When someone says something is true, it's their job to show why. You don't have to prove them wrong first. And when you argue back, argue against what they actually said, not a silly version of it. Those two rules fix most bad arguments.
The person making a claim carries the burden of proof. "You can't prove God doesn't exist" doesn't make it true, any more than "you can't prove there's no invisible dragon in my garage." And good arguers steel-man the other side: they answer its strongest version, never a straw man.
The burden of proof: the gumball jar
Imagine a big jar full of gumballs. Nobody has counted them. Someone says, "There's an even number." Do you believe them? No; you have no reason to. Does that mean you believe the number is odd? Also no. You simply aren't convinced either way until someone counts.
The common traps
Each of these shows up in debates about religion, on both sides. Tap a term for its definition.
| Trap | What it looks like | Why it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Shifting the burden | "Prove God doesn't exist." | The claimant must support the claim. Otherwise we'd have to believe everything that can't be disproved. |
| Straw man | "Atheists think everything came from nothing by chance." / "Christians think God is an old man on a cloud." | Neither side generally believes these. Answer what people actually say. |
| Argument from ignorance | "Science can't explain how life began, so God did it." | Not knowing isn't evidence for any particular answer. |
| Special pleading | "Everything needs a cause, except God." | If there's an exception, the reason for it has to be argued, not assumed. |
| Circular reasoning | "The Bible is God's word because it says so." | The conclusion is hidden in the premise. |
| Texas sharpshooter | Matching events to vague prophecies after they happen. | The "target" is drawn after the shot. See Prophecy. |
| Appeal to consequences | "If there's no God, life has no meaning, so God must exist." | Whether something is comforting doesn't make it true. |
| Appeal to popularity | "Billions of people believe it." | Billions once believed the Sun circles the Earth. |
| No true Scotsman | "No real Christian would do that." / "No real scientist believes in God." | Redefining a group to exclude inconvenient examples. |
| Genetic fallacy | "Religion started as superstition, so it's false." / "Morality evolved, so it isn't real." | Where an idea came from doesn't settle whether it's true. Atheists should avoid this one too. |
| Gish gallop | Firing off 20 weak claims in two minutes. | Each takes far longer to answer than to say. Slow down and take one at a time. |
| Moving the goalposts | "Show me a transitional fossil." (shown one) "Now show me the one between those two." | Each answer produces a new demand, so no evidence could ever be enough. |
| Ad hominem | "Atheists are just angry at God." / "Believers are stupid." | Attacks the person, not the argument. |
Quiz: spot the trap
How to talk about this with someone you love
Research on changing minds suggests that facts work best when they come with trust, respect, and a better explanation to replace the old one (see How this site teaches). Some practical habits:
- Ask before telling. "What's the main reason you believe that?" Then listen to the whole answer.
- Ask how confident they are, and what would change their mind. Ask yourself the same.
- One topic at a time. Don't try to cover the flood, prophecy and evolution in one conversation.
- Steel-man first. Say their view back so well that they say "yes, exactly." Then give your reasons.
- It's okay not to win. Planting a question often matters more than finishing an argument.
Sources
- Lewandowsky, Cook, Ecker et al., The Debunking Handbook 2020: explaining the fallacy behind a false claim, and offering an alternative explanation, makes corrections work better.
- Definitions follow standard logic textbooks; plain-language versions are in the Glossary.