I mean, they go to such lengths here. Redefining atheism to mean belief in no gods to make it a positive claim when it is actually a rejection of a claim.
Now we got questions to the effect of "I don't believe in atheism, therefore I don't have a burden of proof."
Are theists admitting when they do this that there is no evidence for gods at all?
?
Favorite Answer
It's the same way anyone tries to shift focus in a losing argument. It's like in global warming, deniers used to say "there's insufficient evidence" and now that there is they just say "im not a scientists so I can't presume to know the answer"
User
1) Why are theists so desperate to shift the burden of proof?
For the very same reason that non-theists are.
2) I mean, they go to such lengths here. Redefining atheism to mean belief in no gods
Well now...who is it that is redefining "atheism"?
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/atheism
Clearly that *is* what "atheism" means.
3) to make it a positive claim when it is actually a rejection of a claim.
Adopting a non-standard definition of "atheism" and then claiming that others have changed the definition is - well, ridiculous. Logically, differentiating between a positive and negative claim is also rather ridiculous.
4) Now we got questions to the effect of "I don't believe in atheism, therefore I don't have a burden of proof."
That is terrible reasoning. The correct (logical) reasoning is, "Whether I do or don't believe in something, I don't have a burden of proof regarding that belief or that something."
5) Are theists admitting when they do this that there is no evidence for gods at all?
Only if you are redefining several additional standard English words!
Think Different
It is obvious that what some regard as proof others deny. Some like to claim it is a circular argument but, I disagree. Many people find other things like ghost, having a soul, big foot, the loch ness monster etc. believable. They may attribute claims as evidence however when one investigates these claims of evidence it is found they are more claim than evidence. In fact assumptions built on stories. All religions are this way. Of course those who believe in them will flatly deny and continue to claim their reasoning is evidence however it is not just atheist that demand better proof theist of other religions demand better proof. If any religion could prove their claims I think the world would have but one religion. No doctrine or scripture has been able to justifiably prove the existence of any god. They are all claims based on stories told by people who are no longer around. They offer no merit in terms of record other than stories. Stories that were recorded generations after the proposed claimed events in most cases. This type of grapevine news reporting would have little claim in today's events. Today we live in the information age and still with all the instant technology available to us claims on a current event can be reported falsely by professional people trained to do just that job. The Bible and all other scriptures are profoundly over rated in their ability to give accurate accounts for many reasons. They were not recorded timely, much has been lost in language, in translation, in having been rewritten and by other influences such as denomination or sects. The point of burden remains to be on those who claim something exist that that they can not prove in a repeated demonstration or with the senses. All theist have to do is demonstrate god exist. NOT for us to imagine or believe but, through physical, demonstrable means.
Anonymous
I'll offer that the etymologically satisfying "ghedh" can be expressed as the mathematical statement "god hat" with the proof of the value p=1. Where is your proof or evidence that there is no god aside from testimony? "There is no god" is an affirmation that requires a burden of proof of the absence of god.
You can get away with soft atheism, but mathematically, that's just agnosticism. The burden of proof is on you. We have offered ours.
savanah
Im a former aithiest and I don't think about it. I really don't care. I'm on here so I'll just keep existing I guess. I don't care tbh