My respectful question is how can anyone believe in a mythical being?
If we are truly being logical, then we must first correct your question. For the definition of Mythical is "fictitious". And for that, I can only answer, IDK, I'm not of someone who believes in a fictitious or other mythical being. Your question is better stated (and correct me if I'm wrong) "My respectful question is how can anyone believe in a SUPERNATURAL being?" To that is a much more logical approach can be made.
DA doesn't seem to see logic from a sense of a process in and of itself. He seems to limit Logic to Science. Science is simply the things that can be proven using the Scientific model. One of its weaknesses being it is difficult if not impossible to prove that which you cannot see or sense using instrumentation. He is right in that God (Allah, there is only one... Stick to the Islamic format in Islamic boards DA
) is outside the bounds of our existence. He is the creator of this existence and therefore cannot be defined inside or limited and tested against any other model (all things that must be done to "prove" something).
Whether Christian, Muslim or indeed a Jedi Knight, explain your beliefs in a logical, scientific way without using the word faith.
DIfficult I understand but quite important to a 21st century population.
I want to separate these further for 1 reason. It is a difficult venture. Not impossible, again disagreeing with DA, but one must first make a few assumptions. And because of these assumptions, it is equally logically possible to have other outcomes of equal possibility. These assumptions can be made several ways, both logically or pure assumptions of (yes here it is) faith. To explain the existence of a God, we must first assume that there is a beginning to our existence. This can be theorized, assumed, derived, or any other number of things, but the essence is it is an assumption one must make in determining a "logical" approach. Once one accepts that there is a beginning to our existence, it is impossible to assume that it was not created. A Creation, however, needs a creator. Pure chance is illogical, even if we go with an ever existing universe (or multiverse). Chance leads to too many things needing to be exactly right in their "Oops" factor (IMHO of course). Once we have the assumption of a created universe, Logic would dictate that it is only possible to have 1 God (at minimum 1 main God, for purposes of IF discussion). The Question then becomes which one. From there we go to texts, A text that is dictated from God, would not have any errors, errors that can be proven false through science, math, etc. It would also show that the Author knows more about the world than the person who is receiving it, in a way only the creator could. The revelation would have to stand the test of time, With more discoveries the text couldn't change but still be accurate.
Now from our literary sources, I could point out a few hundred points that the writer of the Quran "guessed right" on. Truths such as the atmospheric levels, permanent barriers between fresh and saltwater, root of mountains, core of earth is metal, the earth is round, All life began in the water, the look of a baby in development in a mother's womb, etc. Above that, Proofs in the literary aspects of The Quran could be shown. Further exacerbated critics of this will find it difficult to explain the levels of poetry which is even more difficult to believe given the time in which it was revealed and the way it was. The fact that today you can take a reciter, and one of the oldest copies still in existence, and the words remain unchanged. Not only that but have Thousands of people who can accomplish that task. These proofs aren't ever going to prove without any doubt that there is or is not. But they do seem to point to a person or group much more advanced than people of 7th century Arabia. So millions upon millions of people have analyzed and scrutinized the workings of the Quran, and none have been able to disprove any of it's claims. Those that claim to (such as David Wood) are almost always swiftly answered with amateur scholars proving his claims wrong. It is also something to be said that more people convert into Islam from Atheism than into any other religion.
All in all I cannot "prove" that God exists, but I can prove it is a Logical Possibility, of equal possibility to there not being one. The scales are only tipped one way or the other by the "proofs" one accepts, and limits one puts on his beliefs.
