5 reasons

Thanks to Rachael Oats/Youtube, I also wanted to respond to this little gem from William Lane Craig himself.  Nothing new here, to be honest, just WLC’s standard stuff.  

 

So what reasons might be given in defense of Christian theism? In my publications and oral debates with some of the world’s most notable atheists, I’ve defended the following five reasons why God exists:

1. God provides the best explanation of the origin of the universe. Given the scientific evidence we have about our universe and its origins, and bolstered by arguments presented by philosophers for centuries, it is highly probable that the universe had an absolute beginning. Since the universe, like everything else, could not have merely popped into being without a cause, there must exist a transcendent reality beyond time and space that brought the universe into existence. This entity must therefore be enormously powerful. Only a transcendent, unembodied mind suitably fits that description.

Several problems here, the universe probably didn’t have an absolute beginning and it didn’t just pop into existence.  The solution to this non-problem is infinitely more complicated than the problem it was trying to solve.  Where did god come from?  How long did he wait in his transcendent state before creating the universe?  Has he done this before?  Why do you need a mind to create the universe?  The other HUGE theological issue is you have to reject YOUR OWN HOLY BOOK to accept modern cosmology.  The Bible DOES NOT describe how the universe began as modern cosmology understands it. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.  You accept the Bible or you accept cosmology.  If you are doing some sort of acrobatics in terms of interpretation, then you are NOT accepting the Bible literally.

2. God provides the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe. Contemporary physics has established that the universe is fine-tuned for the existence of intelligent, interactive life. That is to say, in order for intelligent, interactive life to exist, the fundamental constants and quantities of nature must fall into an incomprehensibly narrow life-permitting range. There are three competing explanations of this remarkable fine-tuning: physical necessity, chance, or design. The first two are highly implausible, given the independence of the fundamental constants and quantities from nature’s laws and the desperate maneuvers needed to save the hypothesis of chance. That leaves design as the best explanation.

Fine tuning is VERY misunderstood.  The so called fine tuning is descriptive NOT prescriptive.  As far as we know, since we only know one universe, these values are all they CAN be in this universe.  It is akin to saying that water freezes at exactly 0°C, super fine tuned, right?  Well, since the freezing point of water is what defines or describes WHAT 0°C is, this is stupid argument.  If the universe was fine tuned, why is only 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of the total volume of it suitible for life?

3. God provides the best explanation of objective moral values and duties. Even atheists recognize that some things, for example, the Holocaust, are objectively evil. But if atheism is true, what basis is there for the objectivity of the moral values we affirm? Evolution? Social conditioning? These factors may at best produce in us the subjective feeling that there are objective moral values and duties, but they do nothing to provide a basis for them. If human evolution had taken a different path, a very different set of moral feelings might have evolved. By contrast, God Himself serves as the paradigm of goodness, and His commandments constitute our moral duties. Thus, theism provides a better explanation of objective moral values and duties.

There are no objective values.  Your holy book contains moral values that most reasonable humans would consider abhorrent.  Selling women as wives, how to buy and treat slaves, stoning people to death for adultery, and the new testament is WORSE.  Instead of actually performing a sin, all you have to do is THINK it.  I challenge you to show me what objective moral values are.  Not boiling a goat in its mother’s milk is NOT an objective moral value, but IS one of the Ten Commandments.  Don’t believe me?  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+23:19&version=NIV AND https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+34:26&version=NIV

4. God provides the best explanation of the historical facts concerning Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Historians have reached something of consensus that the historical Jesus thought that in himself God’s Kingdom had broken into human history, and he carried out a ministry of miracle-working and exorcisms as evidence of that fact. Moreover, most historical scholars agree that after his crucifixion Jesus’ tomb was discovered empty by a group of female disciples, that various individuals and groups saw appearances of Jesus alive after his death, and that the original disciples suddenly and sincerely came to believe in Jesus’ resurrection despite their every predisposition to the contrary. I can think of no better explanation of these facts than the one the original disciples gave: God raised Jesus from the dead.

The ONLY source for this life, death, and resurrection are the gospels.  How do we know the gospels are true?  Because god wrote the Bible.  How do we know god wrote the Bible?  Because the Bible says god wrote the Bible.  Circular logic anyone?  Why did no one else alive at the time notice 3 hours of darkness?  SAINTS COMING BACK TO LIFE AND WANDERING THE STREETS??????  You would think someone would of noticed ZOMBIES!!!

5. God can be personally known and experienced. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Down through history Christians have found through Jesus a personal acquaintance with God that has transformed their lives.

No, he can’t.  You think you are experiencing something, Jesus, but the EXACT SAME CLAIM can be made of Muhammed, Vishnu, and a thousand other gods.  People see shit that isn’t real.  I, personally, have never experienced any kind of spiritual/touch of god/woo magic.  Even if DID, it would be no basis in convincing others and not the truth. I know my senses can lie, and so can yours.