48 - Why Belief In God Does Not Require "Extraordinary Evidence"

Have you ever heard the expression, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?” This phrase, popularized by the late atheist scientist Carl Sagan, has often been marshaled by internet atheists in online debates with Christians as a way of placing the burden of proof on the believer to demonstrate, by way of so-called extraordinary evidence, the existence of God. When this happens, it can be very tempting for Christians to begin to scramble to assemble such evidence, and in the process we may even find our sure footing on Scripture to be shaken. Yet what if it is not the Christian theist, the believer, who bears the burden of proof? What if it is actually the claim that God does not exist that is extraordinary, and therefore it is the atheist who must give extraordinary evidence? As it turns out, and as we will see, the claim that Christian theists must provide "extraordinary evidence" to the atheist, and that without such provision, the atheist is therefore justified in his unbelief, falls completely flat. Get the full show notes at http://thethink.institute.