Crito

According to <a href="http://www.dictionary.com," target="_blank">www.dictionary.com,</a> certainty is defined as "the fact, quality, or state of being certain." And to be certain is to be "definite; fixed."

Now if we are certain of the truth of a proposition, do we still look to confirm that it's true? If you do, were you truly certain in the first place? In other words, you must have had uncertainty--or doubt--to cause you to confirm the proposition's validity. Thus, if you seek the validity of a proposition, then you never previously ascertained an answer; you are uncertain.

Since humans look for answers to propositions, it then holds that they are uncertain of explanations concerning these propositions. Two such propositions are "God exists" and "God does not exist". If we
question the validity of either one, we must currently be uncertain of its answer. And in general, we are constantly looking for answers, meaning that we are constantly--in one way or another--in a case of uncertainty. This leads me to assume that for humans, uncertainty antedates certainty.

If we are initially uncertain, how do we become certain?--or at least less uncertain? The answer is proof! Proof is "the evidence or argument that compels the mind to accept an assertion as true." So, if you wish to "travel" from uncertainty to certainty, you must use proof. That is, if you theorize--if you attempt to reduce
uncertainty--then you hold the burden of proof.

Since the theist attempts to explain (e.g., the universe was created, God exists, there is a first cause), he holds the burden of
proof; he is trying to move to certainty, not the atheist.

----

Rip it apart!
-Crito