no no... you're claiming that because there's no proof god doesn't exists, he does.
That's quite flawed...
Can you prove, beyond all doubt, that you are a real living person, just as you perceive yourself to be, and not a disembodied brain in a mad scientist's laboratory being fed complex stimuli?
You cannot. Is that a good reason to believe that you are just a brain in a jar?
I would say not. However, to take the thinking of some fundamentalists to it's logical extreme, it might well be a good reason to believe it. It cannot be proved false, so it must be true. Alternatively, if there is any slight possibility of error in a scientist's data (and in science, nothing is ever 100% proven - scientists always publish the known margin of error) then it is safe to assume that the theory is completely wrong (especially if it contradicts the religious facts - which, you will notice, have no margin of error).
We have to draw the line somewhere. If there is a wealth of strong evidence from a variety of different sciences supporting a theory, and little or no solid evidence to refute that theory, then should we accept the theory as being quite close to the mark? Or reject it because we can conceive of any number of far-fetched and impossible-to-prove (i.e. unscientific) hypotheses that would invalidate it were they true?
In science, if one piece of solid evidence is found that refutes a particular theory, then that theory must be wrong - it can be shot down by a "magic bullet". For example, if a fossil human skull was found wedged between the teeth of a fossil T. Rex, then the theories of evolution, paleontology and many other sciences would be fatally flawed. Unfortunately, this does not seem to apply to religious beliefs - if you find a dozen good reasons to show that Noah's Flood did not happen, the true believer will simply cling onto all the remaining reasons and continue to believe regardless of any fatal flaws in that belief. If a true believer were Captain of the Titanic, the scene might have been something like this:
"Captain! We've hit an iceberg! We're sinking!"
"Nonsense, laddy. This ship is built of the finest steel."
"What's that got to do with it? We're taking on water!"
"Maybe so, but our engines are among the best in the world."
"Are you mad?!? We're going down!"
"Don't worry so - this ship is unsinkable. It says so here in the manual, and I have total faith in that."
"The ship is breaking apart! We're all going to die!"
"Balderdash. See how the Swiss-made clocks still function perfectly. And the fine oak-panelled walls - what craftsmanship. How can such a vessel sink?"
"Aiee! glub.. glub.. glub.."
I claim that there is a tiny green elephant hovering behind your head right now. You cannot see it or touch it, but it's there. Can you prove me wrong? Does that mean I'm right?
I claim that I am God, and I created the universe ten seconds ago, with all your memories in place. Can you prove me wrong? Does that mean I'm right?
In science, there is no such thing as absolute proof. There are theories and hypotheses, and evidence to support or refute them. Nothing can be proved absolutely - you have to draw the line somewhere.
