Existence vs. Non-existence of the LORD God: to Whom really falls the "burden of proof"?

Question

The "burden of proof" does not belong to the non-believer, but neither does it belong to the believer.

Biblically speaking, the true believer has a burden of proclamation - and even the burden of persuasion (if you will) - but not the burden of proof. (see Ezekiel 3:17-19, perhaps someone likeminded can post this in an answer for others)

And what is it, that the Christian has the burden to proclaim and to persuade about?

See 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2 (again, perhaps someone likeminded can post this in an answer, as well...)
-

And be exhorted by 2 Timothy 4:5 -
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

...and consider the 4 verses that precede this verse.

Press on.

Answer 1

Excellent point. We are commanded to preach the Gospel and demonstrate God's love through our behavior...We are not commanded to convince anyone. God is the one who does that. This is why Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

The mystery of God is something that is "revealed," not figured out by the intellect of man. And "the kingdom of god is not a matter of talk but of power"!

Answer 2

The argument "You can't prove it either way, let's just not debate it any more" is always proposed by theists, never atheists. You do this to propose some sort of equivalence in the positions. Yet the positions are not equivalent. Belief in the non-existence of god does not require any more faith than belief in the non-existence of goblins (and I am sincerely tired of pointing THAT out ad nauseum). This also suggests a fear on the part of the theist. This is more apparent when you consider that atheists NEVER attempt to prove the non-existence of god - we simply say "there isn't one, unless you can prove otherwise". Being pressed into the realization that there IS no evidence for their position makes theists very uncomfortable. So they try this tactic to avoid the issue altogether.

Answer 3

The person making the claim bears the burden. If I say there is a God the burden belongs to me. Likewise if I said there is no God the burden belongs to me. Christians have made it far to easy for atheists. They carry the burden for their claims. The burden thing applies to any claim. Such as the Bibles been translated so many times it's no longer reliable etc... Well really have you studied textual criticism? How many times has it been translated etc....

Answer 4

Anything a person or group asserts as a universal truth that it expects others to adhereto requires proof - and the burden is on those making the assertions.

With no disrespect to your beliefs, citing your own doctrines and scriptures, which you accept as authoritive, does little to offer any such proof to those of us who do not value your texts as you do.

Answer 5

Umm... they do have the burden of "proof" if they want to establish the existence of their God... One can't avoid the burden of proof by having the book you want to established as "proved" give you an exemption from having to "prove" it... If all that Christians did was "proclaim" their God, things would be a lot quieter around here. Many of them claim to have proof of their God: such a claim requires evidence to establish such a thing as "proved"

Answer 6

Non-believers are going to say that the burden of proof is on the believers.I've seen that statement over and over.I'll tell you what I think.Believers have been given proof,because they asked for it.By faith,we believe God exists.Because of our faith,God has shown Himself to us in many different ways in our lives.Anything we say to a non-believer will just go in one ear and out the other,because they haven't opened their eyes and minds to God.The only proof they will believe is to feel God's power in their own lives.So,ultimately the burden of proof is on themselves,because we can't do it for them.We can't save their souls for them.They have to weigh the pros and cons on their own,and only they can say whether or not they are willing to take the chance at making the wrong choice. I think that many non-believers choose not to believe in God,not from lack of proof per se,but because they don't want to be in servitude to anyone but themselves.In other words,they want to be their own masters,with noone to be accountable to for their actions.They want to do their "own thing" whatever that may be,and they don't want there to be consequences for it. The Bible teaches that we will all be held accountable for what we do while here on Earth,whether it be good or bad. They don't want to accept that,so they take the easy way out,and deny God.
So,those of you who don't believe in God:The burden of proof is on you.If you really want proof,you have to find it on your own.We can't do all your work for you.We've shown you the way.Now ,all you have to do,if you're really sincere about really wanting to know the truth,is ask God for it,not us.As Christians we love and care for you,because whether you believe it or not,God created you,just as He created us,but we have done all we can for you.It is now all up to you.

Answer 7

seeing how there is no way to prove it one way or the other, i guess that time will be the only thing that provides the burden of proof.

Answer 8

if i have to prove that god exist then I lose my faith.
for faith is the substance of thing hoped for the evidence of things not seen.
and with out faith it is impossible to please God.
I do not want proof that god exist,
it does not take faith to confirm what can be proven.
on the other hand the non believer.
has nothing to prove. for it is impossible to disprove that which cannot be seen.
it would be like proving that air does not exist.
God like air exist in proof to those that have felt him.
for those that want proof that God exist, then believe what you want and leave me to my own proof.

Answer 9

The burden to prove that god exists is on the Christian religious.

The burden to prove that god does not exist is on the atheists.

Just as is true for every other religion that exists.

