All of that is irrelevant to the question. YOU get to say “God is eternal” and that’s supposed to be the end of the debate. You don’t think anybody else gets to say “The universe is eternal” without debate so that’s special pleading.
The principle of cause and effect and whether or not the universe had a beginning or whether it is eternal, and whether the universe is caused or not is irrelevant to the debate?? What kind of 'debate' is this? What is the topic of this thread, anyway?
YOU get to say “God is eternal” and that’s supposed to be the end of the debate. You don’t think anybody else gets to say “The universe is eternal” without debate so that’s special pleading.
YOU want to exclude God from the outset, before the debate even begins on the 'grounds' that God is "unscientific" (by which I presume you mean, "not a materialistic explanation") thus rigging the outcome. What kind of 'debate' is that? If it can be shown that it is impossible for the universe to serve as a sufficient reason for the existence of the universe because the universe is not eternal, then the universe cannot be a necessary, uncaused first cause. And as Sherlock Holmes put it, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
That's why I asked you if the universe had a beginning and if so, was the beginning caused or uncaused, and if uncaused, why doesn't just any and everything come to exist uncaused?
You declined to attempt answer these questions, which of course is your prerogative, but your excercise of that prerogative cuts the legs out from your accusations of debate stoppers and special pleading.
Cordially,