I’m wondering if you’ve applied this question to yourself and your own group of believers? There must be many gods you don’t believe in and some of the same reasons for not believing in them applies to the reasons for not believing in yours and might give you some insight. For that matter, the reasons for believing in your god apply equally to why others believe in theirs. You have a holy book that says yours is real? Well, so do many other religions. Something had to create the universe? Why not some other god than yours? You have personal revelations to the validity of your god? So do they. The proliferation of gods, all with their ardent believers, is a good reason to think none of them are real and are just some aspect of the human species, such as the need to feel we have control and meaning.
“demonstrable and falsifiable evidence”
It’s right there in his post?
Here are some definitions that might be helpful:
demonstrable
adjective
- clearly apparent or capable of being logically proved.
falsifiable
adjective
- able to be proven false:
All scientific theories are falsifiable: if evidence that contradicts a theory comes to light, the theory itself is either modified or discarded.
objective
adjective
1.(of a person or their judgement) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.
subjective
adjective
1.based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
I found this, which will also be helpful, as you seem to struggle with this a lot:
“Objective evidence is based on facts that are unbiased, quantifiable, and can be independently confirmed, while subjective evidence is based on opinion and self-reporting.”
Didn’t they release a Christmas album once?
If you don’t mind me asking, what do you consider the most compelling reason you think you have, for believing any deity exists, or is even possible?
I was born an atheist, and have seen no compelling, rational, or objective reason to adopt theistic belief.
Conviction. Hearing the Word of God and coming to the realization through Conviction that I and everyone need a Saviour.
Do you mean literally, if so how do you know it was a deity, given that auditory hallucinations are the most common.
Do you understand that this is an entirely subjective idea? As I quoted above: “Objective evidence is based on facts that are unbiased, quantifiable, and can be independently confirmed, while subjective evidence is based on opinion and self-reporting.”
Now, while one can set any bar for credulity one wishes, surely if one cares more about the truth of a claim, than how one feels about that claim, one would set a standard for credulity that best achieved this, and that the more objective the evidence the more reliable it is.
You need a savior from what?
From eternal separation from God which is called HELL!!
Science can be about a million times more of a “saviour” than religion.
Modern medicine, modern anesthesia, etc…
A microbiologist named Maurice Hilleman discovered over 40 vaccines that have saved the lives of approximately 225 million people . . . and most of these people are children.
How is Dr. Hilleman not a “saviour” to humanity? Or a saviour to children?
Why is his work not regarded as a literal miracle? If God exists, he gave us intelligence, so how is Hilleman’s work not Godly?
These types of double-standards are what drive me away from religion and God. It’s not because I’m angry or because I “want to sin.”
They can’t all be right, but they can definitely all be wrong.
I definitely don’t want or need a fucking “saviour”, none of us do. I only believe in things that I experience during the course of my life. There isn’t a greater power that watches over us.
We’re born, we live, and we all die, there’s no escaping this. What makes us so fucking special that there just has to be something more after we’re dead?
Well I have had 58 years of not experiencing any deity, and I was dead for billions of years before I was born, neither seem to have left any impression at all. So I have no reason to believe I need a “saviour”. I have also never seen any objective evidence for any deity, so see no reason to believe any deity exists outside the imagination of theists.
One last thought, if a deity did exist, deliberately not making me objectively aware it existed, then punished me for eternity because I failed to guess which version of which deity it was, and believe it existed based on no objective evidence, such a deity would be a barbaric monster, not a saviour.
Not thinkin or believing in an eternity doesn’t make it true. Eternity is a long time to be wrong.
Not sure what you mean?
That’s a begging the question fallacy, you would need first to objectively demonstrate that any human can experience eternity, I am understandably sceptical. I also don’t know what you mean by “wrong” here, as lacking theistic belief is not a claim?
You also didn’t answer my question:
Or answer this one, or comment on the citation I offered?
Yikes, that sounds comminatory and threatening. In more ways than one
Tell you what, put me in touch with someone who’s observed this place and then someone else who’s confirmed that. Pics or selfies would be a bonus.
If the hell is such a big deal then this will be a trivial task.
Well, I guess you could say that I’m separated from your god now so this must be this hell you are talking about. It’s not bad…not bad at all 
Ditto. Wanting an eternal paradise doesn’t make it true either. It smacks of wishful thinking. All these dire threats made by your bully god make him sound more like an abusive boyfriend than a benevolent all powerful deity. Such a deity could find no better way to convince people to love him? It’s just another reason to believe religion is a human construct made to combat the fear of the unknown.
This seems to be a form of Pasquale’s Wager.
My version of Pasquale’s Wager is as follows:
- We can do “good” simply for its own sake . . . in however we define the term.
- If God does not exist, the we are just good people making the most of a limited life.
- If God does exist, then it’s difficult to imagine how doing good for its own sake with no hope of eternal reward would anger God.
- God–if he exists–would understand us rejecting a belief in him since He took so many pains to hide His existence.
- The smart bet is to good for its own sake without regard for God.
- If God is evil, craven, or uncaring . . . then religious belief makes no difference anyway.
Agreed.
We also have the niggling problem of many gods. Many, many, many, many gods. Which one should we be prostrating ourselves before to get a seat at the eternal hookers and blow table in the sky?
@davidc.guthrie seems to be very certain on these things so I’m sure an answer will be shortly forthcoming.
Indeed, and it has the same problem, the assertion that there is a risk, is entirely unevidenced, as is the assertion that this risk would rest entirely with disbelief, which is demonstrably untrue.