You can't prove god exists

Reflection

You cannot prove God exists is often stated as though it settles the matter, yet the same is true of a great many things people hold with confidence, including the existence of other minds, the reliability of memory or many historical claims that cannot be re-run in a laboratory. Proof in the strict scientific sense is simply the wrong standard to apply to questions of this kind. Christianity has always spoken more in terms of reasonable evidence and trust than mathematical proof. The writer of Hebrews describes faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1), language that assumes belief involves genuine trust rather than certainty beyond all possible doubt. That does not make the claim untestable, arguments from design, history, morality and experience can all be weighed and discussed. It does mean demanding laboratory proof before considering the question is, itself, a choice about which evidence counts, not a neutral starting point.

Questions to sit with

• What kind of evidence do you generally consider acceptable for questions that cannot be tested in a lab?
• Do you hold any other significant beliefs that cannot technically be proven?
• Have you genuinely weighed the arguments for God's existence, or dismissed the question outright?

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