on behalf of the Atheists, the pagans, and the Heathens, at this point i will say "no" and raise you a sarcastic glare.
Could you not say the A word and my heathen beliefs in the same sentence -.o
Why not? He was just listing groups that do not believe in their god.
Well...I don't know. The whole "I can't see it or measure it, so it's not there" argument just doesn't hold much weight for me. It's a bit like quantum physics in that respect. Think about how much of what we call science is actually just well-supported hypotheses...and think about how much of today's hard science was yesterday's mythology. There's no telling what our accepted notion of science will be tomorrow.
That is not the argument for the unlikeliness of your god's existence. The argument is that there isn't evidence of any kind when there should be evidence. All the so called evidence for his existence is personal anecdotes and ancient books. Now that doesn't hold much weight with me. And we can measure the effects of Quantum Physics, most notably line spectra and the quantization of energy.
Also, the current body of theories are nothing like any mythology that has ever existed. Which mythology told of how almost all of the universe is completely empty and that what feels solid and real is actually just electromagnetic repulsion? Which mythology told of lightning actually being the discharge of electrons? Which mythology told of how plants gain energy through photosynthesis? You are correct that we cannot know what we will discover, but it will be more exciting than any mythology ever could be.
I've seen too much to say that belief doesn't have any power, regardless of what you believe or don't believe in...if you believe that God is answering your prayers, or that casting a spell will achieve a certain effect, or that everything is entirely dependent on chance and nature, those beliefs could potentially manifest in one way or another. Belief doesn't necessarily exert a great deal of force - nothing that can be reliably measured at present, if ever - and it's definitely not something we have complete control over. But I don't think that's any reason to say it's impossible.
There is no way to argue against this position. By stating that the effects of belief are both minuscule and unpredictable, you remove it from the realm of verification.
I'm sure a lot of people would argue with me, but I think belief itself is the catalyst (as opposed to what you actually believe in). I don't think belief and science oppose each other as much as people think...they don't mesh in every respect and probably weren't meant to. The human mind is equipped to consider both the concrete and the abstract...even from the perspective of evolution, that state wouldn't exist without some definite purpose...but that's just my very abridged way of thinking.
Belief and Science are not antithetical when the belief is based on some sort of evidence, but belief without any sort of evidence is antithetical to Science because Science is based on evidence.