View source for Refutations of the Arguments for the Belief in God

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[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics Apologetics] is the branch of theology devoted to rationalizing religious belief. This is intrinsically difficult, since religious belief is based on faith, which exists independently (and in spite) of evidence. As such, apologists tend to rely on philosophical, metaphysical, and historical arguments. The scholarship of these claims is dubious at best:  anecdotes -- even those of anonymous persons -- are uncritically accepted as data; and historical events and scientific theories are intentionally misrepresented to their advantage. 

Be aware that Christians are notorious for using intentionally undefined terms, so they can [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_the_goalposts move the goalposts] to suit their needs. Getting clergymen to clearly define their terms is necessary for a proper discussion -- and it automatically grants you a quantum of victory, since defining things limits them.  

'''Again, do not argue with the clergyman. Our strategy is based on  malicious cooperation, not confrontation.''' Victory will be determined by the length and fruitlessness of your conversations. Arguing will reveal yourself as a troublemaker, and you will be denied any further opportunity to consume their time, ending your journey. Besides, you can’t directly deconvert a priest; they’re [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost pot-committed]. '''Deconversion and [[The_Church%27s_Weaknesses#Burnout|burnout]] are processes of erosion.''' However, discussing these issues in front of others can aid in their deconversion processes.

Refutations of the 10 most common arguments for believing in God are provided below. This is ''not'' an complete list, but it should be sufficient; most seminarians are not required to study apologetics, and those who do often take a single 3-credit course. There arguments are:

*[[Cosmological Argument|Cosmological (First Mover) Argument]].
*[[Teleological Argument]] (Argument from Design, or "Intelligent Design").
*[[Pascal%27s_Wager|Pascal’s Wager]].
*[[Ontological Argument]].
*[[Argument from Common Consent|Argument from common consent]] (i.e., the bandwagon argument).
*[[There_is_no_Afterlife|The existence of souls and the “spark of life”]].
*[[Argument from the Idea of God|Argument from the idea of God]].
*[[Argument_from_Miracles|Argument from miracles]].
*[[Argument_from_Beauty|Argument from beauty]].
*Belief in God somehow [[Preventing_Totalitarianism|prevents totalitarianism]].
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