From what Christians here have said, it seems there really isn’t any proof that would make them stop believing. The core assumption is that faith endures even against counter-evidence. That’s not the same as weighing evidence, that’s making the belief unfalsifiable. When someone says “nothing could change my mind,” they’ve already closed their mind before any argument or discovery is made.
Many have said this, yes. Some might truly be close minded about the chances of us being wrong. Mody probably because "proof of nonexistence" is still an unfathomable thing...
An alternative proof could do it though. If the mythical gods of Greece all showed themselves on earth to us complete with their magical powers, sure I think that would be proof enough. Is that an acceptable answer?
Even still, we could and should argue it is just a test of our faith. But it is a silly hypothetical, no?
archaeology proving beyond doubt that central figures like Moses or David never existed, or decisive evidence that the resurrection never happened. Either one would strike at the foundation of Christianity. But if we’re honest, history shows believers almost always find ways to explain such things away, even in the face of definitive proof.
Sure, if there is proof of outright nonexistence of these figures, I could abandon Christianity. But what kind of silly game is this?
They did exist. And "archealogical proof of nonexistence" is, in itself impossible.
You mistake us when we say "there is no proof that would be sufficient". We already HAVE the evidence. It is being honest about what is in front of us, not close minded.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are countless stories of fervent believers who did lose their faith, and they’ve explained in detail what convinced them. That shows it can happen. I would point you to them if you are interested in the reasons that persuade a Christian to stop believing
Each and every one is explainable by a failure of mankind, so we are at an impass with this. None of those individuals who left the faith has seen "proof of nonexistance".
A lack of support by their fellow man and/or a lack of personal fortitude happened over and over and over with the Isrealites who were only ONE generation removed from the miracles of the Lord and Moses. We are thousands of years later, and it is no surprise that men turn to idols still.
Now compare that to what it would take for a nonbeliever to accept God’s existence. The bar isn’t impossibly high. A present day clear, verifiable event that can’t be explained by natural causes would do it. Evidence that was truly definitive would matter to skeptics. Ironically, the group most likely to struggle with that kind of proof would be some believers, especially if it contradicted aspects of their own theology or, worse, validated a rival religion’s scriptures instead.
Judas knew Christ personally, saw proof of miracles first hand, and still betrayed Christ. Probably countless others saw Christ first hand and still didn't believe. One thief died right next to Christ and mocked him.
So--you say the proof of Christianity is simple, but I am not as certain as you that any proof will ever be enough for some.
My closing is that you seem most critical of the "close minded" people, so I assure you there are many open minded Christians, because being open minded is what led us here. There is nothing intellectually superior about denying something before you even try to learn it.
