Agnostic Atheism Is The Most Logical Default Position

You've yet to convince me that theism is less of a leap of faith than agnostic atheism. Anyway you slice it, that's just not true. Agnostic atheism makes no positive assumptions about the primary nature or existence of the universe. Theism makes not only one gigantic one (in saying that there is a conscious creator of the universe), but many, many more, as there are always many facets attached to the concept of God. Just to name a few, theism assumes that: There is some level of higher purpose or meaning, that there is some ultimate destination or goal of humanity God is omnipotent, meaning that he is capable of doing anything God is omniscient, meaning that he has total knowledge and awareness of everything, and he is infinitely wise etc, etc, etc... But theism is also a huge leap of faith in the sense that it provokes so many questions that are unanswerable, which must be accepted as burdens by the theist, such as what reason would God have to create the universe and the human species?, etc. And in response to your statement that God is the best candidate for a primary explanation of existence, I'm not convinced either. It may be the easiest answer, but that's not enough to conclude that it's true. Psychology tells us that the human mind naturally detects agency in a mysterious phenomenon. We look for consciousness behind things that we can't explain. God is the intuitive answer to why everything exists. But he was also the intuitive answer for why thunderstorms occurred and why there was night and day many centuries ago. My point is, from the agnostic viewpoint, it just doesn't make sense to accept that God created the universe, when it doesn't have to be that way, and there is no conclusive evidence that it is. In response to your argument on theistic evolution Now admittedly, I'm not greatly educated on evolution. But from what I do know, and my common (or uncommon) sense, I gather the following. First, when you say that evolution moves "upward," I assume you mean that evolution seems to improve life rather than simply change it. But that observation is simply coming from a subjective standpoint. Objectively, how is life an improvement from non-life? It only seems that way to us because we are alive, and concerned with the matters of the living. Our brains are wired to look for meaning and purpose in things, even where there is none. There is no "quantum" difference between life and non-life. Biological organisms may be simply a byproduct of the physical and chemical behavior of the cosmos. Second, evolution does not just happen within itself. It is influenced by external phenomena, such as ecological and social factors. So this can explain how evolution progresses. And as a species becomes more complex, it will likely develop ancillary traits that are, as you pointed out, not necessary for survival. And as for the question of why survival is necessary, again, it isn't on an objective level. The universe is indifferent to whether or not there is life. Biological organisms are, I would guess, just another way for energy and matter to act, a chemical phenomenon that grew very complex. Consciousness came about due to a more evolved nervous system. And when you say that no species is more evolved than another, I'm not sure what you mean. Obviously some species are more complex than others. Doesn't that mean they are more evolved? I guess I'm confused. It comes down to this: God is used to explain what we can't explain in relation to anything natural. God is the supernatural answer, and therefore he is an unprovable hypothesis. It does not sound beneficial, wise, or necessary to invest belief in an unprovable hypothesis of such grand proportions. In my opinion, God always has been, and is still, the God of the gaps. Just because I don't know why nature exists, I have no good reason to positively believe that there is a creator. One can interpret scientific discovery and natural phenomena as evidence for God, which I think you have done, but in my mind, that doesn't justify the positive belief in God.