2007-04-25 17:56:36 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
can you prove there is a God?
2007-04-25 18:17:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. Of course not. To prove that god doesn't exist, one must know everything, and to know everything, one must be a god. Paradox to the max!
You're not hoping that this somehow refutes atheism, are you? Because that's not the case. Atheism isn't necessarily the belief that god doesn't exist, it's just a lack of belief in god.
Elkejane:
No, that's not it at all. Striving toward perfection is something that all humans want, because it's a genetic predisposition, or possibly a societal meme. It has nothing to do with the omnipotent sky-daddy story.
Edit again: No, you're still wrong. The collective unconscious isn't evidence for a god. You forget that people have wild imaginations, and that we all came from the same set of genes. If desiring perfection is genetic, i.e. it makes the individual survive longer and pass on his/her genes better, then that would explain why it's so widespread. It's a successful gene. It's completely internal. I don't see how having a collective unconscious makes it external at all. That assertion makes absolutely no sense.
I can think about perfection, but that doesn't mean I believe in god. I can strive for perfection, but that doesn't mean that I believe in god. Perfection may exist, but that doesn't mean that I believe in god. God is some sort of transcendent, divine being. You don't need to believe in that to believe in perfection. The collective unconscious isn't evidence that this being exists.
I can conceive of something perfect. I can think about it. I can think about whatever I want. That doesn't mean that I believe in it. Realistically, perfection is an absolute. It's something to strive for, because it makes you better. You might never get there, but the closer you get, the stronger you become, the stronger your society becomes if it holds that value. If the society thinks that aspiring to perfection is a good idea, then it will last longer, be more successful, and grow larger.
I think it's funny that you say that if I conceive perfection, I must be a theist. I can conceive a god. That doesn't make him real. I can conceive the tooth fairy. I can conceive santa claus. I can conceive the easter bunny.
"Being able to conceive perfection is evidence that the perfection is external." - elkejane.
Erm. No... I can conceive whatever the hell I want, that doesn't mean it exists. Sure, perfection can only completely exist if there's a divine being, but I can imagine infinitely many impossible things that could only exist outside of me. I could conceive an apple with a rhino's horn that's reading Tolstoy, and I sure as hell can't become that, but that doesn't mean that it actually exists outside of me. Humans can think about things that don't exist in the real world. Your argument is ridiculous. Not mine.
2007-04-26 01:05:55 · answer #2 · answered by Dylan H 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The fact that anyone can conceive of God is evidence that He exists. Every individual is aware that he or she makes mistakes. By being aware that there are certain things that are better to do than others and also that he or she does not always do those better things means that there is an external concept of Perfection used to elucidate the better things. This means that everyone believes the concept of God (Perfection). Atheists have simply not thought thoroughly or logically about what they don't believe.
2007-04-26 01:17:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's not up to the non-believer to prove a negative. It's up to the person making an assertion to provide proof of existence. And the bible, while a nice but disturbing book of god stories, does not constitute proof.
2007-04-26 01:08:22 · answer #4 · answered by Rogue Scrapbooker 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Don't need to prove there is no god. It is an irrefutable fact that no credible objective evidence exist to prove he does exist.
2007-04-26 01:16:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
well, you cant prove that god does exist. thats the prove that god does not exist.
2007-04-26 01:24:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
There is no proof that god doesnt exist. But there is no proof that he exists either. So this argument will just go on for infinity.
2007-04-26 01:17:12 · answer #7 · answered by gr33n_3y3d_grrl 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. The burden of evidence is on the positive claim. It's on the theists.
2007-04-26 01:08:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
surely if you believe something is there, its on you to prove it.
2007-04-26 01:16:24 · answer #9 · answered by displacedlondoner 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
can anyone prove there is one?
2007-04-26 01:21:12 · answer #10 · answered by slaveof12gods 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