(September 11, 2017 at 1:41 pm)SteveII Wrote: This charge comes up from time to on this forum.
First, let's define our terms:
Special Pleading: Applying standards, principles, and/or rules to other people or circumstances, while making oneself or certain circumstances exempt from the same critical criteria, without providing adequate justification. Special pleading is often a result of strong emotional beliefs that interfere with reason. reference
Evidence: Evidence is not proof. It is a fact that supports a conclusion. For the purposes of this discussion, eyewitness testimony (from any religion) is evidence.
Central Question: Is it true that other religions have bodies of evidence that can be examined in the same or similar way as Christianity's is and therefore are legitimate comparisons in which special pleading can actually occur?
Is there any debate that no major religion that has a fraction of the amount of evidence of Christianity to even examine in support of its main claims? If other religions do not have a body of evidence or there only exists one piece of evidence, then how could there be any special pleading in favor of Christianity?
If you are tempted to just answer there is no evidence for Christianity, they we are just arguing definitions of words. Whatever you call the material under consideration, there is more of it under Christianity and therefore no special pleading.
First, presenting, not accepting Christian evidence is special pleading.
Second, Christian evidence, is special pleading. If, one quote says people witnessed a man turn water into wine, their work is cut out for them. First, it must be established that the witness was a real human being. It must be established that the magician who performed the trick was a real person. It must be established that the wine party actually happened. It must be established that the liquid in the urn was water. It must be established that the resulting liquid was truly wine. It must be established how water in a jar could magically become wine.
So, yes, Christian evidence requires special pleading
God thinks it's fun to confuse primates. Larsen's God!