Careful Analysis of Objections to the Swoon Theory: INDEX
In Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli claim to prove the Christian view that God raised Jesus from the dead and gave Jesus an immortal body. Their case for the resurrection of Jesus can be briefly summarized in a two-premise argument:
1. IF Kreeft and Tacelli refuted the four alternative (skeptical) theories, THEN Kreeft and Tacelli have proved that the Christian Theory of the resurrection of Jesus is true.
2. Kreeft and Tacelli refuted (in Chapter 8 of HCA) the four alternative (skeptical) theories.
THEREFORE:
3. Kreeft and Tacelli have proved that the Christian Theory of the resurrection of Jesus is true.
Both premises are FALSE, so this argument is UNSOUND, and thus their case for the resurrection of Jesus FAILS.
One reason why premise (2) is FALSE, is that Kreeft and Tacelli FAILED to refute the Swoon Theory, which was one of the four skeptical theories that they had attempted to refute. They also FAILED to refute the three other skeptical theories as well, but my recent intellectual efforts have focused on their attempt to refute the Swoon Theory.
Christian apologists have repeatedly claimed that the Swoon Theory is DEAD and that it died nearly 200 years ago. They are completely wrong on this point. The Swoon Theory never died, although it might have appeared to be dead. This year, shortly after Easter, I have RESUSCITATED the Swoon Theory, here in The Secular Frontier.
Later this year, I hope to publish a book (Thinking Critically about the Resurrection of Jesus: The Resuscitation of the Swoon Theory) that will spread the news that the Swoon Theory is alive and well, and that the case by Kreeft and Tacelli against the Swoon Theory FAILS, and that their case for the resurrection of Jesus also FAILS, and deserves a proper burial.
Because Kreeft and Tacelli present nine different objections against the Swoon Theory, the FAILURE of all nine of those objections impacts the attempts of other Christian apologists to refute the Swoon Theory.
Most of the objections against the Swoon Theory raised by Christian apologists in the 21st Century correspond to the nine objections raised against the Swoon Theory in the last decade of the 20th Century in the Handbook of Christian Apologetics (published in 1994) by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli. Thus, since ALL NINE of the objections by Kreeft and Tacelli FAIL, that eliminates most of the objections against the Swoon Theory presented by Christian apologists in the 21st Century. (See my post “21st Century Christian Apologists on the Swoon Theory – Part 5: Conclusions“.)
I have identified a few more objections that Christian apologists have raised against the Swoon Theory in the 21st Century, but they are clearly just as weak and flawed as the objections presented by Kreeft and Tacelli in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics, so I am now convinced that Christian apologists in general have FAILED to refute the Swoon Theory.
CAREFUL ARGUMENT ANALYSIS & EVALUATION
Careful argument evaluation is the heart and soul of critical thinking. But in order to do a careful evaluation of an argument, one must first have a clear understanding of the argument that is to be evaluated. Careful argument analysis is usually required in order to obtain a clear understanding of an argument, so having the knowledge, skills, and desire to do careful argument analysis is crucial to being a critical thinker.
I have carefully evaluated nine objections against the Swoon Theory, objections put forward by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I arrived at the conclusion that all nine objections FAIL, and thus that their case against the Swoon Theory FAILS, and their case for the resurrection of Jesus FAILS. But in order to be in a position to do this, I had to first do a careful argument analysis of each objection (each objection constitutes an argument against the Swoon Theory).
Below are links to nine posts (one for each of the nine objections against the Swoon Theory) in which I walk through my process of careful argument analysis, step-by-step, showing how the sausage gets made. The process of careful argument analysis that I use here can be applied to almost any text or speech that contains an argument or arguments. At the end of each post there are links to other posts on The Secular Frontier where I carefully evaluate the specific objection that was just analyzed and clarified.