How to decide is there a deity (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, January 06, 2009, 14:18 (5607 days ago)

I was invited to join this group last March, if I remember properly. I've had lots of fun adding to the debate. The reason I'm here, I guess, is the organizers found I had written a book, rather autobiographical, describing how I came to my conclusion that there must be a greater power. To start the New Year I'd like give the guidelines I followed in deciding to leave agnosticism (to some degree), and conclude "beyond a reasonable doubt" (there is no absolute proof) that there is a greater power. - It is a three-legged stool to study: - 1)religious theology; does any one religion have the 'truth'. The fact that 2/3rds of humanity is not monotheistic is enough to answer 'no'. The Bible is manmade, and full of fun stories. Noah is one of the best. How did he know about kangaroos and get 5 million species on that little boat? - 2) Cosmology: what has been found is the universe is meticulously designed for life; 20 major parameters and 100 minor ones. the Earth is extremely special as a planet, with just the right amount of an iron/nickel core. The Standard Model tell us the universe is 13.7 billion years old, the Earth 4.5 billion. - 3) Darwin: the theory is 150 years old, based on a minimum of science compared to what we know now. A very clever idea, for the time, but it takes an intellectual shoehorn to fit everything we know now into the proposition. And that shoehorn are the Just-So stories the Darwinists invent. Evolution occurred, the issue is the method by which it went from simple to complex, chance or coded programming, and a complex code in unfolding as we watch. To my mind chance loses. - 4) The fourth part of a stool is the seat, on which to sit and read. I'm at well over 110 books and counting. Sit there and think. Get rid of all preconceived junk from what was concluded earlier and keep your mind open. Realize that no one knows the ultimate truth. Do not personalize the greater power. That is anthropomorphism, a terrible error. Then reach conclusions.