Why do so many christians confuse "ignorance" with "evidence"?

Question

I've seen it so often here......christians suggesting that the apparent lack of an explanation for something is evidence of god's existence.

The ID crowd are particularly guilty of this, saying our lack of understanding of something or other (that's invariably been explained anyway) is proof of a "designer".

Why don't they understand that using god to fill gaps in our knowledge does not qualify as proof of his existence?

Why don't they have the pateince to accept that just as we have learnt much over the last few thousand years, there is much that we will learn in the next few thousand and beyond?

Answer 1

Proofs are missing on both sides of the court. You are right. Lack of evidence does not constitute proof. What it does do is keep the question open. Lack of evidence quite simply means we do not know. Maybe it was the act of a creator, maybe it was random chance. We can't prove either argument so both are still valid as possible truth.
If you read my post in this forum then you know I usually take this stance. The only difference is that the faith I have is in the existence of a creator. The faith atheist have is in the lack of one. Neither side can point to a fact that resolves anything so were all creatures of faith one way or another. If we care at all about the answers that is.

Answer 2

Pastor Billy says: can I get an, Amen brother? Fact is... Protestantism got it's start attacking Catholicism that is why non-Catholic Christianity is called Protestant or "reform theology" To be Protestant is not necessarily to be pro-Christian as much as it is to be anti-Catholic. The irony is this... Protestantism is not true unless it is not Catholicism whereas Catholicism is always true without having to be not-Protestant. In other words Catholicism doesn't find truth in having to prove Protestantism wrong as it is orthdoxy and truth is intrinic to it. addition: One small thing I forgot to add, in a majority of cases Protestantism doesn't really protest Catholicism but a cariacture of it. I just read the answer from someone 2 posts before mine and she seems to think Catholics are not taught correctly on Jesus lol. I have to assume she has been fed the typical misinformation, slander and propaganda that has been circulating amongst Protestants since the Protestant conception some 450 years ago. addition #2, I find myself having to return here and make additional comments as I read other peoples incomplete answers. Someone has mentioned Foxes book of Martyrs as proof against the goodness of Catholicism lol. The irony on this piece of evidence is... the entire first half of the book only contains stories of Roman Catholic saints who are to this day still venerated by Catholics and not Protestants. The person attempting to use this as evidence is confused about why it was written and when. It was written during Tudor England as propaganda to support the persecution of Catholics at the hands of Protestants upset with the civil reign of Mary Tudor who attempted to return England to it's Catholic roots after the death of her brother Edward. Mary was labelled bloody Mary because of the retribution against certain individuals who had persecuted Mary and her mother Catherine during the time of Edward and her father Henry VIII. What is most interesting is that during the reign of Elizabeth I her half sister more people were murdered and disappeared under Protestant rule. So much for Foxe's book.

Answer 3

I would like to state, though I would like to believe in God and the bible as being fact, there are too many variables, I believe in evolution, but, because of lack of knowledge and evidence, early man had to have a story of how we came about, hence invented Adam and Eve, or...... they could not have been the only ones, there may have been Graeme and Doris, and Harry and Mavis etc etc. Far too much begetting went on in that book to make it all good, and Christians I know, after being questioned by myself re: there is a lot of contradiction in the Bible, well they tell me, in the old testament, they had it wrong, but corrected themselves in the new testament, I find that a very bitter pill to swallow, as, Christianity changed it's mind? I don't think so, one should either accept the book as a whole, not in the bits one chooses to pick out and run with. Don't you think?

Answer 4

Even Doctors and Einstein have been known to fall back on God when faced with a brick wall or getting the rug pulled out from under them.

How does a heart surgeon who does the SAME method day in and day out deal with a patient who won't kick over after 10 hours of valve surgery when that patient was young and a class A candidate.

What are your options. Science is fallable. The Doctor goofed. God just said NO.

Answer 5

Why don't they have the pateince to accept that just as we have learnt much over the last few thousand years, there is much that we will learn in the next few thousand and beyond?

