How do I prove that something does not exist?

Question

I have seen many christians say "prove god does not exist?" Including christians "philosophers" like Allen Plantinga etc.

Please explain how to prove something does not exist under the scientific method. How is science taught at "christian" universities when the scientific method completely refutes your entire belief system?

Answer 1

This is a question that is the subject of many philosophical discussions along the lines of "can you prove that a purple cow does not exist". You cannot prove it scientifically, but you can say it is highly unlikely.

The burden of proof does not lie with you to prove the God does not exist, but on the believers to prove that he does. There is a saying in science "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". I think this applies to any claim that God exists.

Many philosophers feel that the existence of God is not provable and can only be accepted by someone who makes a "leap of faith". This means that they accept the existence of god without any proof -- only faith. (This always sounds like a cop-out to me).

Answer 2

You can prove something does not exist if you can define the object and the container. For example, I can prove that a physical apple is not in my hand by observation. The difficulty with proving a spiritual being exists is that we have no known way to observe spiritual beings. To further complicate matters is that we have preconceived notions of what God's essence is.

A 1st century scientist couldn't prove the existence of electrons. Taking that into account, imagine what science will be able prove 2000 years from now (if we don't kill ourselves off first)

"the scientific method completely refutes your entire belief system" - I don't believe that is the case

Answer 3

There's probably a better way than the scientific method. Any time anything is ever submitted for approval by the scientific community it's usually hounded under the table unless it conforms. There's too much human emotion flaring around, too many people's careers on the line, whether they admit it or not.

It's best to do your own studying, you'll find that science still hasn't discovered how lightning or tornadoes work.

Answer 4

No-one can prove if god does or does not exist. It's all about faith. If you believe in god, then for you god exists. If you don't believe then for you god does not exist.
The gods of the ancient world existed as long as people believed in them . When people stopped believing, the gods disappeared into the realms of myth and folklore.

Answer 5

That is a hard question.

The truth is, nothing can be proved to exist, we ourselves cannot be proved to exist.

We can compare this to a young childs game of soldiers, it is just a figment of imagination.

Things can be proved to exist in a template of nonexistence, for example block of cheese you have in your fridge, you can feel it, smell it, taste it, see it, does this mean it exists? How do you prove you exist to taste and smell etc, go through this sensing process again and again and it never ends; therefore nothing exists, and everything exists.

Answer 6

First, check the entire universe. Then, since we're talking about something which, by definition, if it exists, is invisible, intangible, and exists within everything, check everywhere else. If you haven't found it, they'll say you're not looking in the right way.

Answer 7

this is ridiculous because its the mirror effect again and again. prove he does not exist? prove evolution is fact. can you prove it one way or the other, no. Someone said prove, without scripture, that god exists. Well then, prove without science books that evolution does. If books were not written about evolution, how would you know abut it? how would you know about the deception chronicles?

Answer 8

You cant prove or disprove the existance of God using science.

Have you stupid Athiests ever heard of FAITH? Know what it means?

Not such a clever bunch you lot.

Answer 9

To prove God doesn't exist, we have to be able to know he exists first. If it hasn't been proven that God exists, then how can we disprove it?

Answer 10

Silliness is quite acceptable for christians, so they can claim whatever they want, pretend that it is science, and hope that someone will accept their drivel as scientific fact.