Eight reasons christianity is false

If you don't mind, I'm going to restructure my response a bit for organization and development. First I will address the problems of faith and burden of proof. We seem to have the most fundamental disagreements on these, Partly regarding definitions. The concept of God is primarily that He is "hidden" (requiring faith to attain). God is also principally characterized (using "characterized" loosely; more accurately He fulfills those characteristics) by holiness and perfection. "Faith" is simply a virtue, A fundamental one by which we acquire knowledge of God. Much the way continued observation and experimentation can "prove" something in science (until it is discredited or unless the observer is close-minded to the idea of the evidence), So can God be "proved" only by the virtue of "faith. " "Faith" can be as blind or revealed as God allows it to be, But it is impossible for any man to "force" God to reveal himself. It is impossible to "prove" God under a microscope or with weights and measures unless He subjects Himself to it. "Faith" is not the same as "belief, " but rather the willingness to believe and then obey as a result of that belief (James 2:19). From Faith, We advance to Hope. Having come off a series of lectures on C. S. Lewis, Let me refer to him in a similar model of fundamental theoretical thought (which I hope provides a simple enough parallel): Imagination gives the capacity for Reason which is elevated to its highest standard by Truth. In a religious model of the theological virtues, Faith in God gives the capacity for Hope which is refined in Charity. I'm also going to take a moment and stand by the "we" statement as valid. I am totally NOT saying that "we all have to obey God" (in fact, That would be a violation of freedom of conscience). "We" is not used in the sense that "we agree with the same values or come to the same conclusions, " or even to describe "we, " but rather "every universal truth or fact which we happen to have in common" (e. G. , Birds, Flowers, Light, Events, This debate). Part of the problem people have in regards to the apparent inconsistencies of scripture are explained by what I described about the Bible: it covers a great many topics and has different answers for situations which are often similar. We need careful oversight and judicious interpretation when reading the Bible. The theme of "Joseph's coat" and the symbology of the Holy Spirit teach us that in addition to obedience and justice, Some amount of flexibility is required to be a complete person. The role of judging our eternal souls belongs to God. Everything has a PURPOSE, Even if it's not understood, And a CAUSE, Even if it's not agreed on (e. G. , You came from something, And the purpose of your existence to debate me, Even if there's no higher moral imperative). We ARE immoral; that's what Christianity professes. Your morality is arguably more ambiguous as mine, Because mine is predicated on a focus (God) rather than a self-constructed values system. People can be "brainwashed" into believing just about anything; How much easier is it to be brainwashed into a values system wherein there are fewer responsibilities (which leads to low self-esteem) and no final accountability to anyone for all the secret things of their lives? Math is not "universal language" we sometimes make it out to be. Hawking's hypothesis/theory works more or less the way I expected it to: It attempts to explain the infinite "condensation" of universe before the Big Bang by applying an infinite or nullifying aspect to time (because it cannot be rationally conceptualized to a point). This problem is discussed in "Grand Design": "The laws of nature typically describe how nature behaves, Using abstract mathematics. Those mathematical equations exist in our minds, Not in nature itself. " (Stephen Hawking, 2010) Unfortunately for any evidence in favor of Atheism, This is another indicator of the timeline in Genesis ("In the beginning"). My answer to all of your questions (from the O. T. ) is "Yes, " people do deserve to die for all those offenses. Now that I've humored you by answering, Allow me to justify my answer. Every sin is an offense against an infinitely just God, Who is not only capable of bringing something out of nothing, But good out of evil. The entire Human race is already condemned to death by having sinned against God. However, The common "stoning in the O. T. " argument doesn't hold weight, Because God is the ultimate judge of life and death and eternity. While people still have the faculty to execute their fellows for offenses against God, That doesn't (necessarily) constitute a just process, Especially involving other sinners (John 8, 1-11). In regards to your friends, I can only offer condolences and prayers. Because of the fallen state of the world it is of chaotic nature. Whatever you believe in or don't believe in, There will be suffering and confusion mixed with joy and clarity. When we ponder suffering, It is not useful from a moral OR material perspective to consider what caused it (it is always because we are imperfect creatures capable of suffering) as it is to consider the purpose (such as training the body or to atone for any effects of sin in the world). There is a kind of human fallacy, "The horror of suffering, " which causes us to hate suffering and love comfort so much that people are not willing to suffer even minor inconveniences and love pleasure to the point of becoming insatiable. But suffering can be made to serve a purpose, Even if it is unclear. And suffering is not to our detriment, Only indicative of the fact that people aren't perfect. (Thank you for re-posting videos) I saw the shows, And it pretty much reaffirms my belief about the thought process of atheism, Which I've gone through myself and struggled to understand. I do understand that atheism is, At its heart, A rejection of theism because it has a higher demand than rational thought alone. If you fundamentally reject one thing because of or unto another thing, That is a values system which you have "faith" in. You say many people suffer for or are killed in the name of religion, So God is a terrorist. So what? What consequence could that possibly have for you unless you believe something in regards to that? So the universe is the beginning and end of all itself and is self-justifying and self-explanatory. Doesn't that just prove there is a "God" called, "the material universe and rational thought? " It is not God which does not exist, It is Atheism (lit. "no theory"). What you really seem to be is a "Materialist" or an "Agnostic. " In the videos, Matt Dillahunty and friends discuss truth v. Untruth, Good v. Evil in regards to morality. This goes back to the notion of cause/purpose. The Bible does explain this, And even satan uses scripture to "tempt Christ" (Luke 4:1-12). Priests and Pharisees attempt to catch Christ with double-sided questions which He dispenses with handily (Luke 20:1, Luke 20:19, John 8:1-11). Paul explains how men are not justified by the law itself (Gal. 2:16). They make a good point about the imperative of morality, But is really indicitave of truth in morality, Not morality in truth. If you have a morality rejecting the existence/truth of a god, That morality is, For all intents and purposes, A "god" you have constructed on your own. Many moral norms (such as do not kill/steal) are only practiced because of the social contract and consequences of violating it, NOT because people genuinely have faith or are trying to impose religious values. Any God who is true would include such natural imperatives against doing harm anyway (and is re-emphasised in its purpose in the "Golden Rule"). As a side note, And speaking from a Catholic perspective- There is a Lutheran heresy I am debating elsewhere, Not exclusive to Lutheranism: "Solis fidelis" (salvation by "faith alone"). Similarly, Rational thoughts and ethics alone are worthless without a cause and/or purpose. Finally, Apologies for the incomplete thought (what I meant was basically, A. "what is his truth" and b. "why don't we know everything about the natural universe itself yet, If science and rational thought are the keys to understanding everything? ") Also, The reason I refer to the Bible because: It is a primary source of Christian knowledge (the subject of this debate, The Christian God); it is considered a classical work; and to attempt to rectify what I believe are misconstructions regarding its meaning. If you can use Deuteronomy in a limited, Literal sense to demonstrate that God is unjust according to your own moral code, I can use the rest of the Bible to bolster my positions.