Dawkins [basically] Admits Nothing Can Persuade Him God Exists
Yet atheism is itself is a position that requires much faith. Meaning that an exceedingly vast, well-ordered, systematic universe, finely tuned for extensive earthly life with its exquisite diversity and astounding complexity, came to be by purely natural powers, without a supreme intelligence behind it. Which indeed requires much faith.
And "proof" depends upon the definition of the term. “Proof” can mean having sufficient warrant for a verdict, and much can be offered for the existence of at least a supreme intelligence, a creator and designer[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] - which logically would infer omnipotence and omnipotence - as well as substantive testimony for the God of the Bible being that Creator, including working in the lives of believers today. [14]
Footnotes
I doubt one could be ‘proven’ to a ‘believer’!
The assumption here is that the purpose of miracles is to convert unbelievers.
But let’s ask the question behind this.
What does God say is the purpose of miracles?
Most of the time Jesus says, let’s keep this between you and me.
That is not to say that there are not public miracles. But again, be careful. What is the purpose of those according to God.
One of the most interesting verses to me is:
Luk 2:19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
There was a very personal aspect to Mary’s miracle. But when personal miracles become public, they can be subject to much nefarious activity and misinterpretation.
Please note I am not against going public with miracles but note the dangers.
. But is there any evidence that would persuade a nonbeliever that God was behind it — that we do not live in a closed system in which all causation is a matter of natural laws?
No.
...but I have had success shutting them up.
They say they don’t believe and can’t understand why other’s do.
I ask them if they have ever tried to believe. Do an experiment. Apply the scientific method.
They lock up. So superior in every way, yet they can’t explain their lack of effort.
I guess it’s just funner to believe you’re better than everyone else, than actually hook yourself up to a d’arsenal movement and find out.
Do they have before and after photos, where the scarred cornea became clear, or the cataracts disappeared? That would be a miracle.
Indeed, remember Christ cured a lot of blind people, but the only blind person that impressed everyone was the man who was born blind...even back then, they were aware that ordinary miracles happened all the time, at pagan shrines or by charlatans, but a man who was born blind was a big miracle.
Most miracles I have seen could be attributed to coincidence or a rare natural cure. I have no problem with this: God works through coincidences. For example, an Indian lady awoke from a two year coma the week after her family held a novena asking God to cure her. But the doctors said it was because she had received a medicine to prevent influenza, that they just happened to give her that week.
When I worked in Africa, sometimes I had to leave for vacation or meetings: the sisters assured me that God knew I was away, so if something happened it was his will.
And sometimes we'd have a medical emergency five minutes after I came back, or five minutes before I was scheduled to leave, and the one patient who died during transfer had a condition that would have been fatal even if I was there.
so were these things coincidence, or just God doing little miracles?