MSN.com presented a slideshow giving “20 ‘Legitimate’ Reasons Why Some People Just Can’t Get on Board with the Existence of God”. Here are rebuttals for each one. But before presenting these a few preliminary observations are in order.

Skepticism and doubt are necessary for everyone because we are all taught many things in the course of our lives that are dubious, at best, if not outright wrong. But skepticism should be a means to the end of finding what is true. That is, to finding what stands up to critical scrutiny. It should not be an end in itself.

To be an agnostic literally means admitting that you don’t know. But this does not mean that you CAN’T know. That does not follow logically. So you should be willing to do what you can to come to know whether or not God exists. And there are many reasons why you will conclude that God does exist if you honestly seek to know this, especially because God made you to know.

Furthermore, to come to the atheist conclusion (That is, to conclude that God does NOT exist.) is actually a self-contradiction. For it actually presupposes the knowledge of The One Who is claimed not to exist! So, without further ado, on to the rebuttals.

1. Scientific rationality → Denial of God is NOT scientific. It is an anti-theistic philosophical bias. And that Science works is inexplicable without a God Who created the universe and the laws that govern it and Who created us with minds that are capable of understanding these. Furthermore, Science can’t tell you who you are. It can only tell you how YOUR BODY and the rest of the physical universe works. But you are NOT only a body. Rather, you are a mind (or soul) WITH a body. Just to use the expression “my body” reveals the truth of metaphysical Dualism. You have 2 sides: you and your body.

2. Existence of multiple religions → These exist because the natural-born tendency for all of us is to deny our Creator and to try to get along in life without a relationship with God, unless God helps us to overcome this. So humans have created 1000’s of ways to substitute for dealing with our Creator. Religions (including today’s dominant de facto religion: anti-Christian Secular Humanism) develop when people with the same preferred alternatives come together.

3. Unresolved evil & suffering → Evil is arbitrary or just meaningless without God. It’s arbitrary (that is, mere opinion) if there is no Final Authority (higher than anyone else) for what is good & evil. And it’s meaningless if we are just material beings governed by mindless forces and quantum fluctuations.

4. Influence of atheist thinkers → Don’t be influenced by liars! Anyone who claims to know that God doesn’t exist is a liar!

5. Lack of religious understanding → We are all born with all that we need to have a relationship with God. One just needs to be willing to have this. And this relationship is the key to understanding everything else.

6. Personal trauma → The only reason that this has meaning is because good & evil are real. And this is only because God exists.

7. Lack of personal experience → Anyone can have the experience of beginning a relationship with God whenever you are willing to begin this.

8. Religious hypocrisy → Not being consistent with God’s or one’s own standards is humans’ fault, not God’s. And Jesus blasted hypocrites repeatedly in the Gospel accounts.

9. The nature of questions → God welcomes all of your questions & has answers to all of them. But you must be willing to accept God’s answers even if you don’t fully understand them because you’re finite & flawed.

10. Contradictions in religious texts → Not in the Bible. No one has ever proven an inescapable contradiction in the Bible. There are always at least possible explanations that avoid contradictions.

11. Dogmatic beliefs → We are all dogmatic about our most basic beliefs. This is actually necessary, as no one can function in life if we are constantly questioning these. But the real question is: Do your beliefs hold up and work in your life? And no one is more dogmatic & intolerant than woke, anti-Christian Leftists!

12. Negative religious experiences → As with #8, this is not God’s fault!

13. Influence of Secularism → Think for yourselves! Question what you have been taught in your education and by your culture. Don’t be “sheeple”!

14. Moral disagreements with religious teachings → You are only moral because a moral God made you this way. So trying to turn your God-given moral sense against God is a guaranteed losing play.

15. The silence of God → God is NOT silent! He calls to all of us in the thoughts of our minds. But we are naturally-disposed to screen out His call. But if you let God help you overcome this then you will begin to see the evidence for God and His goodness & love everywhere.

16. Fear of conformity → Fear of NON-conformity actually keeps most today from questioning what you have been taught and truly becoming open to God.

17. Unanswered prayers → God answers all sincere prayers. But the answer is often “No”. In such cases, the question is: Who knows best what you need: You or your Creator?

18. Historical atrocities committed in the name of religion → As with #3, #8 & #12, not God’s fault!

19. Non-religious upbringing → All the more reason why you should be open to what Christians believe and why; and, more importantly, open to letting God show Himself to you and become your Father, with Jesus Christ as your Savior & Lord and the Holy Spirit as your constant Companion, Comforter & Counselor.

20. Questions of human suffering → See the answer to #6.

https://www.msn.com/…/20-legitimate…/ss-AA1gXRsK…