Answer 10

Believing in the things that cannot be seen (spiritual) requires an open mind. Many people do not have an open mind. Even if God was to appear to them they would try to rationalize the fact away. Those who do have an open mind can logically conclude this truth by what God has created and the following proofs:

The following evidence comes from THE GREAT BOOKS OF THE WESTERN WORLD vol. 2 & 19. St. Thomas Aquinas said:

ARTICLE 2. Whether It Can Be Demonstrated That God Exists?
I Answer that, Demonstration can be made in two ways. One is through the cause, and... The other is through the effect... When an effect is better known to us than its cause, from the effect we proceed to the knowledge of the cause. And from every effect the existence of its proper cause can be demonstrated, so long as its effects are better known to us, because since every effect depends upon its cause, if the effect exists, the cause must pre-exist. Hence the existence of God, in so far as it is not self-evident to us, can be demonstrated from those of His effects which are known to us.

ARTICLE 3. Whether God Exists?
I answer that, The existence of God can be proved in five ways.

The first and more manifest way is the argument from motion.... [Newton’s second law of motion] whatever is moved must be moved by another. If that by which it is moved be itself moved, then this also must be moved by another, and that by another again. But this cannot go on to infinity, because then there would be no first mover, and, consequently, no other mover, seeing that subsequent movers move only because as they are moved by the first mover... Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover which is moved by no other. And this everyone understands to be God.

The second way is from the notion of efficient cause.... There is no case known (nor indeed, is it possible) in which a thing is found to be the efficient cause of itself, because in that case it would be prior to itself, which is impossible.... Now to take away the cause is to take away the effect.... Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.

The third way is taken from possibility and necessity... [or] to be or not to be. ...If everything is possible not to be, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence. Now if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing. [FACT: Matter can not be destroyed nor created; at most it changes form i.e. solid, liquid, gas. Physical Law: the first law of Thermodynamics.] Therefore, if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist; and thus even now nothing would be in existence -- which is clearly false. Therefore, not all beings are merely possible, but there must exist something the existence of which is necessary.... Therefore we must admit the existence of some being having of itself its own necessity, and not receiving it from another, but rather causing in others their necessity. This all men speak of as God.

The fourth way is taken from the gradation to be found in things. Among beings there are some more and some less good, true, noble, and the like. But “more” and “less” are predicated of different things [like a match in comparison to the sun]... Therefore there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being [a Supreme Being], goodness, and every other perfection. And this we call God.

The fifth way is taken from the governance of things. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end... Hence it is plain that they achieve their end not by chance, but by design. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence, as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are ordered to their end; and this being we call God.

DEMONSTRATING EXISTENCE OF THE HOLY TRINITY:

The HOLY TRINITY is defined as:
A term used since A.D. 200 to denote the central doctrine of the Christian religion. God, who is one and unique in his infinite substance or nature, is three really distinct persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The one and only God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet God the Father is not God the Son, but generates the Son eternally, as the Son is eternally begotten. The Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, but a distinct person having his divine nature from the Father and Son by eternal procession. The three divine persons are co-equal, co-eternal, and consubstantial and deserve co-equal glory and adoration.

We need to know how we are created in God's image to grasp the concept of the Holy Trinity and I think your question is a good one.

To understand this better, chart it out or use a diagram of two triangles of equal proportions like the Star of David. This allows an easier understanding of the relationship between the Essence and Existence of a thing. The following words should be distinguished in the following categories: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. These three words encompass everything in the Universe and make up the CREATIVE PROCESS to help describe the Creator, creatures, and creation.

God is spirit. He cannot be seen. If you were to examine all the creatures, the CREATOR has made a pattern emerges: angels and demons are intellectual creatures without a body; plants and animals do not have an intellect but a body and mortal soul. IT IS ONLY LIVING, HUMAN, BEINGS, that have a MIND, BODY, and SOUL. Only human beings have all three. Now, living, human, being is the existence of man. Those words describe the essence of man's mind, body, and soul. The Body is living, the Mind makes us human and distinguishing us from animals, and our Soul makes us the being that we become (good or evil).

Now, even Muslims will agree Allah is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (ever present). These words describe the existence of God. So, what is the essence of God? I will hold off answering this question till the end.

Now, if you think about the existence of a person they have a triple existence: physical (body), mental (mind), and spiritual (eternal soul). In fact, whenever we create something it has all three of these parts. When we cook we have a recipe (in our mind), we gather all the raw ingredients, and we cook (don't burn it, ha ha) what it is we are making. Cooking has the physical, mental, and spiritual parts. Same with engineering or technology it has three parts: the blueprints (to convey an idea), the raw materials (physical), and the workmanship (spiritual). If something goes wrong investigators will look for a design flaw, material flaw, or faulty workmanship. THIS DEMONSTRATES CREATION HAS THREE PARTS LIKE THE CREATOR.

Now, in the Bible it says Jesus is the visible likeness of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15) The ESSENCE OF GOD IS: Father (mental), Son (physical), Holy Ghost (spiritual). ONE TRUE GOD IN THREE JUST LIKE A PERSON. THREE PARTS ONE PERSON. When you are sick you send for a doctor; when you are mentally troubled, a psychiatrist; when spiritually seeking you seek out a holy person.