Does a person claiming God does not exist have the burden of proof?

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VanDisease	Does a person claiming God does not exist have the burden of proof? I heard from a theist that when an atheist claims that God does not exist, he (atheist)has the burden of proof to prove that there is no God because he is making a claim. What can you say Sir?
	asked on Monday, Dec 29, 2014 06:06:37 AM by VanDisease
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Answers

Bo Bennett, PhD

I agree with the theist. There is a difference between these two scenarios regarding burden of proof:

A:
Person 1: "God exists"
Person 2: "I don't believe that is true"

B:
Person 1: "God does not exist"

In both scenarios, person 1 has the burden of proof because they are the one making the claim. Some try to argue that in scenario B, since the person is making a negative claim that they are free from the burden of proof. This is not the case. The person would be obligated to provide evidence in the form of absence or proof of impossibility.

It is worth mentioning the difference between epistemology and ontology here. Most atheists would say that they don't believe God exists (epistemology) rather than God does not exist (ontology). The former is a reflection of belief and the latter a claim of existence, which certainly requires justification and support.

answered on Monday, Dec 29, 2014 06:45:31 AM by Bo Bennett, PhD

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0	VanDisease writes: Thanks for answering. This was my question I asked a few years ago using that old account. It is great to see the site has survived and is expanding. Great help.
	posted on Thursday, Nov 19, 2020 02:52:36 AM