Quote Originally Posted by leo9 View Post
That is still proving a negative, and still impossible by definition. The only thing one can prove is that certain things that are claimed as evidence for god - miraculous cures, evidence of creation etc. - can be adequately explained within the existing framework of science.
Possibly so, but that's because of my inability to express my ideas coherently. What I had in mind was that people who deny god on scientific grounds, if they cannot prove he does not exist, should set out the scientific requirements for the existence of god. They can then say it is only possible for gods to exist where those conditions prevail, and it can be safely assumed that there is no god anywhere else, because science would preclude that. If it can be demonstrated that the required conditions do not exist anywhere, then it can be inferred there can be no god.

As for teapots, if it is established convention that there is a tiny teapot orbiting the sun, and this is truly believed by the majority, then it is for doubters to prove their case.