ENOUGH with the god exists debate!

What you are missing is that the fact that there is no proof of God's existence or non-existence *does* settle the debate. We have an obligation to believe nothing without adequate evidence. To quote the mathematician and philosopher William K. Clifford: "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence." The reason for this doctrine is evident, namely that our beliefs have an influence on our actions. As Clifford says in his famous essay "The Ethics of Belief": "He who truly believes that which prompts him to an action has looked upon the action to lust after it, he has committed it already in his heart. If a belief is not realized immediately in open deeds, it is stored up for the guidance of the future. It goes to make a part of that aggregate of beliefs which is the link between sensation and action at every moment of all our lives, and which is so organized and compacted together that no part of it can be isolated from the rest, but every new addition modifies the structure of the whole. No real belief, however trifling and fragmentary it may seem, is ever truly insignificant; it prepares us to receive more of its like, confirms those which resembled it before, and weakens others; and so gradually it lays a stealthy train in our inmost thoughts, which may someday explode into overt action, and leave its stamp upon our character for ever." Source: http://people.brandeis.edu... This principle, together with the fact, which you acknowledge, that there is no proof of God's existence, settles the debate over God's existence. It proves that no one should believe in God, because there is no evidence of God's existence - everyone must be either an atheist or an agnostic. However, this is not the case. As things stand, the vast majority of the American population does believe in God. According to the Pew Research Center, atheists and agnostics combined make up only 7% of the American population. Source: http://www.pewresearch.org... Moreover, the claim that God exists is not merely a theoretical belief that many people hold, it has a direct effect on our personal lives and on American politics, as I said in my opening speech. Many Americans pray and go to church, which they wouldn't do if they didn't believe in God. That time could be better invested if they understood that the concept of God is arbitrary and unsupported by evidence. In politics, most Americans do not accept the theory of evolution in the form scientists hold it, which has a direct effect on science education, and for the most part the reason they are skeptical of evolution is their religious beliefs. In addition, Christians advocate political policies which ban abortion and gay marriage, which negatively affect millions of people living in America. If they understood that Christianity was just an arbitrary assertion, they would be less likely to advocate these policies. So, to sum up my main points: 1. The fact that there is no evidence for God does settle the debate, because it shows that believing in God is irrational. 2. Widespread acceptance of the fact that believing in God is irrational would have a dramatic effect on our lives and public policy. 3. Therefore, it is critical that we continue to debate the existence of God. Thank you.