I always liked the following argument:

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1. God is a marvellous thing that functions like an immensely complicated wind-up watch.

2. The existence of an immensely complicated wind-up watch implies the existence of a watchmaker.

3. Logically, therefore, God must have been created by some sort of maker of immensely complicated wind-up watches.
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Given that the only maker of immensely complicated wind-up watches that I can think of is homo sapiens, I must conclude that God was very probably created by homo sapiens.

Good argument Ian.

I guess god is the god we had to have. (apologies to Paul Keating)

;)

The operative phrase is "monoply on truth". Atheists desperately want the public to believe that Atheists have a monopoly on truth. The reason for this is so they can impose their morality - or lack of it, on the public by force. And the morality they want to impose is sexual irresponsibility - usually homosexuality. Mostly Atheists are homosexual, but occasionally they are bisexual, but irresponsibility is the whole of their Law - abortion at the drop of a hat, etc. They have no interest in God - do not want to know. All they want is hot sex! Keith

Not that Kthrex is paranoid or anything.....

Thanks Keith I had a good laugh. Admittedly at your expense, but hey I take my laughs where I can. BTW I'm het, male and atheist and not remotely interested in your sex life and what you do with it.

Ben-peter's article is a very puerile attempt to discredit atheism - why? Does atheism interfere with his lifestyle?

Ian,
If you believe are a wind up clock then your argument would make some sense. Since you are a wound up clock, I ask why are you wound up? However I have not seen a wind up clock that is self winding and can reason and change directions at will. If you believe the universe is just energy winding down. I ask where did the energy originate and where is it going?

Philo,

My argument suggests that god is a like a wind-up watch, not that I am. I realise that humans are more complex than wind-up watches.

If we can't cope with a universe of inexplicable origin, then how does it help to posit a god of inexplicable origin? And if we can accept a god that came from nothing or that simply "always was", then why not accept a universe that came from nothing or that simply "always was"?

Inventing gods (one or more: makes no real difference) does not resolve anything: it just denies our ignorance by pushing the problem one step further away.