Why is it that you can't apply that advice to your own knowledge of God?

Answer 6

i really dont feel like explaining in depth. the point is that humans make mistakes just as those scientists are making now. i mean come on.. the big bang, evolution from monkeys and the primortial soup.. its stupid. do you seriously think a big bang could have made humans as perfect as we are? our hearts and stomachs and stuff i mean.. they say that cave men were the first to roam the earth and yet they say that we evolve from monkey. how could we if humans were here first? hmm.. interesting huh? and you just said yourself, we have not learned that much over the past few thousand years so how do the scientists know all that stuff about us? they say that all the insides of humans match that of a monkey. if they know so much about human anatomy how come we have not seen a cure for cancer? and i know you are thinking, if God is so great why doesnt he make a cure for cancer.. well the question revolves.. if scientists are so great how come they have not come up with one?

Answer 7

Grace (not law) unto you, and peace (not division),
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus->Christ.

Indeed, but it's not only many X-ians who are ignorant.
Let's also look at science, to also see their ignorance.

Science discovered, via ww seek & find, that the only thing common to man ww is a legend, notably a legend of the flood(deluge). But science also proved the flood was not ww. Scientists also change their findings to get more grant $. Scientists disagree amongst themselves as oft as McCoys of Hatfields vs McCoys. No consensus among "carnal" ppl.

NBC script writers of Noah's Ark TV Movie (spawned by science discovering the only thing common to man was a legend of the flood) got it soooo wrong, that it was an outrage to all bible readers. God and LORD are contrary as 2 and 7. Clever Noah did BOTH: all God commanded AND all the LORD commanded, and it got him saved + destroyed after; inducted into the hall of shame (Hebrews 11), not fame: these all died and received not the promises nor the promise.

God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace.
LORD is [the author] of confusion, and not peace.

God canNOT be one by division; But is one by unity.
So dividead God on high should be flushed as dung.
God in heaven: higher than heavens, is not dividead.

There is NO respect of persons with God. NONE!
There is only such 'foolish' partiality 'against' God.

We all are "one". Sadly, so far it's "one proselyte".
One proselyte: twofold: more the CHILD of hell(law).
Such like is what's made by another law of law law.
Another law makes ppl feel wretched, then kills em.

As for "evidence", we know evidence can be sow-ed.
Those notorious for planting false evidence are cops.
So let's look at all the evidence to see what's EVIDENT:
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God(Grace).

If justified by the law, then fallen, from grace to law: Gal 5.
If fallen to law, then Christ(the end of the law) of no effect.
If Christ of no effect to you, then you're end is a dead end.

The GRACE(ONLY) of our Lord J->C with you->all. Amen.

Answer 8

This applies to God too. I am happy to believe now, but there will be more to come what comes to God. I need to make my decision now, I do not have hundreds and thousands of years to poke more evidence.

I do not say it is easy to believe in God. I am glad it is easy to me.

Answer 9

Do you really believe that mankind is going to be here in the next few thousand years? Do you have that much faith in an as yet to be unforseeable future?

Answer 10

ok buddy, because humans have learned so much is why history keeps repeating itself over and over again...look at the state of this sickening planet and you wanna glorify evil humanity!! Your finite humanism and science and theories are ignorance with pseudo-evidence! All the people in power that want what they call 'cattle' like you and me to believe in is themselves not GOd, and you swallow it hook, line and sinker! Yet all the people in the world with power and influence all believe in and loyally worship evil spirits and take part in satanic rituals on a regular basis! Whether you believe in the truth or not, this is what's going on and it always has been for eons....isn't it funny that the people that want you to deny God and promote humanistic/godless ideologies all have pledged blood-curdling oath's to lucifer and his entourage! The original lie of lucifer to humans is this very thought, that you don't need God and can become one yourself, as long as you only believe in yourself you're really on lucifer's side and are perfect fodder for his coming NWO with his antichrist that I'm sure you'll worship in all your humanistic/godless splendour!