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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][/quote][/quote]This exchange reminded me of one of my favorite commercials.  Just think of Troy Polamalu as God:

[url]http://youtu.be/p-IVSmVmCvA[/url]

Like this:

Atheist:  God, why don't you tell me you exist?

God:  You owe your existence to me, and there's more to you than just your material self.  I made you for so much more than that.

Atheist:  That's not what I was asking.

God:  Isn't it?

Atheist:  No.

God:  Isn't it?

Atheist:  Yes.

[/quote]

[/quote]Sure, other than the fact that no one has ever had this conversation.  The most obvious explanation to this is that there are no gods.  (Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but my favorite quirk of "theist" argument is that it's chock full of these little stories where "atheist scientists" engage in a conversation with "god", who stumps them with sort of presumed logical conundrum.  Frankly, a "'Sup!" would be sufficient.  Hasn't happened yet.)[quote][/quote]

I was going for subtlety, but that's OK.

By denying the existence of God, you first must contemplate His existence.  In order to be an atheist at all, a person must ask, "Is there God?", because a-theist is a negative answer, meaning "no God."

No one in this life answers affirmatively because they experience God directly.  Any knowledge we have of God in this life is indirect.  A summary of this indirect knowledge:  "God, the beginning and end of all things, can be known with certainty from created things by means of the natural light of human reason."

So the atheist asks, "Is there God?" God responds through His material creation, our human reason, and our human experience, which all offer evidence that there is more than the material universe.

The atheist says, "That's not what I was asking."

This is his rejection of the knowledge of God that is available to him in this life.  The atheist was asking for direct knowledge of God.  But God cannot be known directly.

And this is where the atheist remains.  As you said, a "Sup!" would earn your faith.  Until then, you reject the indirect evidence as insufficient.

Very well.  As I said several pages ago, "I know" eventually must become "I believe."  Theists' "I know" becomes "I believe in the material universe and God."  Atheists' "I know" becomes "I believe in the material universe and no more."

But our ability to know God remains.  And, of course, God is still there--in fact, He is outside of time.  And He is still answering your query "Why don't you tell me you exist?"  Just not the way you asked for the answer to be formulated.

[/quote]

There is nothing more dishonest than a person who writes the dialog that he imagines his opponent must be saying.

But I would have to say a close second is the idea of "indirect evidence".  [/quote]

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