There are two arguments that are repeatedly cited by believers of all flavours here at EvC. These are: "You cannot disprove the existence of god" and "Many have had subjective experiences that cannot be explained by science alone". In this thread I want to ask three questions.
1) What form do these experiences take? I am not asking anyone to reveal the intimate dealings that they have with their chosen deity. I am simply asking what the broad nature of these experiences consists of. Visions? Voices? Feelings of euphoria? Feelings of enlightenment? What?
2) What causes these experiences? Are these experiences best explained by the existence and interaction with the supernatural? Or are there better evidenced explanations for this phenomenon?
And my third question requires the following comparison:
Do I need to disprove the notion that the heat and light emitted by the light-bulb in my desk lamp is caused by a miniature ethereal salamander living inside the bulb before I can legitimately conclude that electrical resistance in a tungsten filament is a more likely cause? No. (let me know if this is too much of an assumption on my part)
Do I need to disprove the existence of god before I can legitimately conclude that aspects of human psychology and culture are more likely to be the cause of religious experiences than the existence of (and human interaction with) supernatural immaterial entities? Apparently so (based on numerous conversations in numerous other threads).
My third and final question is - Why?
3) Why must I disprove the existence of god before I can conclude that other explanations for religious expereinces are better evidenced, superior and more likely to be correct?
Edited by Straggler, : No reason given.
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