What would you accept as evidence of God?

Question

Let's say the power of prayer could be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Is that sufficient evidence to believe in God?

Just curious. I personally do not believe prayer works.

Answer 1

i guess that would be a good start.

Answer 2

If "power of prayer" could be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, it would still not be evidence of the existence of God unless it could also be proven that it was God acting on the prayers.
I think there actually might be something (to a degree) to the efficacy of prayer. In the same way that having a positive outlook can aid in overcoming illness. I think that there is some evidence to indicate that different states of mind can produce measurable changes in the body, some positive some negative. Doesn't mean that those changes are being produced by a magical invisible man in the sky.
To directly answer the question, I'd have to be able to actually see God himself perform some sort of act that could only be performed by a deity. A "miracle".

Answer 3

Well, if God showed up at my door and introduced himself, that would be a good start.

I don't find it plausible that an omniscient omnipotent being that wanted to be known would hide himself. The typical response to this objection, 'free will', does not address that problem, because you can not make an informed free will decision without any knowledge on which to base it.

Regarding the power of prayer, well controlled studies have already debunked this. There is no statistically measurabel effect of prayer on healing.

Answer 4

Most people claim the power of prayer on the ill, even though they're on medication, and then say it was all Gods healing. If you show me a cancer patient who isn't on any medication, no chemo therapy or anything like that, just the 'power' of prayer and they get fully healed, than that would be sufficient. You show me a man walking on water, that would be sufficient. You show me a man rising from the dead, than I would believe. Unfortunately nothing like that has happened, so for now, I can't.

Answer 5

I don't think it's enough. I do believe in the power of prayer to some extent. Not so much, "God, help me pass my trig test." More along the lines of a large group of people focusing their energies (aka "praying" for some, meditating for others, etc.) and whatever force that is having an affect on someone or something.

To me prayer in that aspect isn't attributed to god. It falls into the same realm as luck, premonitions, "gut" feelings, and other such noticables but thus far immeasurables.

Answer 6

There is no evidence that could be provided that wouldn't eventually have some natural explanation. The power of prayer would not be sufficient evidence.

If God came to me directly, how would I recognize it? A higher power does not mean it is God.

Answer 7

The term "god" needs to be defined first.

It would seem that the hundreds of different religions throughout history all have different ideas about what a god actually is.

Until you know what it is you are seeking evidence for, you cannot very well find evidence for it.

As for prayer... that would help, but it wouldn't rule out other possibilities. Could be advanced aliens answering our prayers for all we know... or even our dead loved ones... just as easily as it could be a god, anyway.

Answer 8

Beauty, mystery, love, etc.

Prayer can certainly be part of the "evidence"

Also, the moral law, which everyone abides by, believer or not.

The fact of existence itself. Why should anything exist at all? Why are there beings like you and I which strive for meaning? Strive for truth, goodness, beauty?

I suppose also miracles, though atheists are quite skeptical of those, understandably.

Answer 9

How, exactly, would you go about proving that prayer works beyond a shadow of a doubt?

Answer 10

My faith.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body. Faith is the firm assent of the soul to the divine revelation and every part of it, and sets to its seal that God is true. It is a full approbation of all that God has revealed as holy, just, and good; it helps the soul to make application of all to itself with suitable affections and endeavors; and so it is designed to serve the believer instead of sight, and to be to the soul all that the senses are to the body.

See? Faith! Have a blessed day!

Answer 11

There is no tangible, concrete evidence of the existence of God or the divinity of the Master in the legal sense, but not all inquiry for truth results in proof by real or demonstrative evidence. It is fallacious to argue that because there is no demonstrative evidence of the existence of God he does not in fact exist. In the absence of evidence often thought necessary by the scientific world for positive proof, our search may take is into the realm of circumstantial evidence. We could spend hours describing the wonders of the universe, of the earth, of nature, of the human body the exactness of the laws of physics, and a thousand things, all of which dictate to the conscience of a truth seeker that there is a creator and one who rules over the universe.

What would be the situation if the existence of God could be proven by demonstrative evidence? What would happen to the element of faith as the first step or principle of the gospel? One of the burdens of the teachings of the Master was to emphasize the importance of faith. Faith is the element that builds the bridge in the absence of concrete evidence. This is exactly what the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews was talking about when he referred to faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1.) In other words, faith is the assurance of the existence of a truth even though it is not evident or cannot be proved by positive evidence.

Suppose that all things could be proven by demonstrative evidence. What then would become of the element of faith? There would be no need for faith and it would be eliminated, giving rise then to this query: If faith is the first step or principle of the gospel and is eliminated, what happens to the gospel plan? The very foundation will crumble. I submit that there is a divine reason why all things cannot be proven by concrete evidence.

Those who doubt are prone to ask for proof or a sign that they might believe. The prophet Alma spoke to his people on this very subject and said to them, “Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.

“Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.”