If you're a Christian you should read this and then take your own route to learning the facts and is a basic pathway most atheists take in determining that The Bible and its claims are false. The questions are things I think every Christian should ask just as I did.
If some of the information that is out there is so wrong, why do so many organizations/websites/people say it?
Winston Churchill once observed that a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. The idea behind this is that for someone to make up a claim, and for others to repeat it is very easy, while to compile the evidence and careful argument to show it is wrong is very difficult. So, as long as there are people who want to mislead you, there will likely always be more misinformation than honest information.
Why should I believe The Bible?
When people claiming to be experts argue about something that you have limited expertise about, it can be hard to figure out who to believe. Here are a few suggestions.
[1] Notice who is responding to arguments by their opponents, and who is not.
Even if you don't understand every point being made, you can usually tell when someone directly challenges their opponents' key points. Similarly, you can tell when someone seems to be completely ignoring questions from the other side. Almost always, the side that responds to challenges is telling the truth, while the side that just repeats themselves and talks around the argument is not.
[2] Ask tough questions.
Anyone who does not let you ask questions may realize that they do not have any legitimate answers to offer. Anyone who is really interested in the facts will not only accept questions, but will even present the best arguments against their position and respond to them.
[3] Look for the most obviously invalid arguments.
If a natural and rational cause is possible then obvious invalid argument is the one that puts the cause as a supernatural one, which the existence of the supernatural doesn't have any tangible evidence.
[4] Do not be swayed by the sheer volume of misleading information.
It is much harder to produce correct information. Incorrect or bad information can just be made up, off the top of your head. Good information takes research, and careful reasoning and presentation. There will always be more bad information than good. So you have to learn to identify what is good, and not let the sheer volume of bad information confuse your judgment. Governments and other powerful and reputable organizations sometimes provide bad information. (If you read the news, you probably know that). Ultimately you have to sort out the truth.
Hope this provokes some thought. Good luck!
If some of the information that is out there is so wrong, why do so many organizations/websites/people say it?
Winston Churchill once observed that a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. The idea behind this is that for someone to make up a claim, and for others to repeat it is very easy, while to compile the evidence and careful argument to show it is wrong is very difficult. So, as long as there are people who want to mislead you, there will likely always be more misinformation than honest information.
Why should I believe The Bible?
When people claiming to be experts argue about something that you have limited expertise about, it can be hard to figure out who to believe. Here are a few suggestions.
[1] Notice who is responding to arguments by their opponents, and who is not.
Even if you don't understand every point being made, you can usually tell when someone directly challenges their opponents' key points. Similarly, you can tell when someone seems to be completely ignoring questions from the other side. Almost always, the side that responds to challenges is telling the truth, while the side that just repeats themselves and talks around the argument is not.
[2] Ask tough questions.
Anyone who does not let you ask questions may realize that they do not have any legitimate answers to offer. Anyone who is really interested in the facts will not only accept questions, but will even present the best arguments against their position and respond to them.
[3] Look for the most obviously invalid arguments.
If a natural and rational cause is possible then obvious invalid argument is the one that puts the cause as a supernatural one, which the existence of the supernatural doesn't have any tangible evidence.
[4] Do not be swayed by the sheer volume of misleading information.
It is much harder to produce correct information. Incorrect or bad information can just be made up, off the top of your head. Good information takes research, and careful reasoning and presentation. There will always be more bad information than good. So you have to learn to identify what is good, and not let the sheer volume of bad information confuse your judgment. Governments and other powerful and reputable organizations sometimes provide bad information. (If you read the news, you probably know that). Ultimately you have to sort out the truth.
Hope this provokes some thought. Good luck!
I used to pray... but then I realized I could talk to myself and save 10% too. Who wouldn't go for that?
Welcome to AF.
making a pointless remark to my screen-name on a thread regarding religion just seems kind of... well, pointless. I find your comment disappointing. This thread's purpose was stated at the top if you didn't realize. "The questions are things I think every christian should ask." None of the sentences following each question was an answer to the question, they were advice on how to determine the truth yourself, which was kind of the topic as implied by the title of the thread, "The path to truth, stop the delusion."
