What evidence or proof would you need to believe that there is a deity?

I guess there is - stuff like consistently breaking fundamental laws of physics, knowing intimate details of the future (not vague prophecies that can only be interpreted as predicting a thing once that thing has already happened) and so on.
It would take a while to be convinced - after all, to claim to be an omnipotent creator of an entire universe is a BIG claim, requiring BIG evidence...

Yes, there is lots of evidence that I would accept. I'd start with some.

I am in a quandary about this question.

If there were proof of a deity, then we would be forced to accept that God doesn't help us, really, until the afterlife. If not, then how could a loving God allow for so much pain? And, I'm not just talking about pain, I'm talking about children in the hands of pedophiles and serial killers. Sixty MILLION people burned and starved, plus hundreds of thousands (probably) that were not even counted.

Consider the atrocities of people like Hussein, Pol Pot, Robespierre, Gadaffi, Khan, Stalin. Events like those that occurred at Tianmen Square and Amritsar, ad NAUSEUM. Recent and continuing genocidal attempts like those in Rwanda and Darfur. The list is sickeningly long and seemingly without an end. Consider that I've left a huge number unnamed.

I haven't even mentioned many of those that continuously plague this planet in the name of GOD.

How would s/he rule? Which side does the deity stand on? It's insanity.

On the other hand, what would proof of an 'absence' of a deity produce? Would it bring enlightenment or utter chaos? With nothing to believe in, nothing to keep the best of the worst of us in line, would the world collapse?

Somehow, I think it wouldn't. I think it would actually and possibly bring us around to believe that the world is the one that we MAKE it. The laws of human decency might actually take hold. But, would we lose our empathy? Our hope for the power of the ever-lasting soul?

I dunno. What I do know is that I believe that murder in the name of GOD has brought us far more sorrow than joy.

The absence of god in MY life has made me feel that it's just important to be a decent 'human'. It's also made me less than sympathetic about the human 'monsters' that run crazy and unchecked, holding some crazy tome and shouting that the evil they do makes it 'OK' to kill. It has also made me feel a responsibility to the world, the planet, and future generations. I'm not 'praying' for a better world, I'm trying to make one, today. I'm not praying for the 'rapture', but trying to accept responsibility that this world is actually what was made by people, not the 'devil'. I care about the future that will hopefully exist many, many years since I have been long forgotten by every living thing.

When it's all laid bare, people do the things they do for their own, selfish desires and greed. Stripping the veil of a 'deity' from their cruel and sadistic actions leaves them with nothing but exactly what they are.

Those that do 'good' in this world, those selfless souls who strive to help and improve, likewise need no excuse for their actions. What they do is simply right.

As Gandhi, a deeply religious man once said, "If you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth".

DR me if you like. It says much more about you than about me. I mean, seriously: What Would Jesus Do?

The evidence of proof that believers can't provide

Scientific and physical evidence

Yes. Idealy I'd want it to be something like God appearing on Earth & performing a few miracles. Although I might even accept something as weak as religious people acting religious, consistantly.

World peace, an end to death, starvation, disease, poverty and misery in all forms. Why would any god create so much suffering?

It really doesn't matter. If there is a deity, it doesn't seem to affect the universe in any way. If empirical evidence were to be presented, I would go from being an atheist who doesn't care about the concept of god to a theist who doesn't care about god.

People don't have these beliefs "just because". There is a reason for them just like there's a reason for yours. The type of evidence we need would never come about anyways, and we understand this.

God is by definition a supernatural and transcendent being of which, by its very nature, there CANNOT be any evidence. And yet theists routinely ask us what we would consider evidence, as if the onus is somehow on us to make their god into a workable concept capable of being falsified (i.e. capable of being tested or verified).

You already know the answer to your question, so it seems rather pointless of you to ask. But if you really are serious about wanting us to give you examples of how God can be falsified, you need to go back to the drawing board and come back with a more tangible concept.

There are a thousand ways most if not all atheists would change their beliefs. Some examples are:
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Verified, specific prophecies that couldn't have been contrived.
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Scientific knowledge in holy books that wasn't available at the time.
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Miraculous occurrences, especially if brought about through prayer.
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Any direct manifestation of the divine.
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Aliens who believed in the exact same religion.
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But since god can't or won't provide any of these hard evidences, I'd even be willing to settle for a few of these which don't prove god but would make his existence probable.
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A genuinely flawless and consistent holy book.
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A religion without internal disputes or factions.
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A religion whose followers have never committed or taken part in atrocities.
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A religion that had a consistent record of winning its jihads and holy wars.
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But all religion shows me is
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Speaking in tongues or other pseudo-miracles.
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People's conversion stories.
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Any subjective experience.
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The Bible Code or similar numerological feats.
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Creationism of any sort.

The word is "empirical".

We want it cold, hard, and testable.

Perhaps seeing a prayer answered. I.E. "God, since you are all-powerful, how about healing my eyes so I don't need glasses, and fixing this chronic dry-eye thing." Then, I'd open my eyes and have 20-20 vision and natural tears, both of which can be confirmed by an ophthalmologist.

Religion ceases to be the biggest cause of death on this planet

Any empirical evidence (touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight).

