[alexander_busek]

It is impossible to deny God without first wanting to deny him. There has never, in all of academic or common history, been a denial of God derived from pure practical reasoning. It always comes from a desire to deny him.

When someone comes to me and proclaims,

"God exists! And Creation is in a Fallen State because etc... and Natural disasters are a result of our sinful nature and... Free Will would be impossible without the possibility of choosing Sin and... So you see, if a baby isn't immediately baptized before it dies, then it will suffer for all Eternity... Well, there's this place called 'Limbo' where... No, Consubstantiation is Heresy! ...And then the Indians, who were actually Lamanites... So if you wear these magic underwear..."

My first response will be: "Oh, really? That's interesting! What proof do you have? What arguments can you marshal?

You are unfairly (ingenuously?) equating that with denial.

Asking for proof/evidence is a perfectly legitimate precursor to employing ones powers of reasoning!

Regards,

[reasonisfaith]

“Asking for proof/evidence is a perfectly legitimate precursor to employing ones powers of reasoning!”

Yes, that sounds right.

But only when we acknowledge the limits of proof.

For example, can you prove to me, or to yourself, that what you see in front of you is not a hallucination?