If I had $1 for every time God bailed me out..
It isn't necessary to prove God exists to anyone...attempting that would be too arrogant. However, I will take this discussion in another direction...since it isn't clear what you and kix where arguing about.
I never claimed to be capable of disproving God. I merely contended that there is not enough evidence, nor a valid deductive argument, for his existence. Nor was my claim that God was irrational, but that there is no apparently logical necessity for him to exist.
No, I am not a determinist, though soft-determinism isn't completely that far out there. There simply isn't any evidence that we are completely without control over our own actions.
Remember when I mentioned that randomness and the God discussion are somewhat connected. Well this is where I make that connection. For some theists...
If you can prove that the Universe is random or that true randomness is possible...you would have successfully proven Gods nonexistence without a doubt. Because if the Universe was a standalone variable that manifested on it's on, with whatever means, and acted without cause it wouldn't need a rational source to govern it. It would be self sufficient.
The flaw with this is that determinism and randomness cannot coexist...because one would supersede the other. If events could happen without cause, they would meet the random criteria, however to meet the deterministic criteria they would have to influence their surroundings...and thus causing imbalances to that particular system. My brain isn't really capable of understanding a true chaotic universe, since it’s outside my design...so I will move on.
Free will.
To act completely, with in accordance to your own will. I don't know what this word means to you...but to prove free will exists, you have to prove that thought is something created by you, and not a complex system part of the universe. And then the question would be, “What exactly is I?” Usually we think our identity to be our thoughts...but even these are parts of the Universe. See in a deterministic Universe everything is accounted for, everything is a part of the equation, nothing is separate or random. So even the idea of God whether it's logical or not is still accounted for. I would understand if you would say we have limited free will, but we're not completely free. Tomorrow you will probably eat something for lunch, but maybe it will be in a restaurant, where you might meet someone interesting and he/she might change your life completely. That isn't free will, it is determinism.
The only definition of God that matters to me.
The best way to describe the infinite is with a boundless sphere. In eastern theology...God is described as a composition of light and sound. And exists in a state of energy...referred to as spirit form in the west. All existence exists within God, in layers. This universe is one sphere composed of dark matter out of multiple other universes and omniverses. So the rules here don’t necessary have to be consistent with another system's rules.
So enlightenment isn't the realization of God's existence...enlightenment is the realization that I am not separate from my surroundings. I am related to everything around me and have positive or negative influences to these surroundings. Enlightenment is when man realizes he is God...it isn't animals or birds that call themselves theists or atheists...it is humans.
The human being is such a powerful entity that even the Universe has a tough time trying to balance him and contain and limit him. If anything is random or chaotic it is human beings. So to explain himself, a theists assumes a part of the Universe that can account for his attributes, because he feels in some way or another that his design supersedes the Universe he sees currently.
