Why we need faith...
I'm going to address faith here, as opposed to one particular interpretation of a higher power. The premise of this website, and this board is not to “respond rationally” but to completely denounce any and all metaphysical positions that do not subscribe to a material reductionist approach. This position leaves no room for “faith” of any kind and alienates over ninety percent of the people on earth. I've heard people call believers of any kind “delusional” “stupid” “irrational” etc. These assertions not only insult the vast majority of human beings inhabiting the planet, they disparage and minimize the contributions of history's greatest leaders. If you can't respect someone who believes in God or Gods then how can you respect Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Socrates, Aristotle, Descartes, Avicenna, and most of earth's greatest heroes?
Beyond that lies the point that for some reason whether you believe its evolution or the hand of God, every culture on earth has devised some form of spirituality. Not all believe in personal gods or even just one soul, but all believe in something. For them its not a delusion, or a fallacy, it is a very real and profound experience. Its guides their lives, gives them meaning, and provides a sense that beyond the bitter realities of life their lies hope.
Why spend hours compiling evidence to disprove something that by its very nature is unfalsifiable? It is impossible to disprove something which is considered immaterial using by observing material reality.
Science is not the absolute final word, because we do not have total information about all of existence. Until that day, all we have is an approximation based on what we've observed until now. In this way you can legitimately have an Atheist and Theist position because neither has the final word.
The premise by which many decry theism is that its irrational and ignorant of what “we know”. But I ask what part of human existence as a whole is completely rational? Why do people drink, and smoke if it harms their body? Why do people jump of airplanes when they could die? We do irrational things all the time, its part of being human. We do these irrational things, and hold these irrational beliefs because they make life interesting, they make it exciting. For most people a detailed knowledge of the physical world is not enough to stand in awe of nature, to sacrifice all, to love.. They need to believe it all means something, that our actions are not in vain, and that the trails of our ancestors are worth remembering.
Some might say; “so what if it doesn't all mean something, deal with it”. If you want to live in a meaningless universe then go ahead, but don't act surprised when the rest of the world doesn't follow you into nihilism. Because at the end of the day if everything is random mathematical chance, why stand for anything, why even argue with anyone about the existence of God? Humanity can be wiped out and everything we've ever done is gone, it never meant anything. Everything that you are, all that you did, every hope and dream you ever had becomes nothing but a series of physical forces that at some point in time interacted for no reason whatsoever.
Of course if you are comfortable with this be my guest, but then I wouldn't expect you to keep posting here, or try in any significant way to make a difference in the world. Unless you too are delusional, and you too have some kind of faith, maybe not in a particular deity, but at least in your own dignity as a human being. If this is the case welcome to the club.