apologetics

G&T Rebuttal, Part 3: Chapter 4

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Chapter 4. Divine Design G&T provide a brief introduction to what they call ‘the’ Teleological Argument, which they formulate as follows. 1. Every design had a designer. 2. The universe has a highly complex design. 3. Therefore, the universe had a Designer. (95) Like the cosmological argument, this argument is deductively valid. Again, my plan … G&T Rebuttal, Part 3: Chapter 4

G&T Rebuttal, Part 2: Chapter 3

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Chapter 3. In the Beginning There Was a Great SURGE G&T tell us that the “Cosmological Argument is the argument from the beginning of the universe” (74). That is sloppy; G&T have conflated the family of arguments known as ‘the’ cosmological argument with one specific version of that argument (the kalām cosmological argument). But let … G&T Rebuttal, Part 2: Chapter 3

G&T Rebuttal, Part 1: Introduction

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The book’s introduction divides into six parts: (i) the crucial role that beliefs about God play in worldviews; (ii) an overview of three major “religious” worldviews; (iii) a discussion of the role of faith and facts in religion; (iv) three categories of problems with Christianity; (v) the faith of an atheist; and (vi) a high-level … G&T Rebuttal, Part 1: Introduction

Index: Rebuttal to Geisler’s and Turek’s “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”

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Review of Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist (Wheaton: Crossway, 2004).  Like all apologetics books, both Christian and non-Christian, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist book takes a partisan approach to the philosophy of religion. Of course, by itself, the fact that it is a … Index: Rebuttal to Geisler’s and Turek’s “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”

Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 3

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Previously, I have only considered the very simple case where one person has a memory of having previously had a theistic religious experience (hereafter: TRE) of a generic sort–an experience in which it seemed (epistemically) to him/her that God was present.  There were a couple of basic points made about probable inferences in contrast to … Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 3

Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 2

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Richard Swinburne’s argument from religious experience (AFR) as given in The Existence of God (2nd ed.- hereafter: EOG) is based on three key epistemological  principles: EXPERIENCE …(in the absence of special considerations), if it seems (epistemically) to a subject that x is present (and has some characteristic), then probably x is present (and has that characteristic)… (EOG, p. 303) … Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 2

Lessing’s Broad Ditch and Brad’s Lesser Ditch

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LESSING’S BROAD DITCH Quotations are from Lessing’s essay “On the Proof of the Spirit and of Power” from Lessing’s Theological Writings (hereafter: LTW), edited by Henry Chadwick. Reports of Miracles are not the same as Direct Observation of Miracles “The problem is that reports of fulfilled prophecies are not fulfilled prophecies; that reports of miracles are not … Lessing’s Broad Ditch and Brad’s Lesser Ditch

Jesus on Faith – Part 6

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Here is the “Doubting Thomas” story from Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John: 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands … Jesus on Faith – Part 6