What do you say to anti-theists on the formation of the universe?

[Oompa Loompa]

If they do have faith I don't see any reason why they should respond to your challenge.

If they are christ followers and believe the Bible is authoritative, following Peter's instructions is reason enough.

 

[BCP1928]

If they are christ followers and believe the Bible is authoritative, following Peter's instructions is reason enough.

It appears you are conflating reasonable with rational.

 

[partinobodycular]

If they do, I would challenge them to do their own research and find a reason for THEIR faith.

But that seems extremely disingenuous to me. To have an honest and forthright answer, and then be asked to go find a rational one instead, as if the honest answer wasn't good enough.

The first one seems like the truth, while the second one simply seems like an excuse, made up to save face, but not to actually convince anyone but the choir.

I don't have a problem with the bible asking believers to be ready to give an answer for their faith, I just wish that they'd have the integrity to give an honest answer, and not simply a nominally defensible excuse.

 

[Fervent]

What's with the "believe you don't believe" business? Can you not just accept that people genuinely don't believe. I don't "believe" I don't believe in your god any more, I know that I don't believe in it anymore.

The lady doth protest too much.

A false dichotomy. There are other options, if you actually listened to these atheists you say you have conversations with, you'd realize that they genuinely don't believe.

Nope. The choice is to either believe God or believe human beings. And once the excuses are stripped away the truth comes out more often than not.

I choose neither, and your assumptions about me are your problem, not mine.

They're not a problem at all.

 

[Fervent]

So if it's about a conflict of worldviews then the issue is not relevant to this forum at all, any more than the issue of whether God exists or not.

Worldviews alter how we interpret evidence, and on a Christian forum science board those worldview conflicts are relevant due to the hidden assumptions and the sleight of hand from the study of phenomena to ontology. Pretending that science is some idealized method free from bias and metaphysical issues does nothing but create a false privilege for a particular worldview. Or is how science is interpreted not relevant to a science board?

 

[Oompa Loompa]

But that seems extremely disingenuous to me. To have an honest and forthright answer, and then be asked to go find a rational one instead, as if the honest answer wasn't good enough.

The first one seems like the truth, while the second one simply seems like an excuse, made up to save face, but not to actually convince anyone but the choir.

I don't have a problem with the bible asking believers to be ready to give an answer for their faith, I just wish that they'd have the integrity to give an honest answer, and not simply a nominally defensible excuse.

Are you a theist?