(October 2, 2013 at 3:23 pm)Rational AKD Wrote: burden of proof doesn't just apply to claim of "X" exists, but also "X" does not exist. to be more accurate, it would be proposition X is true. this includes not just positive existence claims, but also negative existence claims. a negating position such as "God doesn't exist" is not a default position. the default position is one of ignorance such as "God may or may not exist but I don't know."
There are 2 truth claims concerning the existence of a god.
1. A god exists
2. A god does not exist
Both truth claims have to be examined separately. Disbelieving the first claim, does not mean that an atheist believes the second by default.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
