How to decide is there a deity (Introduction)

by George Jelliss , Crewe, Wednesday, January 07, 2009, 14:46 (5797 days ago) @ David Turell

As to joining this group: I saw it mentioned on the British Humanist e-bulletin and got the impression that it was a "creationist" site, and joined with the intent of countering creationist claims. I still think DHW and DT are at heart creationists of a kind. DHW can't abide "chance" and DT is far too open to the pseudoscience put about by the Discovery Institute and its penumbra. - DT and concludes "beyond a reasonable doubt" (there is no absolute proof) that there is a greater power. I conclude similarly that there isn't. 
 
I agree with DT's comments on 1)religious theology. - I totally disagree with his point 2) Cosmology: He says; "what has been found is the universe is meticulously designed for life". I've been reading Paul Davies' book "The Goldilocks Enigma" (Penguin Books 2006) and this is what he claims. On the same evidence however I maintain that life is just an accident. Most of the universe is hostile to life. The Earth is indeed "extremely special", but by accident not design. (If I can find the time I will try to put together a complete critique of Davies' book, either here or on another site.) - DT in his point 3), on Darwin, accepts evolution but like DHW has an aversion to chance. He thinks God somehow programmed the molecules. I find chance perfectly adequate. - I agree of course with his point 4) about reading and thinking. But there is such a thing as having a mind that is too open, to the influence of charlatans and anecdotalists and dreamers and propagandists and the simply deluded.