Is Abiogenesis a fact?

Hi everyone, this is my first shot at a new topic.... so don't be too harsh on me!My question is can we consider Abiogenesis a fact?
Evolution is both a fact and a theory.Fact - Living things change over timeThe theory of evolution is our attempt to explain the process behing this.So can we say:Fact - There used to be no life on earth. There is now life on earth. Therefore life arose from non-life.The theory of abiogenesis is how we attempt to explain the process.I am not asking if the theory of abiogenesis is true, only whether we can consider it a fact that abiogenesis happened (although we could certainly discuss abiogenesis).Also note, even if we consider it a fact that abiogenesis happened it does not preclude a god or god(s) causing it to happpen.So can we consider abiogensis a factual occurence based on available evidence?

Good point there. I hadn't even considered an extraterrestrial source. I guess that is certainly a possibility (reminds of one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek - TNG).....I guess the fact of abiogenesis would state.First part - "There was originally no life on earth" - In other words if you go back in time far enough at some point there is no life on earth. For example, let's say there is no life on earth for the frist 2 billion years (just an example, not a claim).Second part - "There is life on earth now"... Basically at some point in earth's history life appeared and there had never been terrestrial life before that.We may never have a theory of abiogenesis... who knows. (personally, I think our best bet would be to get really lucky and discover another earth like planet very early in it's development cycle).However, if we are even going to try and figure out how life arose I think it's very important that we have evidence that there was once no life on earth and there is now.Question: Do we have enough evidence to know that there was origninally no life on earth. in other words Start condition = no life.

Thanks everyone, I figured that what you all replied was the case, but it's always interesting to hear other points of view.I think maybe I chose the wrong word (abiogenesis).What I was getting at, is if it was safe to assume that start condition earth = no life. (of course current condition earth = life)...Even though this may seem obvious to all of us... It seems important to me at least, that we are fairly sure this is a valid assumption (of course the alternative would be that life has always existed on earth, which I would agree seems impossible).

I'm not referring to any hypothesis about how life arose from non-life.I am simply saying that originally there was no life on earth and now there is. How this arose is entirely another question. Could abiogensis, xenogenesis even theogenesis.Look at evolution. There is the fact of evolution and the theory.FACT - evolution occurs i.e. living things change over timeThe theory is our explanation of this process.same type of thing here.

Did whoever dug this thread up not read the thread?LinearAg summed it up nicely: That's all I wanted to discuss. This isn't about atheism vs religion or anything. This topic has nothing to do with whether or not god or god(s) created life