God Debate Switch-a-roo

My apology, mon ami. The forfeiture was entirely a mistake. I'm glad we've got the five rounds; we can still go somewhere, I think. Bayesian evidence is the most complete kind of evidence. Anything which is more likely to be observed if a hypothesis is true, than if it is false, is evidence for the hypothesis. I'll first establish the plausibility of the God hypothesis, and then add in evidence to suggest that beyond its palatable plausibility lies its lovely likelihood. Consider the universe, existing as it does, and in no mundane form. Why should it exist at all? And why, if it does exist, should it exist in an order-permitting, life-permitting form? It is a feature of the observed universe that all things have causes. There must be a cause to the universe, from outside, or beyond the universe. A transcendent cause. Now, if I may preemptively rebut your rejoinder, why does the transcendent cause not require a cause for itself? Let us be more precise with our conclusions, sir! We have observed that it is a feature of the UNIVERSE for all things to need a cause. It would be an error of hasty generalization to suppose that ALL things must therefore require a cause, whether they be in the universe or not! We have no observation of things outside the universe, thus no data on which to base a conclusion that the transcendent cause of the universe must itself have a cause. The transcendent cause reveals more of its nature in the nature of what it has created. Our universe has a variety of constants, which define its essential nature, and provide the constraints for what may exist within it. Out of all the possible constraints that could have been attached to our universe, we find that the ones we do have are exceedingly rare in certain particulars. Indeed, most series of constraints would have made life of any kind impossible. The universe would merely consist of a static ball of matter, or of an amorphous empty space, sparsely populated with sub-particles so far apart from one another as to never interact at all. Consider a target, a million miles wide, with a bull's eye the size of a quarter. Should a dart be found placed directly in the dead center of the target, in the center of the bull's eye, we might infer a number of things, the very least of which being, that it was there on PURPOSE. Placed by someone capable of making such a mind-boggling mark. This is indeed analogous to our universe, for as it turns out, were any of the universal constants a tiny bit bigger or smaller, life would be impossible. Not merely life as we know it, but life of any kind. Indeed, anything of ANY interest would be impossible. Were any of the constants bull's eyes, but not dead center in the bull's eye, it would be enough to upset the delicate balance of the universe. And we have instead, a precisely placed dead-center bull's eye, not once, but a couple of DOZEN distinct times, together in their improbable placement allowing for a phenomenon of a not mundane nature: life. Intelligent life, no less. And so we can arrive at the conclusion of a purposefully created, life-centered universe from a transcendent Creator. Now we have plausibility, let us move on to probability. There are, in the workings of men and women, certain unnatural events, revealing unnatural causes. Or, better put, there is the fingerprint of SUPERnatural workings in this world. Consider, for example, the apostles of Jesus Christ. Many of them died extremely predictable deaths, the result of their preachings. The deaths might have been avoided at any time, were they willing to recant their preachings. Add the intriguing fact that worldly powers went out of their way to try and GET these apostles to recant, not satisfied with merely killing them or something, they were obsessed with getting them to recant. Why care? Recall Bayesian evidence. Anything which is more likely to be observed if a hypothesis is true than if it is false is evidence of the hypothesis' truth. All of these observations are more likely to happen in the world in which the Christian God hypothesis is true, with the work of good opposed by evil, with men and women taking either side, and battling against each other. What other hypothesis might you posit? That the apostles were lying? Why then die for the lie? Were they surprised by the threat of death, not able to recant fast enough to save themselves? Not so; they had ample time. Were they deluded? It would certainly be a fantastic coincidence for them all to be deluded the same way, now wouldn't it? And then to have extremely improbable success in spreading their delusion, more improbable still. And why should they be opposed; why should their denial of Christ be sought so obsessively? There are alternate possibilities, a series of coincidences between uncoordinated world leaders across countries and continents. But the most likely explanation is that they WERE coordinated by a common source of evil, in an attempt to battle history's greatest work for good. And so, Christianity moves from plausible to probable. If you seek further evidence, Christianity makes no attempt to hide from providing a personalized test for the sincere seeker of truth. Test the teachings of God, and see for yourself if they are not sweet and good. If they are not everything they are promised to be. If they do not provide everything for the human soul that they are predicted to provide in advance. Pray to God and see if he does not speak deeper to you than the eyes and ears, if he will not speak the truth directly to your mind and to your heart. Test God as he has been tested by billions, test his teachings and his promise and find what billions have found. That there is a God, who prepared this life for you, who prepared you for this life, who has prepared a path forward through life, and a way to a better world. Open your eyes and find God outside yourself, in the universe which bears his mark, which universe he bears in gentle hands. Close your eyes and find God within yourself, speaking to you the simple answers to the deep questions of life, the universe, and everything. Godspeed, my friends.