I like a lot of what Joshua Trammell had to say in his letter to the editor concerning science and religion. However, in explaining the scientific method, Trammell claims that God cannot be scientifically proven to exist, therefore Science does not apply and we are free to let faith affirm this belief.
This is a total suspension of the tenets of science. God is not a special case under which the scientific method needs to be suspended, and we can apply the same science to God that we do to everything else.
If I told you I had an invisible unicorn in my garage, would you believe me because you cannot prove otherwise? Couldn’t I just demand you prove to me that I don’t have an invisible unicorn in my garage? If you failed to do so, wouldn’t such a failure constitute a proof of my invisible unicorn? Ridiculous, right?
This is the same argument Trammell would have us apply to god, and it is not any argument that could be made using Science. In my example, the scientific method demands that I would have to prove that I have an invisible unicorn in my garage. You would not be required to prove that I don’t. The burden of proof lies with the claimant.
Those who believe in god are always talking about the REAL effects god has on their lives. This is great! God is having REAL effects on REALITY, science deals in reality, and measures real effects within this reality. This implies that we should be able to prove god exists. I have yet to see any empirical evidence for the existence of god. As long as no evidence exists, our assumption is contradicted. Meaning, God–if he exists–cannot have any real effect in our lives, otherwise we would be able to prove he exists scientifically.
When applying the scientific method to Theism, if you claim god exists, and you base a belief structure on this claim, it is up to you to prove it. Especially when you want others to agree with the beliefs you derived from your Theism. Remember, the burden of proof lies with the one making the claim. Under Science, until empirical evidence exists to prove God’s existence there is no reason believe that God exists.
-Jared JohnsonJunior C.S.