This is in response to Plantinga's type of ontological argument. I ran into one today on Facebook. If I grant that a necessary being is possible then God cannot not exist and the Christian theist wins the day, it seems. So here's a challenge. I guess I like issuing them. ;-)
Show me why the universe is not a necessary being. I'm not sure you can rule that out as quickly as you think. Philosophical arguments are okay. Only the hard evidence matters. The universe is nothing like anyone would expect prior to Darwin, Einstein or quantum mechanics. So why would we think a philosophical argument prior to the available evidence should hold any weight at all?
Here is the recent Democratic primary debate if you missed it. I'll confess all candidates did very well. But we need a political revolution and Bernie is the man!
{Edit: The debate is no longer available].
Christians must deny or denigrate science at some point to believe, but that doesn't bother them a bit. It's because they feel free to deny or denigrate the science that shows them wrong. How do they do it? Sean Carroll described six arguments used by science denialists that are right on the money!
The six arguments used by science denialists aim to:
1) Cast doubt on science.
2) Question the motives and integrity of scientists.
3) Magnify disagreements between scientists, especially to cite gadflies as authorities.
4) Exaggerate the potential harm coming from science.
5) Appeal to the need and value of personal freedom.
6) Object that accepting science repudiates some key point of philosophy.
Carroll argued the last one is very important. Evidence only matters to people who haven't dug in on that last point.
Kenneth is a Christian who comments here. After reading his stuff I'd like to challenge him with an open letter. It may seem harsh, but he's been here a while and he can handle it:
I think the most often repeated complaint against me is that I'm thin-skinned, that I don't respond to criticism very well. Whew! That's a relief. At least I'm not being accused of jaywalking too! Jaywalking? Ahhh yes, I think I have done that on occasion. The undeniable fact is that we all have personality flaws. What's yours? No, really, WHAT'S YOURS? Biblical advice might be useful here: "How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" And this: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." It would seem as though my critics want me to be more like them. But if I were more like them then I would have their faults rather then mine, since we all have faults. Sorry, I like my faults better than theirs, thank you very much! Despite mine I'm a really good person. Still, let me tell you how to deal with that so-called "infamous Loftus ego." ;-)
Lance Laven is a former minister and Clergy Project member. Using a limited number of words he rationally describes his deconversion. What I like best is that he's being honest in his conception of God. This conception led him to subsequently question the amount of people who would end up in hell, which in turn led him away from his faith. Christians who believe that the Ontological Argument leads to God's existence are in dishonest delusional denial. They should conceive of God in the same way Laven did if they are honest. Instead, they sneak in their own theology when conceiving their God, a theology they could never entertain independently of all sense perceptions, or before experiencing this particular world, or a priori. The God they conceive is a different God than what they are rationally entitled to conceive, if they used the ontological argument correctly. Enough from me. His words are eminently simple and brilliant. Simple is good!