IN MY OPINION, God does not exist.

IntroductionI accept the challenge. I hope the resolution is "God does not exist" rather than, "IN MY OPINION, God does not exist" because I would not be able to win the latter unless I was able to change your mind by the end of the debate. I am willing to debate either contention, as the two resolutions are basically the same, only with one being dramatically harder to win. But please make yourself clear in the second round as to what the contention is.You did not state whether first round is for accepance only or if I could begin my argument. As you have already gave your arguments, I will provide my opening statements and then tackle your arguments, as I would say that the burden of proof is on me, so I should give you some arguments for which you can attempt to refute.Opening StatementsThe Standards of LogicLogic is reasoning conducted in order to discover objective truth. However, as Darwin stated, “But then with me the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man's mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would any one trust in the convictions of a monkey's mind, if there are any convictions in such a mind?” (1) This is to say, if logic is just a human concept; a societal construct, and we are animals that are here by the means of chance and evolution, how can we trust our mind? Why should we trust the way that we perceive reality? How do we know that our minds are rational? What if our perceptions of reality are incorrect, but the incorrect perception serves as a mechanism for our survival?On the other hand, if a being exists that trancends our universe, one who has a rational and intelligent mind, and then created mankind to be rational, then based on this paradigm, logic is a trustworthy mechanism for understanding truth.As shown, the preconception that logic is trustworthy and rational only works under a theistic paradigm. Now, one can claim that there is no god, and our perceptions are just us observing reality, but ultimately, we can never have any amount of confidence in anything. Rather, if one concludes that logic is trustworthy, then one must conclude that God does exist.If my opponent concedes that logic is trustworthy, he must show how he can come to this conclusion under an atheistic paradigm, as I have shown how it is trustworthy in a theistic paradigm.MiraclesIf the Christian God exists, then it logically follows that miracles exist, as proclaimed by many passages in the Sciptures. So, if we see miracles today, that is consistent with the existence of a personal God, and so it is likely that God does exist.If there were any place where we could see if miracles happen or not, I would argue that the best place would be in a hospital. 3 out of 4 doctors believe in miracles (2). As people who are trained in their field would know when something happens that defies natural human biology, then if we trust the testimonies of the doctors in the survey, we can conclude that miracles do exist and happen today.The Resurrection of JesusThere are 12 historical facts that the majority of the skeptic historical scholars (Non-Christian scholars) concede to (3): 1. Jesus died by crucifixion. 2. He was buried. 3. His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope. 4. The tomb was empty (the most contested). 5. The disciples had experiences which they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus (the most important proof). 6. The disciples were transformed from doubters to bold proclaimers. 7. The resurrection was the central message. 8. They preached the message of Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem. 9. The Church was born and grew. 10. Orthodox Jews who believed in Christ made Sunday their primary day of worship. 11. James was converted to the faith when he saw the resurrected Jesus (James was a family skeptic). 12. Paul was converted to the faith (Paul was an outsider skeptic). There are two options that I can see: Either the apostles saw the real resurrection of Christ, or they all hallucinated him at different times. The apostles and disciples of Jesus were martyred for their faith. They were truly convinced that they saw Jesus.I will argue that it is more rational to believe that Jesus was actually resurrected and appeared to different people at different times than it is to believe in a similar hallucination to different people at different times. However, people will not die for a lie. John 20: But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!Luke 24: While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”The apostles refuted the idea that they were having a hallucinatory experience. They observed physical evidence of Jesus before believing He was resurrected. Since we know that they were convinced Jesus was resurrected, and people will not die for a lie, then only one option is left: Jesus was really resurrected.ObjectionsAdam and Eve StoryBoth before and after Christ, Jews and Christians alike have interpreted the Genesis account to be allegory and not literal history. However, I feel like that is a cop-out reply, so I will attempt to answer the questions.God said in Genesis 1 "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."To fill the earth would imply that at some point, sexual reproduction would have ceased. It wasn't the fruit itself that was the sin. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of it. It was the only Law God gave them- a simple Law they had to obey. If He hadn't given them any Laws at all, we would have been mechanical creatures without any freewill. You cannot have freewill without the possibility of sin. I don't think God is all knowing in the sense that most Christians believe. Imagine that you make a playlist on your ipod. Before you hit shuffle, you know all of the possible outcomes, but you do not know which song will come on until you hit shuffle. And then with each new song, you have a better understanding of what will be the next one until only one song is left. I think, in the beginning, God had many different plans for humanity, and He let us make our own choices, and He had different plans to compensate for our choices. We chose sin, so His accommodation for our choice was to Give us His Son- Jesus, to pay the penalties for sin.Contradictions of God1) Again, I don't think God is all knowing in the sense that most Chrstians think so today. He has all knowledge that a trancendent and eternal being outside of our universe would have. I don't think that his knowledge should have to include the understanding of what sin feels like.2) Already explained3) In order there to be freewill, there must be the option for sin. If God intervened every single time, then that wouldn't be freewill. God's original plan was perfection for us, but He had to accommodate to our freewill.ConclusionI hope I have provided adequate reasons for believing in God, and have given reasonable answers to your objections. I look forward to the rest of the debate. Cheers!References(1) http://www.goodreads.com...(2) http://www.wnd.com...(3) http://www3.telus.net...