Theists:
Without referring to #scriptures, what would you say is a good reason for believing a god exists?
@tomcapuder As a consecutive skeptic, I would find the argument on the other side relatively profound that the very fact that our brain is capable of playing out the impression of epiphanies and such things suggests that this functionality serves a purpose.
And it seems unlikely that humans came up with this purpose themselves and established it biochemically.
But I'm just spinning my wheels. I don't believe that there is a God.
What's a "consecutive skeptic"?
You seem to be defending the theist's commonly used informal logical fallacy of Argument from Ignorance. Just because something seems likely and suggests a purpose means the holder of those views has a limited imagination, and will supply an easy "answer" like a god instead of the more honest answer of "We don't know yet."
@tomcapuder i have summarized what that means in my final sentence: i don't believe in a god (and think such a thing is unlikely) but i'm open to wild surprises after my death. waking up from a blatant simulation, or simply ceasing to exist and becoming compost - i'll take it as it comes. and don't expect too much :)
and of course we don't know, otherwise this dialog wouldn't be taking place. so all we can do is guess or take a look at probabilities. What's wrong with that?
Nothing's wrong with that, but there's plenty wrong with *believing* claims that have no credible evidence. I don't mean you, I mean theists.
@tomcapuder another explanation for things like ephinpajhetic experiences could also be a gentle push from evolution to expand individual horizons. as a toolset, so to speak. my first solution was just a shot from the hip, i didn't mean to offend you. :D
No offense taken!
Defining it as: all that can exist, in fact or in principle.
That's not airtight proof; but it does make belief reasonable, to say the least.