Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Tek) 9/26/83; site azure.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!tektronix!teklds!azure!jonw From: jonw@azure.UUCP (Jonathan White) Newsgroups: net.flame,net.religion Subject: Re: evidence for the non-existence of God Message-ID: <2617@azure.UUCP> Date: Fri, 16-Mar-84 11:52:44 EST Article-I.D.: azure.2617 Posted: Fri Mar 16 11:52:44 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 21-Mar-84 08:36:51 EST Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR Lines: 30 Tim Stoehr writes: > I agree, one cannot prove the non-existence of God, nor can one prove > the non-existence of dragons, witches, vampires, tooth-fairies or > Santa Claus. Would you consider me a logical person if I believed > that all of the above existed? The real question is then "Why should > anyone believe in the existence of God any more than in the existence > of Santa Claus[e]?" The only reason I can think of is the fact that > one's parents (and others) are more persistent in TELLING one that God > exists than in telling one that Santa Claus exists, despite all > evidence pointing to the non-existence of both. David Norris responds: I'll bite. If, indeed, the only reason anyone believes in God is that others are persistent in telling them God exists, I would think that Christianity would have died out a long time ago. Many people are stupid, but not that stupid. They usually require *some* shred of evidence besides a lot of verbiage; else, we have no way to account for those devout atheists who, after serious study, become Christians. What do you suppose convinced them? Okay, David, I'll bite. Just what shred of evidence do you have to offer us that the Judeo-Christian God exists? (By "evidence," I mean something better than "because it says so in the Bible" or "He has changed my life." If your standards of proof are that loose, then I can prove to you that Santa Claus exists!) And how do you account for all devout Christians who become atheists or agnostics? Jon White [decvax|ucbvax]!tektronix!tekmdp!azure!jonw