I'd need God to windsurf over to me whilst juggling knifes while also on fire and made of cheese.

I believe in a Deity. However, if you could furnish me with a physical proof, i would probably change my belief. Faith is a bizarre thing, and the proof is 'known' in the spiritual realm, not the physical.
The spiritual realm is more real than the physical, but to see into this realm requires faith. Truth is the matrix that binds the spirit realm into a cohesive whole, and faith is the means to move through and see in this realm.

an email...

or a YouTube video. cuz, these days, if it's on the 'net, it's gotta be true, right?

Gods have nothing to do with proof, only faith.

A cheque for $50,000, tax free.

Assuming there's a daity, and assuming you could
present tangible evidence........Then what? What and
how much of a difference would it make? I would, however, ask as evidence that such a deity come and fix
this messed up world once and for all. To instantly get
rid of all this madness. Such a deity then would be
worthy of worship.

If we find the answer to how life was created and it is NOT due to a cosmic explosion, then we will know. It is not the evidence that we seek to prove God exists. It is the evidence that DOESN'T exist that proves that God exists. By this method, God remains anonymous like he wishes, and we all know he is there.

Of course. Anything empirical, documented and verifiable (repeatable) to offer?

Yes.

Answer this:

Move a mountain, heal an amputee, make the sun stand still.

Liar.

http://godisimaginary.com/

sure if he/she came to earth from his/her so called heaven shook my hand and did sumthing maraculous. even so i still wouldnt like him/her

There's a difference between a diety and God, right? I mean, there are all kinds of minor dieties.

I'd be more inclined to buy into proof of a minor diety vis a vis incredible powers and such.

If the same proof were offered for God, I'd be pretty skeptical.

So I guess to answer I'd need you to be more specific.

The proof I needed I have already received.

If tomorrow all theists disappeared from the face of the earth.

If we had proof, there would be no need to believe.

Belief is what people do in the absence of proof.

this deity came down and made itself known to me and proved its existence without a doubt.

U can not change a non believer for a belief

...how about the "evidence" that apparently, there are NON-BELIEVERS in a deity?

(In order to be a NON-BELIEVER of "something"--shouldn't that "something", exist?)

What evidence or proof do you have?

A specific prophesy to come true. At this point, Nostradamus is more reliable then any of the worlds bibles.

This is a very good question. I Guess I would need a demonstration of absolute power over nature and physics as well as some kind of communication from the deity taking credit for the demonstration preferably before it occurred. It would also be preferable that I was not the only one that was a witness just to make sure I wasn’t going nuts. All I need is a miracle! Just writing it out gives me alot of insight. Thanks.

Excellent question. Ultimately, what proof is there that anything exists. Wh think that the first and second law of thermodynamics exist. But they HAD to not exist in the moment leading up to a big bang if there was a big bang.

If a deity exists and wants me to know it, omnipotence should provide that deity with all the power needed to reveal knowledge to me.

What evidence was good enough for you?

Empirical, preferably.

Provided that there was any evidence that was consistent with scientific standards and methods, I would accept it. However, as there is absolutely no proof of God's existence in the roughly 5000 years of written history, I doubt any will be found in the future.

The common argument from Creationists and Christian apologists is that the non-existence of God cannot be proven as one cannot prove a universal negative. This however is false, you can actually prove the nonexistence of something. This is done by proving that it cannot exist because it leads to contradictions (e.g., square circles, married bachelors, etc.). Moongrim's reference link, though obviously biased, makes some very valid points on the subject of contradiction in the bible:

http://godisimaginary.com/i16.htm

I would further argue that proof of Christ (thus proving that the bible is not to be trusted as fact) does not exist. If anyone carefully reads the article in the link below, they will come to realize that there is absolutely no proof of "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" having ever existed.

http://www.atheists.org/Did_Jesus_Exist%3F

If any accurate historical documents could be portrayed that were written during the alleged life-time of Jesus Christ, I would gladly accept that as a proof of his existence. This would be a good start. +3

Got any? Any at all? Still waiting...

Of course:
Miracles performed in a verifiable manner
Prayers being answered in a statistically significant manner
The "good" or "holy" doing noticeably better than the "bad" or "profane"
Verifiable messages from the dead, and their saying that Heaven/Hell/God existed.

Basically, anything I could do in a verifiable (recordable or repeatable manner) that could distinguish a world with God from one without. But all the claims that are made for proof of God happen inside people's heads, or at times and places where we cannot verify what actually happened.

Very simple, personal experience.

Absence of atheists and religious fundamentalists; one single international unified church.

The proof would have to be tangible and verifiable. If I am the only one that can see it, it doesn't count.

Any would be a good start.

Empirical, since that is how we define reality. If i see, hear, or can touch someone i believe they can exist. If i could do the same to a deity, i would believe them to be a part of reality.

I dunno. Shaking hands?
;-)

I would want to see it and have proof that it is really a god. Then I would want to kick its ass for making such a screwed up mess of things. I would also expect an apology.

Meeting them in person.

I suspect your definition of 'proof' is more liberal than mine (heh).

for me I would say create a testimony writen by the hands of god, rather than a play book of man carried out by man in hope to support the image of god