Fair point, flying unicorns: at present i don't believe in them. If someone brought one to me and let me examine it so that i could assume beyond reasonable doubt that it wasn't a hoax or illusion then yeah, i'm not ruling it out. Unicorns are a bit too fairytale for my liking, whereas there is a significant portion of the world who believe in god.
I'd prefer to draw a parallel between god and ghosts or extra terrestrials etc. I've never been presented with enough evidence in either direction to sway my decision. If i ever am, i'll make the decision of whether i believe in any of these or not.
I think you're reasoning correctly, but I don't think you have to end at an "agnostic" conclusion (which to me is like "weak atheism"). As an atheist, I never stated that I am unwilling to hear new evidence, nor should I be unwilling. Also remember, more people believing in a delusion does not make the delusion more valid. There is as much evidence supporting gods as there is magical flying unicorns... none... just guesses and "feelings".
I don't disagree that god is supported by the whim of delusional people rather than evidence, but there is no evidence that categorically rules out the existence or a higher power either. Yes atheism is more logical than religion, but we can't be sure can we?
These are good questions, but you have to remember... there has been absolutely no evidence presented which can be scientifically tested and whos result can be repeated consistently, that supports the theory of a supernatural world of any kind.
The statement "God exists" is a logical contradiction because it states "that which does not exist, exists". Let me explain...
Existance: An objective material presence (matter/energy) or objectively measurable effects of that material presence (gravity).
A complete absense of an objective material presence or its associated effects is the
definition of
non-existence. So when people say "God exists", they are actually saying "that which has never been detected, exists." If something has never been detected, it perfectly fits the
definition of non-existence. Therefore the statement "God exists" can be restated, "that which does not exist, exists".
Equally, i find it hard to believe that in the entire universe we humans on earth are the only living, sentient beings. So i'm waiting til there's actually something that i can base an opinion on, more than just hearsay.
Because life has been demonstrated and proven here on earth, it is not irrational to acknowledge the possibility of life on other planets within our universe, given the right conditions. The supernatural has never been proven, thus to even claim the possibility of a supernatural god is an irrational proposition in the same way you do not claim the possibility of supernatural unicorns.
