"Beyond A Reasonable Doubt"

"Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems.[1] It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities (commonly used in civil matters) and is usually therefore reserved for criminal matters where what is at stake (i.e., someone's life or liberty) is considered more serious and therefore deserving of a higher threshold.

"The prosecution in criminal matters typically bears the burden of proof and is required to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that in order for a defendant to be found guilty, the case presented by the prosecution must be enough to remove any reasonable doubt in the mind of the judge or jury that the defendant is guilty of the crime with which one is charged." (Wikipedia)

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Our perception of reality is not perfect. Our brains have many cognitive flaws and biases. Science, our best method of understanding reality, is not certain as it uses inductive reasoning to develop tentative theories that can be modified with further objective evidence in the future. The legal system uses abductive reasoning in an attempt to find "the most likely" as it is less certain than a scientific theory. While science uses objective evidence only, the legal system also uses the less-certain subjective evidence as well.

Levels Of Certainty And Christianity

Different types of knowledge have differing levels of certainty, and there is a hierarchy of such. From the highest to lowest (link):

• Mathematics and Philosophical Logic
• Experimental Science
• Observational Science
• Historical Knowledge
• Philosophical and Theological Argument (Inference to the Best Explanation)

Christian apologists are functioning at the lowest level of certainty, but, one would never know it when exposed to them. Ironically, they are generally more certain than science-based thinkers, who are uncertain but do know that they have the best tools to understand objective reality. 

Inference to the Best Explanation is a kind of abductive reasoning in which one chooses the best hypothesis or theory that best explains the available data. We use this form of reasoning in our everyday activities and in legal trials. The problem for Christian apologists is that scientific and historical investigation, the higher levels of certainty, lead to rejection of all claims for a God. Another factor to consider is that claims for a God are extraordinary, which require extraordinary evidence (link).