J.L. Schellenberg thinks that God should have equipped our faculties of reason such that we naturally form belief in God from the first moment that we are capable of entering into a relationship with God. He readily admits that what he is talking about here is non-propositional evidence; something like Plantinga’s properly basic belief. Well, there is mounting empirical evidence that children are natural born believers. If this is true, then it seems to me that Schellenberg’s argument would be defeated, although a more nuanced reply would be required to spell out more carefully why this is so, but in short, God is not hidden if we are all natural born believers. In fact, it appears that God has done this:
Justin Barrett: Why Would Anyone Believe in God? / Natural Born Believers
http://media.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/WebMedia/FAR245%20Barrett.mov
Michael Brooks “Natural Born Believers” /Pascal Boyer & Deborah Kelemen “Are Children Intuitive Theists”/Paul Bloom
Justin Barrett: Why Would Anyone Believe in God? / Natural Born Believers
http://media.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/WebMedia/FAR245%20Barrett.mov
Michael Brooks “Natural Born Believers” /Pascal Boyer & Deborah Kelemen “Are Children Intuitive Theists”/Paul Bloom
| jaar-clark-barrett-reid_3.pdf |
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