While we don't know the specifics of creating life that doesn't mean we never will.

Manned flight was considered impossible about a century ago and in that comparatively short time we have sent men to the moon and back. Human knowledge is increasing at an exponential rate.

Explaining away everything that is yet unknown on the basis of obscure writings and myths from before the Iron Age is no answer.

Quoth PJ, "[atheists] fail to provide any evidence that proves how [unexplained phenomena] naturally occurred".

This seems to speciously require atheists to either instantly give conclusive explanations for every natural phenomenon from the dawn of time onwards OR otherwise accept, on the basis of nothing more than ignorance and complexity, that God must exist.

In other words, "right now we don't know why or how these things happened, so until you can prove what actually happened, we'll just say God did it". This is illogical and nonsense.

As for "[atheists] do believe in miracles", this wrongly conflates the generic meaning of "miracle" -- an extraordinary unexplained thing -- with the religious meaning -- an extraordinary thing that PRESUMES a supernatural or divine cause. Context is key.

Relatedly, I find it ironic how religion apologists try to bag atheism by equating it to religion. It doesn't say much for religion, using it as a basis for comparative ridicule.

Principles never change. Man has free will to believe any thing he wants to and that is why we have so many belief systems ie religion, atheism, evolution, humanism, animalism, tree worship, reincarnation, and anything man can imagine with a fertile imagination. United we stand, divided we fall for where there is unity God commands the blessing. Man has freewill it is our choice what we believe. The truth you know personally sets you free. Until you experience anything for your self you are only believing another's word. Arguments about words is foolishness and does not produce unity. Pride comes before a fall. All men are falliable none are perfect. The same evidence atheists use to disprove God proves his existance depending on the perspective you see life through. Life is about choices and wrong choices lead to wrong destinations. If your life compass is out you do not reach your chosen destination. To fear God is the beginning of wisdom. All principles work for good or evil ie unity brings blessing division brings strife. Choose carefully who you follow for fools jump in where wise men fear to tread.

Richie 10: "The same evidence atheists use to disprove God proves his existance depending on the perspective you see life through."

The evidence I use to disprove God consists of the fact that I have never encountered any empirical evidence whatsoever of God's existence. Would you care to explain how this evidence can be used to prove God exists? Other than to a madman, of course.

Dear Jon,
First everything reproduces after its own kind. Even our bodies are so complex that it has to take intelligent design to put together definitely not random chance. If you study a leaf it is a wonderous complex thing, a freak of nature or a wonderful complex thing of intelligent design. Look at your watch, did it have a creator or was it just a random chance happening. If the world is thousands of millions of years old where are the bones. Your mind, will, and emotions called your soul are set by what you see, hear, feel, taste and so on and are limited to your personal experience all else has to be taken by faith. You still have to chose whether you believe Jesus words or modern philosophers words. Man twists Gods word to control the soul (mind) of others, read ESCAPE by Carolyn Jessop as even in this modern hytech world people still believe the words of men and are still deceived. Penguin books. Jesus came to set the captives free and very few chose freedom so what has changed. He came to his own chosen people and they killed him. Knowledge is power what motivates the one in power determines the result.

JP. I'd like to tackle your assertion that science cannot discover the source of life. The two main theories are: 1) God did it, 2) Life emerged and then evolved via purely natural (i. Cause and effect) processes.
The God theory is notorious for not producing any useful predictions at all: none. By contrast the natural theory has produced literally thousands of testable predictions...every one of which has been confirmed. (Not one piece of evidence has contradicted evolution, despite the assertions of the ignorant).
By studying the details of nature at very detailed levels we have discovered quite a lot about how it works...and no sane person would attribute life to an "intelligent" designer! If there was a "designer" then they are clearly insane or incompetent. (or horribly cruel)
As for the ultimate "starting point". Yes, we know how that could be done. Trouble is we know of too many possibilities, so the hunt continues for the evidence that could pin down which is most likely. "Proof" only exists in mathematics, science proceeds by problem solving and putting theories up for competition and to see if they survive evidence gained from experiment or research.
The maintenance of the "intelligent designer" theory requires one to ignore all the evidence that modern science has obtained, hence the accusation that religious folks are "ignorant". This is not a name calling exercise, nor political branding, just a factual description of the mindset required to maintain obscure 2000 year old dogmas.
I'd give religion a break if they a) Stopped indoctrinating children to hate other worldviews. b) Stopped campaigning to undermine solid science like evolution using tactics that Big Tobacco used. c) Stopped being patsies for the war mongers who play on "we are holy, they are evil" to justify economic warfare. d) Held their leaders to account. If you want to pretend to represent the Most Holy, then one should at least expect a basic sense of morality to be applied. Protecting paedophilia for decades (centuries) in a world-wide systematic way is ignorance taken *way* too far!