“God exists.” Which response to that would you choose?: The first three are knowledge claims, which require a defense. Only the fourth response needs no defense because it merely describes the speaker’s state of mind but doesn’t make a claim about reality. (The “hard agnostic” position expressed in #3 makes a claim about what is possible to know, which is a knowledge claim and is different from the “I don’t know” response). The above may seem obvious, but in recent years, some atheists have resisted the classical definition of themselves to avoid the burden of proof. Instead, they say they merely “lack a belief” in God. They also claim atheism is the default position, so in this view, the theist alone shoulders the burden of proof. This is called the “Presumption of Atheism” (PoA) argument (aka, the “Burden of Proof”). This argument has become increasingly prevalent on a popular level. How should theists respond to it?
Presumption of Atheism Argument
Atheism by Any Other Name is Still Atheism
As alluded to above, some atheists assert that atheism isn’t actually. . . well, atheism—at least as it has been traditionally defined. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy discusses how “lacking of belief in God” is a relatively recent re-definition of atheism that doesn’t accurately represent that worldview:
“. . . in the philosophy of religion, the term ‘atheism’ is standardly used to refer to the proposition that God does not exist . . . Thus, to be an atheist on this definition, it does not suffice to suspend judgment on whether there is a God, even though that implies a lack of theistic belief. Instead, one must deny that God exists. This metaphysical sense of the word is preferred over other senses, including the psychological sense, not just by theistic philosophers, but by many (though not all) atheists in philosophy as well.”
The illogic of the atheist’s redefinition becomes even clearer when applied to reality: If atheism is merely “lacking a belief in God,” then my kitchen table, my infant cousin, and my cat are all “atheists”—a ridiculous conclusion.
Some atheists re-label themselves “agnostic-atheists.” In doing so, the atheist attempts to have his cake and eat it, too (i.e.,assert the nonexistence of God yet absolve himself from proving his claim). But as shown previously, “agnostic” and “atheist” are mutually exclusive terms, making “agnostic-atheist” self-contradicting.
Nothing from Nothing Leaves Nothing
Another reason atheists believe the burden of proof falls solely on theists is that “God exists” is a positive claim while its opposite— “God does not exist”—is a negative claim. Some atheists argue that universal negatives cannot be proven.
This assertion has two problems. The first is that universal negatives can be proven. For example, it is provable that there are no married bachelors and that no dogs are cats.
But even if theists were to grant the atheist’s point about universal negatives, that doesn’t help the atheist’s argument: If a universal negative can’t be proven and the atheist is identifying his own position as a universal negative, the atheist is admitting that he cannot prove his case. In short, this objection acts as a defeater of the atheist position rather than proof for it.
Absence of Evidence = Evidence of Absence?
Finally, some atheists believe atheism should be presumed because, they argue, that God’s supposed “absence” is evidence that there is no God. Therefore, they assert that the absence of evidence is evidence of absence and atheism should be the default position. (This is connected to the Divine Hiddenness argument).
But that premise is flawed: God’s is conspicuous in the:
- Natural world & biological world (fine-tuning argument)
- Beginning of the universe (Kalam Cosmological argument)
- Existence of objective moral values and duties (Moral argument)
. . . and many other facets of reality. The theist can defend his viewpoint. Why do some atheists want to avoid defending theirs?
Resources on the Presumption of Atheism
Lord’s Library has compiled a few resources to familiarize you with the Presumption of Atheism argument:
“Excursus on Natural Theology (Part 28): The Presumption of Atheism”
This is from Dr. William Lane Craig’s Defenders series, a Sunday school apologetics class taught by Dr. Craig. Students ask insightful questions that help listeners to consider all facets of the Presumption of Atheism argument.
“The Presumption of Atheism” by the Well Read Christian
Mark Stanley is the creator of the Well Read Christian website and host of the podcast by the same name. Stanley, who has BA in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University and a MA in Philosophy from Biola University, takes listeners through a well-reasoned rebuttal of the Presumption of Atheism argument.
“Do Atheists Just ‘Lack a Belief’ in God?” by Frank Turek on CrossExamined.org
Dr. Frank Turek is an award-winning Christian author and President of Cross Examined. In this episode from his podcast “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” Turek carefully dissects and rebuts the Presumption of Atheism argument.
“Atheism and the Burden of Proof” by Matthew Flanagan
Dr. Flanagan is theologian, ethicist, and author who teaches at St. Peters College in Auckland. This article discussing the Burden of Proof argument originally appeared in the Christian Research Journal.
In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote in Romans 2:14-15: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”
God makes theism the default position by writing a knowledge of Himself on the tablet of our hearts.
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