Do testimonies count as evidence?

Answer 1

In the courtroom they do.

Answer 2

Eyewitness testimony counts as evidence in court. A statement of belief of guilt/innocence does not. But, as I'm sure you know, even eyewitness testimonies are far from the best evidence. People can lie, people can deceive themselves, etc. The best evidence in court is hard, scientific data.

Similarly, a testimony of a supposed eyewitness to some supernatural phenomenon is worth considering. A statement of belief in the supernatural is not. And again, these witnesses could be lying, recounting a dream/hallucination, or otherwise deceiving themselves. Here again, the best evidence is scientific data.

Answer 3

I am not sure as to how they would answer, but I would seriously be interested to see how this question would be answered under the law/legal section (or similar).

The only reason I would be interested is to see the answers in a perspective that takes religious overtones out of the answer. There may be to many inclined to answer yes based on their personal beliefs and to many to answer no based on their personal beliefs. How would a person answer this if they didn't know it was implying testimonies as evidence, evidence for God? Would we then get the true consensus?

Answer 4

Reese are you waiting for a sign? Are you waiting for someone to say "here is the evidence," or "right here, Jesus is right here!" I mean it's not going to happen Reese. I mean Jesus came and did many miracles 2000ish years ago, sorry you weren't there. I mean seriously can I call you a hypocrite? Can I say to you show me evidence that the sun is comprised of mostly hydrogen! Show me evidence that Christopher Columbus ever stepped foot in North America! Show me evidence that there ever really was a King James of England. Sure you can point to the Internet or some history book out there and say here it is, but is that really "evidence?" Or maybe you have a crown with the initials KJ on them would that really be evidence. Dude seriously you will not have the evidence until Jesus comes, then you'll see, but then what will you do?

Answer 5

It does in a court of law. Since you're obviously in R&S, I'm assuming you're referring to testimonies of a religious nature. Uh, helpful hint - what is evidence in science is not quite the same in things like history, the historical method, historiography, the philosophy of history; so, whatever you might think or believe, the scientific method used in science is demonstrably different from the Legal/Historical Method in piecing together the past. Obviously, history cannot be repeated in the laboratory, or is observable. Obviously.
Hope this helps your question in terms of someone's testimony as to what happened to them in the past, religious or otherwise.

Answer 6

A dictionary defines the noun witness as an “attestation of a fact or event: [a] testimony.” The term witness bears special significance when applied to the word of God. In the Bible we read this important declaration: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” This assures God’s children that divine doctrines are confirmed by more than one scriptural witness.

Answer 7

Your question makes no sense. Testimony of what?
Evidence of what?

Answer 8

Testimonies are nothing more than stories about "why religion makes me feel good". They are not testable, observable, nor scientific in nature, and are not suitable evidence to support ones cause.

Answer 9

No

I could make up a testimony and you wouldn't know the difference. evidence is something that can't be altered easily.

Answer 10

In court? Yes, as long as it is compatable with available evidence.

In science? No. In science, evidence must be repeatable, testable, and verifiable. If it's not, then it is irrelevant.

Answer 11

If you are speaking about testimony as in court proceeding as in expert witness. yes. Have a good day.