Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
The Burden of Proof
With every debate I have seen on-line between Christians and Atheists, this subject gets brought up. Usually the Atheist will tell the Christian to prove God is real. Knowing they cannot, the Christian will attempt to turn it about and tell the Atheist to prove God is not real. Then the Atheist always comes back with "You are making the statement God is real, so the burden of proof falls on you."
Let's get this subject clear here and now. The burden of proof does not fall upon the one stating God is real any more than it does on the one who says God is not real. The burden of proof falls squarely on whoever is making a statement as a fact.
If a Christian says God is real and there is no chance of them being wrong, then they have the burden of proving it.
If the Atheist says God is not real and there is no chance they are wrong, then the burden of proving that falls on them.
If nobody can prove their statement, then the truth of the matter is it is possible God is real and it is possible God is not real. It is no longer a fact that needs to be argued, but it becomes a discussion about why one "believes" in God and why one does not "believe" in God.
If you cannot accept the fact that what you believe might be wrong, then frankly, you need to prove it.
I am a Christian. I am completely positive God is real. I have a lot of reasons to believe that God is real and the evidence of God's existence is enough to convince me 100% that God is real. However, the evidence is only enough to convince me, but it does not prove God is real. Logically it is entirely possible that I could be wrong.
This may sound contradictory to you. I say I am 100% confident God is real, but I also say it is possible I am wrong. How is that possible?
Imagine being with someone in your life that you know so well that you finish each other's sentences. You have been lovers or best friends or both for over ten years and you completely trust that person. If someone asked you if you ever thought they may be cheating on you, you would deny the possibility. You would say there is no way. You know them and you trust them completely. You can have such a good relationship that you would say you are 100% confident they are true to you. Yet, the truth is you don't truly know for a fact. That is impossible to know for a fact. You could not prove it either. It is always possible they may be cheating on you. But you can still be completely certain that the truth is they are not. It's like that. I know God is real. I am 100% certain of it. I will stay 100% certain right up until someone proves to me I am wrong.
So to all Christians and Atheists alike, lets please put the "burden of proof" argument to rest. Atheists would like to convert Christians to Atheism, and Christians would love to convert Atheists to Christianity, but it simply will not happen if all we do is argue. Throwing points like the burden of proof in each other's face will do nothing but turn it into more of an argument and less of a discussion. From there, nobody will be converted.
Everyone should be looking to convert the other, but it should not be to convert them to my side or your side. It should be a discussion to seek the truth. If God is not real, the truth will lead to that conclusion in the end. If God is real, the truth will lead to that conclusion. We are not enemies. We are simply people with a difference in beliefs. We believe differently on a subject that nobody can prove to anyone, one way or the other. As long as it cannot be proven, then those who believe differently are not stupid, naive, or ridiculous. Both sides have extremely intelligent people and both side have some very unintelligent people believing it. Nobody is better than anyone else. And nobody in this debate has any more burden of proof than anyone else.
Unless you claim it is impossible for the other side to be right.
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Let's get this subject clear here and now. The burden of proof does not fall upon the one stating God is real any more than it does on the one who says God is not real. The burden of proof falls squarely on whoever is making a statement as a fact.
If a Christian says God is real and there is no chance of them being wrong, then they have the burden of proving it.
If the Atheist says God is not real and there is no chance they are wrong, then the burden of proving that falls on them.
If nobody can prove their statement, then the truth of the matter is it is possible God is real and it is possible God is not real. It is no longer a fact that needs to be argued, but it becomes a discussion about why one "believes" in God and why one does not "believe" in God.
If you cannot accept the fact that what you believe might be wrong, then frankly, you need to prove it.
I am a Christian. I am completely positive God is real. I have a lot of reasons to believe that God is real and the evidence of God's existence is enough to convince me 100% that God is real. However, the evidence is only enough to convince me, but it does not prove God is real. Logically it is entirely possible that I could be wrong.
This may sound contradictory to you. I say I am 100% confident God is real, but I also say it is possible I am wrong. How is that possible?
Imagine being with someone in your life that you know so well that you finish each other's sentences. You have been lovers or best friends or both for over ten years and you completely trust that person. If someone asked you if you ever thought they may be cheating on you, you would deny the possibility. You would say there is no way. You know them and you trust them completely. You can have such a good relationship that you would say you are 100% confident they are true to you. Yet, the truth is you don't truly know for a fact. That is impossible to know for a fact. You could not prove it either. It is always possible they may be cheating on you. But you can still be completely certain that the truth is they are not. It's like that. I know God is real. I am 100% certain of it. I will stay 100% certain right up until someone proves to me I am wrong.
So to all Christians and Atheists alike, lets please put the "burden of proof" argument to rest. Atheists would like to convert Christians to Atheism, and Christians would love to convert Atheists to Christianity, but it simply will not happen if all we do is argue. Throwing points like the burden of proof in each other's face will do nothing but turn it into more of an argument and less of a discussion. From there, nobody will be converted.
Everyone should be looking to convert the other, but it should not be to convert them to my side or your side. It should be a discussion to seek the truth. If God is not real, the truth will lead to that conclusion in the end. If God is real, the truth will lead to that conclusion. We are not enemies. We are simply people with a difference in beliefs. We believe differently on a subject that nobody can prove to anyone, one way or the other. As long as it cannot be proven, then those who believe differently are not stupid, naive, or ridiculous. Both sides have extremely intelligent people and both side have some very unintelligent people believing it. Nobody is better than anyone else. And nobody in this debate has any more burden of proof than anyone else.
Unless you claim it is impossible for the other side to be right.
Return to One God Logic Articles