Falsifiability

Advancement in knowledge requires that one’s position be falsifiable. Falsifiability is defined as “the logical possibility that an assertion could be shown false by a particular observation or physical experiment.” (Karl Popper.) In other words, falsifiability means that your belief can be proven wrong. If no counter evidence could ever be sufficient to convince you that your position is wrong, your position is not falsifiable. A belief that is not falsifiable can never be abandoned, and thus an unfalsifiable position is always the last position you will ever hold on any given topic. This is, essentially, damnation, because you limit yourself to the glory associated with the current law you live.¹ You have drawn a line in the sand beyond which you are not willing to move, whether or not greater truth exists.

Falsifiability highlights the danger of dogmatic assertions unattached from specific evidences. Suppose one says “the church is true.” This is not a falsifiable statement. In order to make it falsifiable, one must define what “true” means and/or say why the church is true. Without a specification of what “the church is true” means, it is not falsifiable. Any attempt to assume a meaning (such as everything in the church is sanctioned by God) in order to provide a counterexample would result in the person saying, “but no one is saying that is what it means.” Thus, a rational argument cannot take place. If someone says “the church is God’s because he said so,” that becomes a falsifiable statement. If someone wants to show this is false, they must simply present revelation where God said it was not his church at a later date than the statement cited by the believer. Another example lies in whether you believe the current church president is a prophet of God. Without defining what a prophet is, whether he is or is not a prophet is impossible to prove.

A religion that cannot be proven false cannot be true. If you can think of no change in doctrine or policy that would cause you to conclude your religion is false, your religion cannot be true.