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by Rin on June 28th, 2009
true
true
by Franklin on June 28th, 2009
Correct on both counts.
by Prunesquallor on June 28th, 2009
Yes, but an atheist can bring a lot of evidence to bear that indicates that the existence of a deity is very unlikely indeed. You can prove a positive, but can never prove a negative.
by Bee on June 28th, 2009
Both are true.
by MRABSOLUTE on June 28th, 2009
I think the first statement is true, the second one i am not so sure. Because the fact that there is no proof that there is a god is almost proof for the second statement, notice i say almost.
There is no point in attempting to find proof that something doesn't exist, because what can you find if it doesn't exist, the only proof you can find to prove something doesn't exist is no proof of its existence. One could argue that this doesn't prove it doesn't exist though because there could still be proof out there. This road of thinking evidently leads to no where, I mean trying to prove something doesn't exist is impossible as an absolute.
I challenge someone to find me a piece of evidence that proves that a flying elephant in the middle of our universe which has a piece of paper with 10 things he doesn't want you to do which created all that is seen and unseen doesn't exist. It is impossible because if it doesn't exist you will find nothing.
Despite this i think that it is not up to atheists to prove god doesn't exist, i think it is up to theists to prove god does exist. I would not just believe that a flying elephant exists just because no one has disproved it, and the same as with the idea of zeus and all the other "gods".
As an argument for theism, prove god doesn't exist is weak, and illogical. Until evidence arises the clear default position should be atheism. But the probability that evidence would arise after all this time of blind claims with no substantial evidence is extremely low.
by qwerty on June 28th, 2009
true, If both argued in a US criminal court, neither could be said to be fact
If both were brought to a civil court (burden of proof is more likely than not) both would have to be given merit
Agree to disagree and stop asking religious Q's the debate have gone on for centuries, and will for centuries to follow
by Ditto on June 28th, 2009
Absolutely true. OK... you can all DR me now! :-)
by iwnit on June 29th, 2009
False.
1) Not all theists believe that there is only one God. Polytheists believe in several gods.
They can normally not prove God's existence to an atheist. However, some theists seem to be satisfied with their proofs of God's exiatence:
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church, following the Thomist tradition and the dogmatic definition of the First Vatican Council, affirms that it is a doctrine of the Catholic Church that God's existence has been rationally demonstrated. For the proofs of God's existence by Saint Thomas Aquinas see Quinquae viae. Many other Christian denominations share the view that God's existence can be demonstrated without recourse to claims of revelation."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence_of_god
2) "Theism in the broadest sense is the belief in at least one deity. In a more specific sense, theism refers to a particular doctrine concerning the nature of God and his relationship to the universe. Theism, in this specific sense, conceives of God as personal and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe. The use of the word theism as indicating a particular doctrine of monotheism arose in the wake of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century to contrast with the then emerging deism which contended that God — though transcendent and supreme — did not intervene in the natural world and could be known rationally but not via revelation.
The term "theism" derives from the Greek theos meaning God. The term theism was first used by Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688)."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism
3) Few atheists assert the nonexistence of a god because of a belief that there is no God.
Many just do it because of their lack of belief for a God.
Also, atheists can prove the nonexistence of some gods:
"Each of the following arguments aims at showing either that a particular subset of gods do not exist (by showing them as inherently meaningless, contradictory, or at odds with known scientific or historical facts) or that there is insufficient reason to believe in them."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence_of_god
4) "Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the assertion that deities do not exist. In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities."
"Atheism tends towards skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence. Common rationales include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical.
In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be irreligious or unspiritual. However, religious and spiritual belief systems such as forms of Buddhism that do not advocate belief in gods, have been described as atheistic. Although some atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
by Twisted Taco on June 28th, 2009
I triple dog dare you to prove a negative
by RC loves ice cream on June 28th, 2009
Atheists don't believe there is a god and don't have to prove it.
by Moongrim on June 28th, 2009
Theists- True.
Atheist- false.
http://godisimaginary.com/
by Bohemian is back on May 17th, 2011
Rationality rules okay.:)
by Marky Mark on April 18th, 2011
I think both sides can present proof of why they believe what they believe. It's just that they have different "standards of proof" or evidence they will accept as proof. One side wants to see something and the other side does not need to see something. They have felt something or seen the effects of something and that is enough for them. Which means they can never satisfy each other. Which is why they will never agree.
by Retrovampire on June 29th, 2009
Theists believe a god exists but have no evidence to support their position.
