Think about why you hold your religious beliefs. List out the kinds of evidence.
- Personal experience: Muslims and Christians both point to personal experience as proof of their religions. Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive. Therefore, although some personal experiences may be true, we cannot use them as evidence for validity of belief.
- Literature: If being published written with the claim of validity were proof of truth, then the Koran, the Bible, and the book of Mormon would all be true. Since they are mutually exclusive, we need a better standard. In academia, that standard is being published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Remove everything that has not been published or supported in a peer-reviewed academic journal.
- Personal accounts of others: If written, see Literature. Otherwise, we have no way of holding people accountable for what they say. Therefore, we cannot base our beliefs on them.
Now look at the evidence you have left. Does it still convince you that your beliefs are true? If so, please describe your beliefs and share your evidence. Be sure to cite all sources.
