You know, I am not unsympathetic to people, their problems, and their solutions. I have read most of this thread and became uncomfortable. It's like a church or something.
Anyway, it's compelling for me to make this comparison, but want to preface it with my feeling that somehow atheists or even non-religious people feel, probably because in most areas they're a minority, they have to worry about offending the believer or somehow harming their faith.
I reject that feeling and if a person's faith is harmed by someone not accepting it, then it wasn't much to begin with. Why should it harm you if I hold an opinion different from yours? Or if I reject your beliefs?
I think of faith and personal experiences as being like Dumbo's feather. Dumbo could fly, but believed he had to have the feather. Now when another elephant may have come along and flew perfectly well without a feather, then it kind of seems obvious that Dumbo's feather is redundant and Dumbo is doing everything on his own power.
Now as to faith helping a person out in life, it probably does, just like the feather. However, there are lots of people that are getting along (flying, if you will) just fine without faith or supernatural help and are doing it on their own power.
It would also seem to be like saying there's an invisible pink unicorn that lives in my closet. You can't see it or any other way test for it or prove it's there, but believe me, it exists. I've prayed to it and my life has improved so much because of it. I know it's there. It helps and guides me every day.
For people who have had a very difficult time in life, such as an alcoholic or addict, the belief that they have supernatural help has probably helped them overcome their addiction (but it doesn't mean it's the only way or even the best way). Just as Dumbo needed the feather because he didn't believe he could do it and wouldn't have been able to do it. But that does not prove the existence of a supernatural invisible creator.
I'm not sorry to state my opinion. I didn't go into your church and try to berate your faith. But this is a public discussion board and there is more than one side to an exceptionally strong statement as this title is: God does exist. One can assert anything, but don't expect me to buy into it on the basis of personal anecdotes.
As far as belittling the idea that proof of a scientific kind is necessary, I reject that also. Who would want to take medicine or be in a plane or many other things that have not been proven by a scientific method?
It seems that many religious people are dogmatic and definite about an unproveable statement. I know that atheists can be that way too, but at least they aren't proposing a supernatural being. Really, they're just saying they don't believe it. Anymore than the magic feather or the pink unicorn in your closet.
And that's pretty much my opinion. Thanks for listening to anyone that did.
Pat