Atheists believe they are wrong and have evidence to support their position.
Depends on how you look at the question, begging the question doesn’t really work.
by Nice Guy In Bay Area on June 28th, 2009
As a "Theist" I can only offer myself as proof of God. I only have this planet, amidst a very hostile and inhospitable galaxy to submit for evidence.
by Im Alec has abandoned this account on June 28th, 2009
Both true. However, if you believe there is a God, you still do not know the nature of that God, whereas if you believe there is no God, you can make all further decisions from that belief. If you believe that there is a God but you do not know the nature of that God, then you are in the same situation as the atheist. For that belief to be in any way useful, you have to have other unprovable beliefs, for example that God is basically benevolent, has an interest in you etc.
If there is a God, then it would presumably be easy for that God to make its existence known, in which case this argument would not exist. The fact that it does not do so is a large pointer to its non-existence.
by 23Skidoo on June 28th, 2009
True.
But...
It's not logically possible to prove that something doesn't exist. It is possible to prove (or at least supply evidence in support of) something does exist, if, in fact it does.
So it's up to the theists to supply evidence toward building proof.
+5
by kaetalist on June 28th, 2009
Neither is true.
by Sanny on January 14th, 2011
Depends on what you accept as "proof". People usually can't seem to agree on that sort of thing...that's why we have juries.
by Opinion-man on April 18th, 2011
It's a logical fallacy to ask someone to claim a negative like this.
by JakobA I^_^I the alooney on September 2nd, 2010
1) True
2) True
We might want to specify though that the word 'belief' do not have quite the same meaning in the 2 statements.
The theists 'belief' or faith does not really allow for the possibility that it may be nessesary at some time to say "Oops, i was wrong in my belief", and revise it to fit with new knowledge. Atheist 'belief' is open to being criticized, and may be revised as a result.
regards JakobA
by purplecows on May 19th, 2011
Everybody can prove what they believe to the satisfaction of those who agree with them, but not to the satisfaction of those on the other side.
by shunyata on April 18th, 2011
God is not about proof
Did you ever become an atheist, because you were once a true believer, and realized it was a lie?
by DoMeGood on December 16th, 2011
| 5 people like this
Atheist are most despised minority* in America. When atheists become majority -what group would likely be most distrusted & despised?
by aldonoir on December 16th, 2011
| 4 people like this
Theists take their kids to church to learn about and believe in God; where do atheists take their kids to learn that there is no God?
by aldonoir on December 27th, 2011
| 5 people like this
WHAT is the trouble with ATHEISTS?
by aldonoir on January 1st, 2012
| 2 people like this
I (atheist) sometimes reason with myself that God DOES exist; result is always inconclusive; is there no supernatural force to help me out?
by aldonoir on December 15th, 2011
| 5 people like this
You're reading True or false: Theists believe there is a God but cannot prove it - atheists believe there is no God but cannot prove it?
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Comments
why the downrating?
by Rin on June 29th, 2009
but thanks for all those who uprated :)
by Rin on June 29th, 2009
Not believing in a deity is vastly different than believing that a deity does not exist.
A Christian lacks belief in Thor, they don't believe that Thor doesn't exist.
by SofiaNRage on June 29th, 2009
I am a Christian, and I lack belief in Thor as the god of thunder (or whatever he is god of), and I don't believe he exsisted either. They might be different, but sometimes they can go hand in hand. Your example is wrong. You should have given the example of Jesus... the Muslims don't deny he didn't exsist, but they don't believe he is the Son of God, as Christians do.
by Rin on June 29th, 2009
And just for clarification, what is wrong with my answer?
*Theists believe there is a God but cannot prove it - True... no one can prove God exsists, the belief in God is purely based on FAITH. That is the basis of religion... i doubt any religion is based on scientific fact about the exsistence of God.
*atheists believe there is no God but cannot prove it - True... just as no one can prove God exsists, no one can prove God doesn't exsist.
by Rin on June 29th, 2009
Your reasoning is pretty sound. It's much like my own. +
by Ditto on June 30th, 2009
:)))
by Rin on June 30th, 2009