The moral issue is based on the argument that religions are bad, because they make people do bad things. I would argue that religious people do bad things IN SPITE of the teachings of their religions, which usually (there are exceptions) teach people to do good things.

Tiles and Lukas (if I've understood them correctly, have claimed that they only use 'science' to judge what is true or false, and not their feelings or intuition. I am arguing that they are using their feelings of what is 'right' and 'wrong' to judge religions anyway, so it is an apparent flaw in their logic.

To me, the physical laws are a sign of God's existence in themselves. Sure, we may discover a source for these physical laws, but this 'cause effect' reasoning will go back to infinity.

I still maintain that God is outside of the realm of science and direct human observation. It is a matter for the feelings and intuition. As long as belief in God does not directly contradict reality, I think it is a logical assumption for the cause of the universe, even if is based on feelings and intuition. Just like it's logical to assume that murder is wrong, because I would 'feel' bad if someone tried to murder me.

On the other side, the claim has been made by many people that there is a God. While the books about these 'prophets' do have some problems in the details (specifically the Bible), the overall message is pretty clear. That people came with a claim to prophecy, that God had communicated to them, and that there is a higher purpose for the universe.

So as humans, it's easy to make the connection between our 'feeling' that there must be a creator, and our 'feelings' of 'right' and 'wrong', and the claim of the prophets that there actually is a creator, and that He will judge which of us acted on what is 'right' from those of us who acted on what is 'wrong'.

I agree that it's not science, but it still remains a plausible explanation for the origin of the universe.

To repeat some of my earlier posts, I am not arguing that Biblical creationism should be taught in science class. I agree that the age of the universe, as well as evolutionary theory have done serious damage to the credibility of the Bible, at least in regard to the creation story, so as to render it 'unscientific'. But religion and God does not begin and end with the Bible.

Belief in a single Creator is not even limited to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Many cultures, from certain Egyptian dynasties, to Native Americans to Aztec religions, and even some Hindu sects, have at some time or another made the same claim - to a single, all powerful creator God.

I have not studied every human culture in detail, but every one I have studied so far, will mention this belief at some point in their history. To me this is a historical evidence to the claim of the Quran, that God has sent a messenger to every 'nation'.