Atheists say there is no evidence for God?

Question

What constitutes evidence in your opinion? and why do you need evidence to believe? Is there some sort of benefit to not believing that you are after? in essence, even from a very objective view, Christianity advocates morality. but people still sin, and God hasn't struck them yet. so why are you worried?

Answer 1

I'll let God figure that out.



If any gods exist, and any of those existent gods wish for me to know that they exist, I'm sure they can be convincing. This includes the Christian god rather unimaginatively named "God". You've convinced me that you exist just from this question, and you're nowhere near being a god. I'm sure a god could be convincing if it wanted to be.



For me to believe that a god exists, I would have to be convinced that a god exists. I cannot just choose to be convinced.



There are two ways for me to be convinced, either through being convinced by evidence and reason, or just wanting so badly that a god exists that I am convinced that one exists whether it does or not. I'm not in the latter category, so I need some evidence and reason to be convinced.



Now, a god is supposedly super-intelligent and super-powerful, to the extent that it would know precisely what would convince me that it exists and precisely what would fail to convince me that it exists. If a god exists, it has apparently decided to be unconvincing to me, for whatever reason. Just as I have no real control over the fact that I believe you exist, I also have no real control over not being convinced that any gods exist.



Also, Christianity only offers a spoon-fed morality based loosely on the rantings of bronze-age zealots. There is little reason to condone it. If there was a god, I doubt it would think very highly of the Christian version of morality, either. Like I said, gods are supposed to be intelligent.

Answer 2

"What constitutes evidence in your opinion?"



1 - Direct observation of one or more deities.

2 - A sound deductive argument concluding the necessary existence of one or more deities.

3 - Observation of something that could only be explained by deities (I'll grant the possibility, but this one is most likely impossible).



"Is there some sort of benefit to not believing that you are after?"



No. It's just a matter of honesty.



"in essence, even from a very objective view, Christianity advocates morality. but people still sin, and God hasn't struck them yet. so why are you worried?"



Who said I'm worried? If I don't believe in a god, then of course I won't think that he'll strike people down.

Answer 3

"say there is no evidence for god". Right,there is none. So so much for your hypercritical situation.

What would constitute evidence to me is anything out side of the book they call the bible. It was written translated and re-written by man over hundreds of years. No proven facts to any of the stuff written in there. Non of that would stand up in any court in any land.

I am not worried about not believing, I am moral, and know right from wrong, I do not need a religion telling me this. I do not need to have a list of does and don't to pick from. I do not need or require the approval of any one else on how I should conduct my life.

The benefit is just knowing that I am not blindly following along with everyone else has only for the reason I should, and that someone or thing is going to judge me after I die. I do not feel the need to have to report to someone once a week or so and sit with other a blindly worship this god thing you speak of.

Answer 4

1) Well I can tell you what does not constitute evidence in my opinion, a book.



2) I need evidence to believe because it is just what seems logical to me. Without evidence it just seems silly.



3) Well for one I do not waste my time worshiping him, but really why do I need a benefit to not believe in him, I mean believing in him does not benefit me either.



4) Christianity may advocate morality, but quite a number of parts in the bible have Christian people doing highly unmoral things. Also, why do I need a religion to have morals? I have my own morals, I am smart enough to know what is right and wrong without somebody or something telling me.



5) I'm not worried I just can not believe in something based on faith.

Answer 5

1) thats correct there is no evidence.

2) evidence would be something clearly cannot be done by natural means, say the red sea splitting, or a city turning spontaniously to salt. These are clearly defined as god-like actions but they have yet to be observed and documented, only stories so far.

3) Why do I need evidence? The same reason you need evidence if I told you I would make you happy if you give me $100,000.

4) No benefit, just keeping my energies focused on what really matters.

5) Not worried at all.

Answer 6

Evidence is a good way to tell fact from fiction. If there is no evidence for the existence of something you need to ask why.



Now there is no evidence that fairies live in my garden so my position on them is I'll assume they don't exist until someone shows me some. If someone wrote a book talking about the lives of the fairies in my garden it wouldn't count as evidence as it is clearly a work of fiction as well. Saying something like how on earth does the dew get on the leaves without fairies to put it there isn't evidence either because you havent proved that dew requires fairies to put it there.



The position is EXACTLY the same for god, the universe and his supposed existence.

Answer 7

i don't necessarily need evidence it's just that the idea of a god makes no sense to me therefore i would only believe if there was evidence



and on the whole religious morality do you remember slavery?

or what about women or homosexuals

i mean have you actually read the bible (and or any other holy book)

Answer 8

Whatever constitutes evidence you only know it when it's there right in front of you and it's undeniable, and makes you find yourself believing. But the standards of knowledge of what constitutes good or bad evidence I guess is different for every person.

Answer 9

Anything can be evidence. If people who are prayed for are more likely to get better after surgery,(they don't) that would be good evidence. If Christians were more likely to survive natural disasters than non-Christians(they don't), that would be good evidence as well.



There are millions of possible ways to provide evidence of a God, and they all fall flat.

Answer 10

Atheists say that you need to have faith because no evidence that believers can present about the existance of God is suficiend for them. So my question is then why do they have so much "faith" in in evolution being true?



Faith is defined in the Bible as:



(Hebrews 11:1) 11 Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.



So whe can't see God but whe now that through his creation we can sse him. The way the universe works and even by studying a single cell, one is amazed by the complexity that could not posible be by chance. But with so much missing from the theory of evolution, so many missing links, one would need to have faith in the theory to believe that someday the missing links will be found and it will be proven true... SO even those who do not believe in God but believe in evolution have faith. Their faith may not be directed where it needs to be, but it is their belief even though they may deny to have faith.



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If you would like to know more about this and other themes, next time Jehovah's Witness come to your door, ask them for a free Bible study at your convenience. You will never regret all the knowledge you will acquire and remember that what you do with that knowledge is your choice.



Knowledge + Application = Wisdom

Answer 11

I need evidence or I can't see the point of believing. Its a passive position not an active one. I never believed so to change my beliefs I need convincing, not I originally believed and I decided not to.

Answer 12

Objective, verifiable, and falsifiable evidence is what we require. It takes no evidence to believe something. It does take evidence for me to accept something as true. Got any of this type of evidence?

Answer 13

If I told you I was answering your question from a secret outpost on the moon would you believe me?



Probably not right? So do you have a secret motive for not believing me, are you after some benefit, or do you simply find my claim to be ridiculous?

Answer 14

There is no evidence. Evidence shows reasoning/logic and science.

Answer 15

This is the circular reasoning trick that enables them to deny proof of God, rejecting the possibility of God from the outset, as when they define science as a search for naturalistic explanations, which means that it is a foregone conclusion that they will never discover evidence for the supernatural. There is no god because there's no proof, and no proof because any alleged has to be dismissed out hand since there can't be proof. There can't be proof because there is none and there is none because we wont let it be accepted.

Answer 16

'and why do you need evidence to believe?'



ok, with that in mind do you want to buy these magic beans I've got?

Answer 17

physical, tanglible, empirical "stuff" that supports or discounts hypothesis



Christianity doesnt advocate morality any better then buddhism.

Answer 18

The same evicence you would need to prove the existence of Zeus.

Answer 19

We say that because there isn't. Every single thing which occurs or can occur can be explained by natural mechanisms.

Answer 20

"and why do you need evidence to believe?"

So you realize you want reasons for why other people want reasons?

-1337skillz

Answer 21

christianity advocates morality? have you read the bible?

Answer 22

Blest are you who have not seen and yet believed.