During debates, I have heard Christians say that there is no evidence to support Atheism and all the evidence to support their religion.

If this were true, then I would be a believer. Atheists normally have a very scientific mindset and only accept something as truth once they have been given enough valid logic and evidence to satisfy their curiosity. The problem we see with conservative Christians is that they purposefully turn down glaring evidence.

The point that a lot of debating Christians ignore is the difference between logic and evidence. Evidence is any sort of data that is directly observed. Logic, on the other hand, is simply a way of thinking that we use to predict outcomes. Physics equations employ logic. Chemistry and biology employ logic. Logic is a good thing. Logic without evidence, however, will never be accepted by the majority of the scientific community.

Allow me to illustrate this point. Have you ever heard of the double slit experiment? Basically all it is was supposed to do was to find out whether light was a wave or a particle. Bits of light were shot out of a light source toward these two slits in a piece of cardboard. If light were a wave, then it would behave like a wave and cause interference patterns. If light were a particle, interference patterns would not be shown. Einstein predicted, using logic, that light was a particle, something that scientists refer to as a photon (not a proton, protons are positively charged particles found in the nuclei of atoms). However, when the experiment was run, interference patters were formed, clear evidence that light was a wave. But Einstein used logic! Logic is a valid source! Not in this case. The light would not have caused interference patterns if Einstein's logic was correct.

Well, logically, if light isn't a particle then it has to be a wave, right? Nope. When scientists tried to observe which slit the light went through in the experiment, the light (get this), started behaving like a particle - it didn't form interference patterns. What?! This isn't possible! Well, the evidence, the data we collected from experiments, says otherwise.

You see, even though physics equations employ logic, there is evidence to back them up. The problem we have with theists, especially those who employ the "uncreated creator" argument, have no valid evidence to back it up. The only thing you use here is logic which, as I have just proved, is worth nothing without evidence.

Another thing that won't work in debates with atheists is trying to fill in gaps in scientific gaps of knowledge with God. I will admit, just as every reasonable scientist will admit, we don't know everything. We may never truly know everything. Filling these gaps with unsubstantiated "proof", however, will not gain you anything in an argument simply because, once again, you don't have any evidence to back up your claims. All you have done is proved that we don't fully know about that aspect of the universe.

Another common argument I have heard is something like "You can't prove that God doesn't exist". Number one: You know what? You're right, we can't. We also can't prove that leprechauns, the invisible pink unicorn, the flying spaghetti monster, or the Tooth Fairy don't exist either. You've got us there. Number two: When you say that God exists, we consider that to be quite an extraordinary claim. If you want to make this claim, you, once again, need evidence. Visible, cold, hard evidence. Unfortunately, nothing else will suffice.

Probably the most futile thing you could say to any atheist would be anything that involves threats of burning in Hell, asking us to step out on the highway during rush hour, hoping we get run over by a church bus and die a slow painful death, saying that you want to stab us in the genitals with a dull knife (I have actually heard most of these). The reactions that you will get will be either, laughter, exasperation, or disgust. This will do nothing in an argument.

Well, that's pretty much how you can win in an argument against atheism, or at least gain an upper hand. Just get some hard evidence (not logic), and don't employ any of those arguments. They don't work.

Peace be with us all.