----- Original Message -----
Subject: [General Question] Query from a confused, soft-hearted skeptic

> Jehu sent a message using the contact form at
> http://www.rationalresponders.com/contact.
>
> I just finished watching your debate against Comfort and Cameron on
> youtube, and I'm very impressed at the composure Brian and Kelly were able
> to keep throughout (I found myself feeling overly rowdy without anyone to
> yell at.) Afterwards, I visited and perused your site for the first time,
> in which the "Am I Agnostic of Atheist" link caught my eye. Reading it
> provided me at first with relief, but then with confusion, and I was
> hoping I could get some sort of answer or idea from you on a couple
> questions I would like to ask.
>
> I am most certainly a skeptic. I have never truly believed in any god,
> but I'm not willing to rule it out either. I know that this position of
> doubt immediately puts me under the atheist category. Yet, I don't feel I
> can call myself a real atheist because I have a peculiar belief. I
> personally some reason for the existence of the universe. This isn't to
> say I don't believe in the big bang, I have no real doubt about it.
> However, I'm still curious about what created those original particles
> that caused it. For simplicity's sake, I just assume that some sort of
> supreme being put them there for fun, and that's enough to give me piece
> of mind on that issue. Yet I still have some trouble.
>
> I choose this surrogate creator idea even though I know there is no reason
> for it. At the same time, there's no explanation for the very beginning of
> the universe either. Though we may eventually find out how everything got
> here, I honestly doubt we will ever develop the methods to do so. Because
> of this, I go on to make the assumption that even if not by some god, there
> is no other rational explanation for the beginning of existence, and
> therefore every single bit of information we extract from the world around
> us is based in the same unsolvable mysteries creation myths come from.
>
> So, my questions are these: Is the belief that the big bang "just
> happened" any more defensible than believing in some creator? How would
> you respond to the claim that a creator could exist outside of reason,
> though admittedly completely unproven? And lastly, given that I am fond
> of some sort of creator that I know I cannot rationally defend, would I
> really be considered an atheist, or agnostic?
>
> If indeed someone does address this e-mail, thank you for taking the time
> to read it, and I hope to hear back from you with whatever feedback you
> may have.