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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