I Love Spiritual Subjects

@SimplyTracie

I've found evidence in many different places, but one of the most accurate ways that I have found is to take two opposing authorities on a subject, and pay attention to what they agree on. Most times, when a mainstream authority and a Christian (or other opposing) authority agree on a point, it's usually a safe bet that the one point that they both agree on is true.

Another helpful tactic that I've learned is watching a debate between two sides. When someone has a belief that they are unwilling to part with, they have three options in a debate:
1.) Defend their belief with logic, reason, and evidence.
2.) Make something up or quote a source that may or may not be reliable
3.) Stay silent and ignore the challenge.

If they answer with supporting evidence, it's time to shift attention to the opposite side of the debate, to see if they are still able to defend their point.

If they make something up or quote an unreliable source, their opinion is no longer qualified because they are biased, even in spite of contrary evidence.

If they refuse to acknowledge the challenge, they are biased or they have no supporting evidence to defend their point.

I've learned to follow debates until one side fails to answer questions properly. This is usually an indication of who is wrong or right. It's even more accurate when you have whole scientific communities on both sides, because each side is pooling their intellect and research to answer the opposing questions.

It's also important to remember that nothing can be conclusively proven or disproven. All beliefs of all kinds require faith in something. Even to believe that you have a body requires placing faith in your senses, and trust that they are not being deceived. But you can't prove it 100% because the possibility that you are wrong exists, however unlikely. The most important thing to look for in arguments is mathematical probability.

There comes a point in many debates when both sides end in a stalemate because neither one can ultimately prove or disprove each other's points. A wise debater will try to calculate which point has the highest probability. The formula for calculating probability is fairly simple to learn and use, and it's helped me out several times.

Sorry that this post was so long, and I realize that it is a very generic answer to your question. Was there a category from my original post that you felt particularly curious about?

You found evidence? Where?