Blacknad wrote:
"The fact that you find God's existence to be philosophically unacceptable on every level does not amount to an authoritative denial."
Precisely. The difference between us is the willingness to recognize this fact. Lets see how you respond to the reverse:
""The fact that you find God's existence to be philosophically acceptable on every level does not amount to an authoritative acceptance."
Well Blacknad? Willing to step up to your own falliability on the matter?
While it is impossible to prove that a specific god does not exist it is possible to prove that all advertised gods do not exist as many of them are mutually exclusive. Which, of course, leaves us with the dilema of why your god exists and everyone else's doesn't.
It is also possible to prove that the universe would not be different, in any manner whatsoever, if your god didn't exist. And that by simply pointing out that nothing in the universe violates the known laws of physics. If everything accords with the laws of physics ... then the deity is without purpose save for the actions it has declared publicly to have performed such as flooding the earth and drowning people, bringing plagues upon the innocent, and using blood rites such as crucifixion to make a hopelessly muddled point.
Blacknad wrote:
"Scripture contains the constant theme that when humanity denies God it aspires to take his place."
That is your scripture. That is not the scripture of the Jews or the Moslems or the Buddhists or the that practice Shinto or Animism. Why do you assume that your minority view has more validity than that of the rest of this planet's inhabitants? Are you smart and they are all dumb? Are you enlightened and they are all dupes? But if you look at your sentence with the intelligence I know you have you will detect that it is fatally flawed. It starts with the premise that the god actually exists and that the denial is for a purpose of attaining power. It does not posit the possibility that the deity is a fraud and that those saying so might be pointing out that the emporer is wearing no clothes.
If there is a deity. A deity that has created me to doubt its existence then everyone should be perfectly happy with the current situation.
On the other hand I still want that deity brought to trail for crimes against humanity for the pain, suffering, and death inflicted in its name that it could have prevented. And I want it condemned to death for the wilfull creation of malaria, polio, leukemia, and all other manner of ills it is solely responsible for. Yes. I demand from my god integrity, honesty, and a willingness to fess up to its sins of commission and omission. After all ... I was made in its image.
