How can anyone be certain that there is no God?

Question

I see alot of atheists in here. By definition that means you have proven to yourself that god is impossible. I'd like to understand your argument. Please help me by using facts that I can research.

Great answers so far. Sarcasms aside.
However I'm not religious or a christian.
I'm simply trying to understand atheism and what it's based on. I know you cannot prove a negative. I did not mean provide scientific conclusive evidence, just arguments that aren't "Yo Mama" in nature. I didn't say proven to everyone. I said proven to yourself.

Answer 1

It's simple logic. I know god doesn't exist the same way I know unicorns and the tooth fairy don't exist.

I'll assume you're referring to a christian version of this "god" character, but what makes anyone so certain that Zeus, Jupiter, or Odin aren't real? The only proofs for the existence of this god are written in a book originally penned in order to define one's faith in him.... This logic would render any fictional character real by virtue of the work of fiction that invented it. Might as well be praying to Harry Potter as to any one "god".......

Answer 2

Really? You'd be an agnostic then?

Is THAT the definition... damn, my bad, I've been going with "No belief in the supernatural at all"... never did bother with proving there is no god, apart from being impossible...it'd never end.

Assuming "god" is the abrahamic god, and it takes me a year to prove the negative... there's thousands of others to disprove next... and then we get to the micro gods, what if there's a god of left socks and they go missing thru rapture...Or maybe god isn't all powerfull, or he is but only on tuesdays, between 2-4pm.. I'd be doing that all my life.. That'd leave me no time for drinking, doesn't seem too constructive.


This defintion of yours that you so kindly told me I should adhere to does change things a bit, let me think...

There's nothing that requires god,

There's no evidence of such an entity,

There's no logical way for such a being to exist,

There's no observable effect god has on the world,

All the claims about god can easily be disproven, and have been already...


I'd have to say, I haven't proven to myself god is impossible. There might be some supernatural being that is called god by his friends... he could be disguised as a rock, and use his superpowers to make himself look like a rock to all tests imaginable... so it's pretty hard to prove he doesn't exist... or does.

You do realize that the person who makes the insane claim needs to prove it? Or are you claiming you don't believe in the invisible dragon in my garage? You must at least admit it's possible... unless you've proven to yourself she's impossible.

Are you happy now? Did you feel like you won something? Does this question make you feel a bit silly? Honestly?

Answer 3

There are no concrete facts or proof EITHER way on the God issue. Why don't you prove to me that God DOES exist? You can't prove a negative, that God does not exist, and atheists do not make the claim that God does not exist, by the way. And you are wrong about atheists and what they believe. They do not deny the existence of God, just the belief in one or more Gods. The word literally means antithiest, which is more along the lines of rejecting religion.

Answer 4

A couple of things that might help you understand our point-of-view.

1. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (Carl Sagan). I see *no* evidence for a god. Everything that is pointed to me as "evidence" I can see having a simpler explanation.

1.5 Every single god I've ever examined, has been proven to be false.

2. Forgive the analogy but it's the quickest way to help you understand. Ready? I am certain that Johnny Depp doesn't have a crush on me. Now it COULD be true. It MIGHT be. But the chance is so small and the idea so ridiculous, that I count it as being a True thing. In addition, I am CERTAIN that while you drive your car later today, the road won't turn to swiss cheese as you drive on it. Now, I can't be 100% sure of this. Reality may totally shift and ... roads may turn to cheese. But I am so absoluely sure this won't happen that I count it as something that is "not possible." Ditto God.

Answer 5

You need to have a particular view of the world to posit an entity such as God. God is not simply a very powerful being. In order to call that being God, you also must posit the idea that moral actions are ultimately moral; that is to say, that actions are not moral or immoral because of their effects, but because they are moral or immoral in and of themselves. In such a world-view, it makes sense to posit a God, that is to say a being at the top of the moral hierarchy, which is the ultimate guarantor of the nature of morality. So that God is not just a powerful being, but a moral concept as well.
If your world-view does not include this idea of morality, i.e. if you view morality as the effects, rather than the nature of actions, this concept of God does not really fit into your idea of reality at all. Atheists are not the only ones to think that way. Buddhists and Hindus don't have an ultimately moral God either. The concept simply does not fit in their view of the Universe.
So even though rationally, the non-existence of a being can not be demonstrated (indeed you can not demonstrate the non-existence of unicorns), the mental universe of a lot of people is simply too far away from the idea of an ultimate moral guarantor. Their world makes just as much sense as yours, except that it is a very different way of seeing the world.

Answer 6

You can't be certain that there is a God but I believe and this is because there are things that have happened. My father had a heart attack when I was five and he was dead for sure. He had no pulse and the doctors were about to call a time of death. My mother just prayed and he came back after she insisted on surgery. He's been alive now for 12 years and I hope he maked it for another 30! I can only say it was God.

Answer 7

How can anyone be certain that there is a God?

Please use scientific facts and logical arguments to prove the existence of God. The Bible is not an appropriate source, as it has been heavily edited by people of different centuries to best suit their needs.

Answer 8

It is impossible to prove a negative, as all atheists, scientists, philosophers and theologians would agree.

However the default position when the existence of god (or anything else) is in doubt is that it does NOT exist until proof is provided to the contrary.

If religionists believe god exists then they must prove it. Until they do then the existence of god is and will remain a matter of faith [faith being defined as the belief in something despite (a) the total lack of supporting evidence or (b) the presence of contrary evidence].

Answer 9

Behind every effect there is a cause, yet atheism must ascribe powers of Deity to matter, including self creation or eternal preexistence, while also striving with religious blindness to explain way the abundant and on going empirical evidence of the reality and resurrection of Christ.

Below are just a few examples of such, which overall (some better than others) testify to the Cause being Christ, by souls who realized effects that correspond to the claims of the Object of their faith, and are contingent upon obedience to Him!

http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/
http://www.truthsaves.org/testimony/
http://www.christian-faith.com/truestories.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4136610474021109864
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3682855866783766146
http://www.shelovesgod.com/library/testimonies.cfm
http://breadsite.org/topics.htm

(Acts 3:19) "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

Answer 10

You're wrong about what atheism means. It doesn't mean that I've proven all imaginable gods impossible, it simply means that I don't believe in any gods.

It's no different than how you dismiss the thousands of other gods out there out of hand. I just do the same thing to your god too.