"God doesn't Exist"- Claim or Conclusion

[FatAndFaithless]

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Gotta agree with Steve here.  "God does not exist" is an assertion, which requires evidence of its own to support it - not simply a lack of evidence for the contrary.  The null hypothesis in this situation is rejecting both the assertion "God exists" and the assertion "God does not exist."  This, simply, is (weak) atheism, which is what I hold to.

While "God does not exist" may be an assertion it is still unreasonable to ask for evidence to support it for the simply matter that things which don't exist are not there to leave behind any evidence that they don't exist.  That's why claims of non-existence get kind of sticky.  Yes, technically it is an assertion, but you can not both ask for evidence something does not exist while also choosing not to except lack of evidence of existence.  Lack of evidence for existing is actually the only evidence even possible for a claim like the existence of a given deity.  Hell, even if you built a time machine and went back through all of history and proved, point by point, that every miraculous account in the Bible was false you would still only be presenting "lack of evidence" that the miracles happened because you couldn't bring video of an event not happening.

Actually, I can sum up what you're asking in a single, ridiculous sentence.  "I'm not gay and I have a picture of me not being gay to prove it!"  Figure out what's wrong with that statement and you'll figure out what's wrong with asking for evidence for non-existence other than lack of evidence of existence.

Yeah, proving something's non-existence is a difficult, ill-defined, and often impossible process.

That's why I wouldn't defend the assertion "God does not exist."  That was my whole point.  It's an assertion in support of which no evidence can be adduced - I might personally lean towards that being true, but in any real discussion I wouldn't use that as my starting point because I know I wouldn't be able to justify it in any satisfactory manner.