Nontheists: How do you know that God does not exist?

Question

What would it take for you to accept his reality?

Answer 1

It would take undeniable, irrefutable, scientifically supported proof. I don't *know* that He does not exist, more of a strong educated guess within a reasonable probability of error.

Answer 2

I am always amazed how man kind thinks he knows it all.

I don't take for granted living on a ball in space (earth) with skies that look like the heavens. Temperatures that never get out of hand to where life ends. It is a controlled enviroment by something. It's not natural really when you think of all the other planets. We so easily can be wiped out in a second if the planet changes orbit. This world is an amazing place, we do not know all the mysteries and science can't explain why (not how) we even exist in the first place.

From the beginning of time, a feeling of a an entity greater than ourselves has always been experienced. I find it amazing that people don't believe in God. He is kinda right there to see and feel if you want to. You just have to open your eyes.

Answer 3

It's not so much that "I don't know" as it is that "I don't care". It doesn't make any difference to me if there is a god or not. And because I don't know or care, I don't count on something I cannot prove.

"What would it take for me to accept his reality?" To begin with, you cannot accept the reality of something which is not real in the first place. So, to accept its reality, I'd need it to be real, for starters. Then, it wouldn't hurt him to give some proof of its existence. And I don't mean proof like "look at the world. who else could have done it?" That is not proof. That's just some kind of faulty reasoning, because we don't actually KNOW how the world came into being, so the god theory is just as possible as any others. Or probably, other theories, less magical and including less wishful thinking, could be more plausible, too.

So, in conclusion, the god issue is irrelevant for me. It wouldn't change my life to know there is a god, or there isn't any, and while I wait, I don't see why I should adopt the naive attitude of believing in something which doesn't give any proof of its existence.

Answer 4

I know the Biblical god doesn't exist for the following reasons:

- he is said to be the creator, but it is scientifically and philosophically impossible for the universe to have been created; strike 1

- he is defined in an internally inconsistent way. Terms such as omniptent, omniscient, etc. result in absurdities (can god make a rock so big he can't lift it, etc.); strike 2

- we actually know the history of how the concept of the NT god evolved from pagan solar theology. If you know the history of a myth and you know it has origins in the ordinary, it's asinine to even consider the possibility the myth may be real; strike 3

- we also know the history of how YHWH evolved from Sumerian polytheism; part 2 of strike 3

- in everyday life, as a matter of practicality, we all make the assumption that claims are false until sufficient evidence is provided to support them. For ordinary claims, the mere fact that someone told you is enough evidence. But the greater the claim deviates from what our own experience tells us, the greater the demand for evidence. Ancient writings and legend about talking snakes and donkeys, men rising from the dead and walking on water, etc. is not sufficient evidence to counter the experience that these things don't happen. ; strike 4

- finally, the word 'exist' implies the ability to experience something (at least in principle). There is no experience, even in principle, that can be attributed exclusively to gods. From a semantic perspective, god does not 'exist'. This does not prove the inactuality of gods, but it does mean it's proper to say god doesn't exist even if he were actual.

Answer 5

As Michael X said in his reply: "The burden of proof of a god's existence lies with theists, not nontheists," what evidence has been brought in proof of his existence: Jesus' shroud of Turin, footprints across the bottom of the Red Sea, etc... The teachings in the Bible are appropriate, but why do followers (Christians) not follow his teachings and act in his example? There is too much violence, pre-marital sex, and cursing that contradict the "good actions" we should be doing. Also, some of the miracles in the Bible are difficult to believe. I'm sorry I sound so sardonic about the religion, but I went to a Catholic school to learn about this, and it doesn't seem right for me to believe in something that isn't tangible. Here were my two cents. I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

Answer 6

A personal appearance would probably work.
But, that's not going to happen. Here's another theory.....
Atheists have the ability to reason beyond the inherited mental defense mechanism that is responsible for most people's belief in a god of some kind. It has been discovered that the belief in a diety who protects and brings you to a happy home when you die, is actually a natural reaction in our brains, to the knowledge that we will all die someday, and any day. This belief acts as a buffer for anxiety and depression that many would feel if it was proven god did not exist. And, we as atheists, have either reasoned above and beyond our natural instincts, or have been born without this mechanism in our brains, like a mutant with a special power to see through B.S.. So, I guess we are kinda special. And, now that I know these things, I cannot in good conscience, try to force the mental security blankets away from those who obviously need it.

Answer 7

One cannot know 100%. An atheist can't prove God doesn't exist, just like a Christian can't prove that Vishnu doesn't exist or just like a Jew can't prove that Allah doesn't exist.

Proving a negative can work in mathematics, but it hardly works with philosophy.

So, I can't prove the nonexistence of Jehovah, Allah, Odin, or Kali. Why don't I just grab a religion and ride it out?

The bigger question is: Why would I? Jehovah is just as real to me as is Allah. So, should I be a Christian or a Muslim? Should I be any one of a thousand religions? What makes one truer than the others?

So, with all religions being equal, I would have to arbitrarily pick one. What would it take to accept "his" reality? Stand out above the other religions. If God appears to be more real than the thousands of other gods out there, I could accept "his" reality.

I will warn you that Christianity is at a disadvantage. I've seen how flawed the religion is. A supposedly perfect god who loves people enough to damn them to Hell? With such a contradiction, I'm not playing Christianity at the top of the list. Judaism is ahead of Christianity in that regard. At least Judaism doesn't claim that God is nice; he is a petty, vindictive bastard, which matches what the Old Testament claims.

Do I know that God doesn't exist? Not at all. Is there more proof for other gods than the Christian god? Absolutely.

Answer 8

No proof, no evidence, no actual viable contact with anyone ever. I think that is knowledge enough to know such a creature doesn't, and never has, existed. What would it take for me to accept? I guess a big booming voice from the sky and his face as a ghostly image there...lol. And if you think about, if such a creature existed, and he loved everyone and wanted everyone saved, why would it not be shouting and proving it presence every chance it had? Either 1 of 2 reasons: 1) It really doesn't give a crap. or 2) It never existed in the first place. Best bet in #2.

Answer 9

Think of it this way:

In a universe chock full of possibilites, there could be millions upon billions of explanations for how everything came to exist. However, humanity has latched on to about 5 (Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist) explanations with various other cults maybe making up 100 others. There's and absolutly microscopic chance that any of the religions found of Earth are the true explanation of it all.

For this reason I refuse to believe any of them. Even a concrete miracle can't be accuratly attributed to one church or another meaning that there will never be any way to prove that a religion is right, so (according to the scientific method) they're all wrong :)

Answer 10

Are you asking for proof of God? Your question appears to be a paradox.

You cannot prove that God doesn't exist; you cannot prove that God does exist. It is one of those things where both sides can bring as much evidence to the table, but a decision won't be made.

Answer 11

The burden of proof of a god's existence lies with theists, not nontheists.