So the believer can insist that there really is a God, and that he really wants us to believe in his existence, but he has gone to extraordinary lengths to make that difficult. Then the believer can construct some elaborate justification for thinking that this sort of God exists, but he has complicated reasons for keeping his existence perfectly hidden. And then the believer must engage in elaborate conceptual gymnastics and ad hoc justifications in order to make the whole implausible story consistent with the seemingly Godless world. Or the believer can ask himself this question: isn’t it more reasonable to just acknowledge that the world looks just like there is no God because there is no God?
Atheism: Proving The Negative
Dear SE,
ReplyDeleteJust for fun: What is the first question God is alleged to have asked as recorded in the Bible?
(It's at least an interesting starting point.)
Peace,
BG
Dear Bill,
ReplyDelete"Where are you?"
Perhaps, but I can ask the same.
Theists can only respond with something like this (and it may correct, who knows?):
Shall I tell you the secret of the whole world? It is that we have only known the back of the world. We see everything from behind, and it looks brutal. That is not a tree, but the back of a tree. That is not a cloud, but the back of a cloud. Cannot you see that everything is stooping and hiding a face? If we could only get round in front —
-G. K. Chesterton
Dear SE,
ReplyDeleteAnyone who can quote Chesterton is my best friend.
Bliss,
Gnade
I just say, "What kind of scaredey-cat God is hiding behind my couch?"
ReplyDelete