god exists

1. "what else if god was not real, would answer prayers? "This argument rests on a fundamental misunderstanding: namely, that prayers are -in fact- answered. People pray every day: sometimes they get what they prayed for, and sometimes they don't. Does this mean that sometimes their prayers are being answered, and sometimes they're not? No. What this means is that things happen, and things don't happen. The only instances in which prayer can influence the outcome of something is if A. ) it sufficiently benefits the psychological health of the individual to tip the tide in their favor, or B. ) it saps the time and effort that the individual could have put into making their desires come true by the fruit of their own effort. Anything else that happens in between is purely coincidental.2. "i was half-prepared for my exams. i was planning to learn the rest during exams. .. .i fell ill just the day b4 exam. i prayed. even while giving exams, i gave it with trembling hands. .. .. .i'd have been happy if i had even just passed. but on the result,however, i passed with a 1st division. tell me con, if there is no god how did i do so well with trembling fingers and a tired mind? "There was a Human Geography class that I hadn't attended for the entire semester, because I was too busy with classes that I deemed of higher academic priority. Finals week began, and I had finished every exam except for Human Geography. What did I do the night before? I had a random three-way with two cute ladies that I met at the bar, snorted half an 8-ball of cocaine, drank a 24 pack of beers, and smoked two packs of cigarettes. I still reeked like alcohol when I showed up for my final exam. I scored 98%, passed the class, and fulfilled the minimum general credit requirement to get my BA. How did I pull this off with a tired mind and a severe hangover? Well, it's because I'm an incredibly smart guy, and I happen to be very good at taking tests. Apparently, you either have these very same attributes, or you're incredibly lucky. But you're not giving yourself enough credit if you're praising God for all of your success.3. "second point: miracles are performed even todayabout a year ago, my little sister when she was 2 fell from the top to the bottom of a five floor building, and my sister survived even without y professional help. my dad said if she was going to die, he'd rather have her die in his arms n among unknown doctors. and guess what? after 2 hrs of rest, she woke up, had a limp for a day, and then was as good as good can be. "Babies are actually incredibly resilient to physical harm. In fact, the only reason that your little sister survived falling five stories is because she was only two years old! This is for two reasons: one, because a two-year-old weighs less, this means that they face less force on impact than an adult would. Secondly, because their organs are smaller, they will stay in place; an adult, on the other hand, faces the risk of having their intestines spring out of their bodies, which is due to the increase in mass of their vital organs. For an easy-to-read article outlining the advantages that small children have in incidences of violent impact, check out this article: . http://www.perfectingparenthood.com...As for the final anecdote, I deem it unworthy of addressing on account of the fact that it's not even your own. Now for my arguments.1. Anecdotal Evidence is InsufficientWhat you have done so far is explain what you believe based on your own personal experience. You have concluded that God must exist because you cannot think of any other possible explanations for the fortunes that have occurred in your life. But arguments from personal experience are never valid, because A. ) they provide no a priori reasoning, and B. ) the evidence cannot actually be shown to anyone else. It's like saying, "Sasquatch MUST exist. I'm living proof! I saw him. " Well, do you have pictures? "No. I don't need pictures. I have memories! " Well, then you don't have any leverage in your argument for the existence of sasquatch. By extrapolation, you don't have any leverage in your argument for the existence of God either.2. Pragmatic Truth vs. Doxastic Truth,If believing in God helps you get through this crazy and difficult world we live in, then power to ya. This is called a pragmatic truth. Most pragmatic truths are subjective, because everybody is different: for example, for some people, atheism has led them to the happiest life they could possibly have; for others, it could be Buddhism. So it could be pragmatically true for you that God exists, but not for me. Of course, due to its subjective nature, pragmatic truth isn't really worth arguing with someone over. The truths that bring us to debate are the doxastic truths, which are independent of the experience of any individual. Ultimately, I am yet to see any reason to support the claim that God is doxastically justified.