I think I'm as open minded as any theist... what kind of evidence would it take for the average theist to believe in a magical being they don't currently believe in-- say, gremlins? Or Xenu? Or that someone on earth is the reincarnated soul of Buddha? What would it take for the average theist to accept the tenets of Scientology? I think it would take that sort of evidence for me to believe in their invisible undetectable gods, angels, demons, ghosts, and so forth. Or maybe it would take more... since I don't buy into the notion that faith and feelings are the way to know anything objectively true. Why would a believer think an atheist should expect anything less than they'd demand for themselves before buying into a supernatural claim?
If the evidence isn't available for scientists to test, hone, and expand upon, then why should I believe that some guru or holy book or preacher man has accessed it?
I'm open to evidence for gods, but they would need to be distinguishable from mythological gods since humans are known to fool themselves and plug in magical explanations to elevate their own self importance and explain that which they don't understand, right? I've outgrown magical thinking, and I'm not really in the mood for fooling myself.
I'd rather not know something than believe a lie.
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