Do we even need any evidence that God exists

In August 2007 Blake Ostler gave a critical talk on the subject of spiritual experiences:

I will not give some argument or evidence to try to persuade you or anybody else that your spiritual experiences are valid and trustworthy. If I were to attempt to argue with you to prove that to you, I would only show and prove (quite conclusively) that I believe that in reality there is something more basic and trustworthy than spiritual experiences; that is, the arguments I would give you. If I were to argue in that way, I would show conclusively that I really don’t believe what I am about to tell you. Now in saying this I’m not stating that I won’t give reasons, or that I won’t do my best to reason with you. I am saying, however, that at bottom, these arguments are not what is most trustworthy and basic in Mormonism. What is most basic in Mormonism is the individual experience of the Spirit.
…I will also suggest that these spiritual experiences are so powerful that they reorient everything in our lives, they become the bases through which we see.
– Blake Ostler – Spiritual Experiences as the Basis for Belief and Commitment

Why do we not require evidence to support our other properly basic beliefs? Why can’t beliefs about God, formed from direct experiences, be properly basic?

See:

Add