"Lack of evidence" and evidence that something does not exist, are two completely different things. I will give you an example, two thousand years ago we had a complete lack of evidence, even comprehension that electrons existed. I think everybody will agree that they still did exist, despite the fact that there was a lack of evidence. People seem to forget this fact, and associate this "lack of evidence" with clear cut proof that there for God must not exist. A lack of proof justifies not believing in God, but that is not the same as stating that no God(s) exist, that is on an entirely different level.
Justification of ?lack of belief? applies to negative atheism only, because the negative atheist does not claim the position is absolute or universal.
Positive atheism however is the position that this notion is absolute and universal, a notion that is neither verifiable nor observable. You can only ?know? if you have obtained all possible knowledge, hence your position requires faith.
Some will say, well I might as well believe in fairies too. I am not arguing that you should believe in God, I am merely stating that you cannot ?know? he does not exist.
Some will say no it is a lack of belief. What you have really done though is probably justified non belief in several specific God(s) (hopefully) and hold the countless remaining God(s) under the umbrella of this justification.
Others say the big bang theory justifies lack of belief; sure big bang theory can be used as a justification of that position, in the same way that a creationist might use the world as proof of creationism. Neither actually provide any evidence as to the existence of God(s) .
I am not arguing for the existence of God, nor am I having a go at Atheism or anything along those lines. I am merely arguing the necessity of faith even in science, specifically the science related to verifying the non-existence of God(s). It is rational, scientifically speaking, to hold the existence of God(s) as unknowable or irrelevant, but to state non-existence requires utilization of faith, and thus is a belief. It was Einstein himself that maintained the necessity of faith in science.
"But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame (crippled), religion without science is blind." (Albert Einstein, 1941)
Your thoughts?
@Ricardo I was by no means trying to be insulting, If I was I sincerely apologies. Perhaps because this is over the Internet it gave off a bitter vibe, but I promise that was by no means the case =]
And I agree with you, too each his own in my opinion.
The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description . If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. (Albert Einstein)
In the Kalama Sutra, Buddha says.
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it..
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
Matthew 17:20
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Of Course, Christians can't even move a Mustard Seed, so they either have no faith, or it's extremely weak, I dunno how they claim this faith will get them into Heaven.
If only Christians knew what Faith really was, instead of confusing it with Belief.
Faith is a mental factor whose primary purpose is to remove doubt, doubt can only be experienced Thur meditation, once "doubt" is realized, the awareness that it is there requires the strength of concentration to prevent it from becoming controlling. Only when this has occurred one can say they have experienced faith, albeit a very small amount of faith. Which is why in Buddhism, we practice complex visualizations to increase the chances of doubt, so we can develop our powers of concentration which make our faith stronger.
The Fundamentals of Meditation Practice
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/chanmed1.pdf
Given a total lack of evidence for something, the most reasonable stance is that it does not exist. As with any empirical claim, this can be revised with future evidence.
2. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
21. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.
Jeremiah Chapter 22
29. O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
John Chapter 1
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Romans Chapter 10
17. So then faith [comet] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1 Timothy Chapter 6
12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Hebrews Chapter 11
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
1 John Chapter 4
12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dweller in us, and his love is perfected in us.
John Chapter 5
43. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
44. How can ye believe, which receive hon our one of another, and seek not the hon our that [comet] from God only?
John Chapter 8
31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;
32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
I disagree. We can use the attributes given to any god to prove that god does not exist. Take for example the God of Abraham. It is stated many times in the Bible that the God of Abraham is omnipresent. We can use science, in this case physics to prove that the God of Abraham cannot possibly be omnipresent. We know that no two objects can occupy the same place at the same moment in time, so the God of Abraham either is not omnipresent or he does not exist. You can apply the same logic to God?s omniscience. God cannot possible be omniscient if freewill exists ? that is a paradox. So either God is not omniscient, or freewill is just an illusion or God does not exist.
It does not require any faith at all to assert that the God of Abraham does not exist. All it requires is a bit of knowledge and rational thought.
You are correct, for as far as I could read that diatribe, but we are not coming to you and saying that there is a lack of evidence, you are coming to us and saying god is real and we want him in the schools. We simply ask for evidence of that god and since you cannot come up with any we say then there is a lack of evidence. If you want to believe, then do so. If you want ME to believe, then bring me evidence. If don't or can't then you have a lack of evidence. We have not given you proof of evidence of non-existence but we are still saying that you lack any evidence of what you want us to believe.
Our universe is the work of a Creator. It was fashioned by Him according to a plan and, in its functioning, all instrumentality is His alone. Just as every atom of the universe is obedient to the will of God, so also does it be hove human beings to lead their lives in submission to His wishes.
?Is there any doubt about God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?? (Jonah: 14) Here the Quran appears to be posing a question, but it is, of course, a rhetorical one. It indicates that the very existence of the heavens and the earth are concrete evidence of God?s creativity, thus proving His existence beyond any shadow of doubt. This idea is further elaborated in the Quran. ?Do not those, who disbelieve, see that the heavens and the earth were one piece joined together, then we cleaved them asunder??(21:30)
It has been estimated that the present radius of the universe is at least ten thousand million light years. Cosmology has revealed that the universe is not static, but is expanding at an even speed on all sides in an ever-continuing process. About the expanding universe, we are told in The Final Testament (i.e. The Quran): ?We have built it (Universe) with power. Verily. We are expanding it.?(51:47)It refers to the expansion of the Universe in totally unambiguous terms. It has been deduced from this that the universe must at some stage in the past have been in an embryonic stage. According to certain cosmologists, the entire universe was initially in the form of a ?super atom?, all of whose elements were pulled inward by irresistible forces. About fifteen billion years ago, this primary matter underwent an explosion, or energy release, as a result of which the particles of the ? super atom? broke away from their cent re and started expanding on all side in such a way that the present universe was brought into being. The forces operating inside the super atom before the ?energy release? were consistently those of pulling and shrinking inwards. The outward journey of the particles, in contravention of their own principles, could only be the result of interference by outside force or agency. This extraordinary occurrence compels one to accept the existence of an independent power, extraneous to the universe, which is the source of all powers and which by deliberate design, caused this otherwise inexplicable movement of primary matter. ?Had there been in them (the heavens and earth) gods beside the One God, there would have been disorder in both of them.? (The Glorious Quran, 21:22)
The Quranic words would appear to refer to this particular occurrence in the universe and prove that this supernal power, although multiple in form, is one in essence. For those who have never made a study of this subject, it may seem a matter of astonishment that all of the physical sciences confirm the universe?s being subject to a single law. It follows that the laws that operate on this earth also hold good for all of the heavenly bodies. It was this basic assumption which gave human beings the impetus to spend billions and billions on the construction of space machines, and also gave them the courage to land them on the Moon and Mars according to an organized and well though-out plan. If there had been no such single law operative in the entire universe with such perfect exactitude, the telescopes on earth would not have been able to scan a distance of eight thousand million light years. Without this law, our physical sciences would suddenly lose all relevance. The fact of the universe being governed by such a unified law points unmistakably to the conclusion that it has been designed, and is controlled, by one God alone. Had it been controlled by several gods (or ?forces?), it would surely have been plagued by disorder, it would have been disorganized by the inevitable conflicts between several ?gods?. There would have been one law operating on this earth and quite different laws on other planets. But our physical observation confirms that a single law governs all objects, and that the universe adheres strictly to this principle. The Quran expresses it thus: ?It is He (God) who has created everything, and has determined the due proportion of everything? (25:2).
Question about Atheism and faith?
