1. Atheists are just as dogmatic as theists, and the only reasonable person is an agnostic.

Comment #106332 by sstrang on January 2, 2008 at 5:07 pm

I think in many cases, people say they are agnostic because of social conditioning. On the one hand, they question the existence of God and they are driven by logic. On the other hand, their family and/or society has taught them that God IS real, and that those who question the existence of God are damned for eternity.

The fear and guilt of not believing prevents some people, in my opinion, from completely making the transition to atheism. Some people also find it too hard to bear, going through life knowing there is no God to turn to...this leads some people to choose to believe in God, if only for a sense of comfort and structure in a world that is hectic and unordered.

2. People who've experienced God KNOW that God exists

Comment #106329 by sstrang on January 2, 2008 at 5:02 pm

When one says they "know" God exists because they "experienced" God, it begs the question: what exactly did you experience? Did God speak to you directly? Did God show you a clear image of himself?

What exactly did you experience and how do you know you experienced it?