We know to be wary of impossible advertisements such as weight loss pills. We are taught to be dubious of gaudy sources of information such as The National Inquirer and we are encouraged to be skeptical of unsubstantiated correlations like that vaccinations can cause autism.

We hold advertisements, news sources and astounding claims to the rigors of verification. Whether it’s a quick Google search or witnessing the claim first hand, we require verification for sensational claims. It is time for religion to be held to the same standards of measure.

Above all, seeing is believing. Every day we hear extraordinary claims that require our verification before fully believing them. Whether the claim is that Ma Petite in American Horror Story is actually two feet tall, a girl rides a unicycle to and from campus, or your friend who hasn’t played football since high school running a 4.4 forty-yard-dash, we seek verification.

If we require verification for astounding claims, why we search for the same evidence in religion? Can we truly believe in a heaven, hell, or any form of an afterlife if we have not verified it ourselves?