Atheists, which one is it: a) there is no God or b) there is no proof?

Question

To: I know I am,
Yes, your answer does count.

OK, for all the (supposed) pendants out there:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/proof

Oh great! it's pedants .

Answer 1

a) there is no god

there is also no absolute proof, but you don't ask for absolute proof for invisible pink unicorns too. Why not? Because the whole thing is ridiculous.

Answer 2

You shouldn't use the word proof, which only applies to mathematics and logic. There is no evidence for God.

The probability of a closed system just existing with no exterior context is 2^ (-b) where b is the Kolmogorov complexity in bits. Since Theists define a god with infinite complexity the likelihood of that type of god just existing for entirely no external reason at all is zero.

This is why I suspect reality as a whole is extremely simple, and we are the result of a profound selection effect. You don't solve the problem of complexity with a greater complexity.

Answer 3

1. I am a theist, but I agree with (b).
There is no proof in science or in nature. I think proof only exists in mathematics, or any fully human-defined world.
There are many theories in science, but no theorem, while there are many theorems in mathematics.

2. To say (b) ==> (a) is incorrect, but not(b) ==> not(a) is correct.
Furthermore, the concept of "no" is usually unprovable, especially in a non-definite and not bounded domain.

3. One can say (a) is a belief or faith.
However, to say (a) because there is proof is wrong. It can only be a choice or conclusion subjectively made according to a set of evidences.
Similarly, I believe there is God, but I don't have proof. It is my conclusion according to the set of for and against evidences that I have encountered.

4. However, as to the details and characteristics of God, most theists do not agree.

Answer 4

Proof only exists in formal mathematics.
There is no evidence for any gods.
There is a lot of evidence that the Hebrew Bible is just the myths of the ancient Hebrews. Jehovah/Yahweh is no more real, and no more deserving of worship, than Zeus. Why do people worship a god that was so immoral as to demand blood sacrifices, to condone slavery, and to mass kill innocent people because of the crimes ('sins') of some people? Religion is the delusion that myth is true, and continues only because religious people raise their children so they remained trapped in the delusion.

Answer 5

I think you have your groups mixed up really,and of course some people in those groups have it mixed up too. After all the leap to Atheist would mean you have already decided there is no God,whereas those who say there's no proof fall more into the Agnostic camp really. But however you look at it one feeds into another,after all wouldn't you believe there is no God because there's no proof? So why does it have to be one or the other?

AD

Answer 6

There is no god, because all scientific knowledge collected points to this statement. If someone were to provide concrete proof that God existed, I would 'believe' - then again, religion wouldn't be a collection of 'beliefs' any more, because there'd be proof.

Answer 7

god is perfect right? god would not just hide in the wings and let everyone wonder about his her or its existence, if he made sense. if people say there are pink elephants pissing on our heads be we cant see or feel them or their piss then what are we supposed to believe? Or some little person from fiji says you go to some lower planes of existence because you dont follow the code of buddha then we just believe what he says. Have you heard of 'spinning the bone'? Spinning the bone can be applied to the organised religions.

Answer 8

Athiests: Both.
Agnostics: B.

Me.... I'm with the Athiests on this one, at least in the context of the question.
But furthermore, "B" applies to all "existence"... as proof effectively cannot exist, and there is no such knowable thing as objective reality...
O'course.... reality as we believe we know it seems to be fairly consistant.... something which the whole "god" matter clearly is not.

Answer 9

Both. The fact that there is no proof means that the concept of "god" is about as valid as the concept of santa claus, the easter bunny, the flying spaghetti monster or superman. All these concepts are fictional. Some are more entertaining than others, though.

Answer 10

Well, the only thing I can be scientifically and logically sure about is b) (no proof either for, nor against). The jump from b) to a) is rather a matter of personal choice, lazyness, happyness, pessimism, optimism, positivism, ...negativism, or whatever. Especially whatever.