Does it matter if God exists? (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, March 27, 2016, 15:14 (3162 days ago) @ David Turell

Another essay with a similar point of view:-http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/god-is-a-question-not-an-answer/?emc=edit_th_20160327&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=60788861&_r=0-"Any honest atheist must admit that he has his doubts, that occasionally he thinks he might be wrong, that there could be a God after all — if not the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition, then a God of some kind....Dwelling in a state of doubt, uncertainty and openness about the existence of God marks an honest approach to the question.-"There is no easy answer. Indeed, the question may be fundamentally unanswerable. Still, there are potentially unpleasant consequences that can arise from decisions or conclusions, and one must take responsibility for them.-"Anyone who does not occasionally worry that he may be a fraud almost certainly is. Nor does the worry absolve one from the charge; one may still be a fraud, just one who rightly worries about it on occasion. Likewise, anyone who does not occasionally worry that she is wrong about the existence or nonexistence of God most likely has a fraudulent belief. Worry can make the belief or unbelief genuine, but it cannot make it correct.-"People who claim certainty about God worry me, both those who believe and those who don't believe. They do not really listen to the other side of conversations, and they are too ready to impose their views on others. It is impossible to be certain about God.-***-"Bertrand Russell was once asked what he would say to God if it turned out there was one and he met him at judgment. Russell's reply: “You gave us insufficient evidence.” Even believers can appreciate Russell's response.God does not make it easy. God, if he exists, is “deus absconditus,” the hidden God. He does not show himself unambiguously to all people, and people disagree about his existence. We should all feel and express humility in the face of the question even if we think the odds are tilted heavily in favor of a particular answer. Indeed, the open-minded search for truth can unite believers and nonbelievers.-***-"This proposal should be taken in the other direction as well: There should be no dogmatic belief. The believer should concede that she does not know with certainty that God exists. There is no faith without doubt. The Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote that faith “is a decision, a judgment that is fully and deliberately taken in the light of a truth that cannot be proven — it is not merely the acceptance of a decision that has been made by somebody else.”-***- "We can and should expand that dialogue to include atheists and agnostics, to recognize our common humanity and to stop seeing one another as enemy combatants in a spiritual or intellectual war. Rather than seeking the security of an answer, perhaps we should collectively celebrate the uncertainty of the question.-"This is not to say that we should cease attempts to convince others of our views. Far from it. We should try to unsettle others as we remain open to being unsettled ourselves. In a spirit of tolerance and intellectual humility, we should see ourselves as partners in a continuing conversation, addressing an enduring question."-Comment: Read it all. I admit I doubt, but I've picked a logical side for me. Let's keep debating, for we will never know the answer by solid evidence alone. God wants it that way as Bertrand Russell notes.