Telling fact from fiction

[bennyboy]

I think my last post made my argument in a maximally precise way, but I'm fine with spelling it out.

You say kids are taught the difference between fact and fiction, but you will not allow them to apply critical standards to the Bible, will you?  Will you really spell out the inconsistencies in the Bible and let them make of it what they will?

If you are like most Christians, you will not teach the kid to view the Bible critically.  If the kid is dumb enough to ask a smart question, like "If God is good, how come little babies are born with Zika?" the spin will begin, I think.  If the kid says, "How do you know God is real?" will you teach him how to distinguish fact from fiction then?  Will you teach him scientific principles, and ask him to apply them to the Bible as honestly as possible?

Now, I don't mean this to attack you.  But it's hard for me to see how you will teach a kid to think critically while exposing him to a system of thought that is based on faith.

It is interesting; how often here, and in similar conversations, I find that atheists tell me what I do, what my motivations are, what I believe, why... and so on.   And when corrected, it is ignored (much like when evidence is given, and then it is claimed that there is no evidence). 

However, to the topic at hand.... do you have a general principle that we can apply critical thinking to, for determining fact from fiction, other than the circular ones described thus far?

You are not reading carefully enough.  The term "if" is conditional: "IF you are like most Christians."  You can simply answer "I'm not like them.  I would never teach my kids that the Bible represents Truth even though I can't demonstrate its truth, because that would NOT be teaching them how to distinguish between fact and fiction." I'm not saying what you do-- I'm saying what I THINK you would do, based on my knowledge that you are Christian, and my experience with other Christians.

As for a general principle of determining fact from fiction: that's easy: believe those things first which are in accordance with what you already know about life, and second which you can verify, as fact.  Those things which are not in accordance with what you know, and which you cannot verify as fact, do not take as fact.

So let's say I tell a kid that there's a Mr. Smith living down the street and he owns a parrot.  The kid knows from his own experience about people, streets and parrots, and will be willing to take my assertion as fact even though he hasn't confirmed it.  Now, let's say I tell the kid Mr. Smith can walk on water, can turn a couple loaves into a meal for thousands, and can turn water into wine.  The kid, will say, "Ummmmm. . . I don't think that can happen, cuz I've never seen anything like that and neither has anybody I know." The kid would likely say, "I'll tell you what. If you can show me anybody doing any of those things, then maybe I'll believe Mr. Smith is real, and you're not just telling me stories to make me eat my broccoli."

Smart kid.  Critical thinking in action.