/she/it existed? right?

OTOH maybe there really is a God but he really just doesn't care about us as much as we think he does...IDK.

Reminds me of something Tracie Harris said once.

"You either have a God who sends child rapists to rape children or you have a God who simply watches it and says, ‘When you’re done, I’m going to punish you.’ If I could stop a person from raping a child, I would. That’s the difference between me and your God.”

 

[SystemShock]

I don't really consider myself an atheist, maybe I kinda am, but I look at things as how they are as opposed to how I was told how to view things, like when someone says after a tragedy "this was part of God's plan" or "God needed so and so because they were an angel on earth" or whatever. Anyway, I just can't grasp the concept of their being a good all powerful being up above watching over us, inspiring some to do his work or putting people in a place to do right when there is so much evil in this world.

My breaking point, or the point where I just said "there can't be a God" was a couple years ago, there was this story of a 3 year old little girl who disappeared at a family/friends b-day party, who was later found dead in a dumpster....stuff like this happens often but for some odd reason this incident just hit me harder...can't explain why, it just did. But IMO, if there was really an all powerful God, surely he would've intervened had he/she/it existed? right?

OTOH maybe there really is a God but he really just doesn't care about us as much as we think he does...IDK.

It is hard to grasp such concepts or make sense of them, because the descriptions we have of gods come from books written hundreds/thousands of years ago, and these descriptions have been embellished through the ages by people who sought to control the masses and/or plain overthought the concept of what a god is and does. Both the original texts and the embellishment reflect the mentalities of the people of those times. As societies evolve and science progresses, those texts and embellishments make less and less sense.

 

[bird]

The existence or lack thereof is a matter of belief. Either you believe, you don't believe or you don't know. Proofing existence is impossible because there is no test for God. To borrow from Parke Godwin in "The Snake Oil Wars" - " I have looked for God, hoped for Him, dusted for his prints but never found them except in men or women or rose up to say 'We" instead of 'I' until they were beaten, crucified or murdered..."

 

[bird]

Reminds me of something Tracie Harris said once.

"You either have a God who sends child rapists to rape children or you have a God who simply watches it and says, ‘When you’re done, I’m going to punish you.’ If I could stop a person from raping a child, I would. That’s the difference between me and your God.”

Which goes to the concept of "Justice".