But what would convince you, my friend?

‘What would convince you to believe?’ It’s a question I once put to an atheist, not expecting a particularly thorough answer.

Clearly, though, he’d been asked the question before. His reply was instant, detailed and emphatic: ‘If God rearranged the stars in the sky to spell the Ten Commandments, then I would believe.’ When it comes to setting the bar for evidence, my friend set it to galactic heights. How to respond?

Actually his challenge prompted two simultaneous thoughts. (I’d like to point out this is unusual. I average two thoughts per month but I’d had three coffees that morning and my synapses sparked unexpectedly).