RE: Record few Americans believe in Biblical inerrancy.
December 21, 2017 at 12:21 pm
(This post was last modified: December 21, 2017 at 12:21 pm by vulcanlogician.)
(December 21, 2017 at 9:19 am)alpha male Wrote: More like the old false dichotomy.
Agreed.
Quote:I choose logic when it's appropriate to do so. Logic is a tool, not a way of life. If you looked at yourself honestly you'd find you live much less logically than you suppose. We're more emotional than rational beings.
Yes, I'm an emotional being. Emotions guide my actions when I'm hanging out with friends and family, writing poetry, or expressing myself to a love interest. But when trying to figure out anything about the nature of the universe/reality, it falls way short. Logic is the right tool for that job.
Quote:Can you forget the bloody history of communism, a philosophy that was arrived at through logic?
No, I cannot forget the bloody history of communism, a philosophy that was arrived at through logic.
Quote:Yes, and I'm certain there's more to it that that. One extreme example is 20 years of sobriety following 15 years of daily alcohol and drugs.
Unless you can prove that an atheist can't quit using for 20 years, this statement is meaningless. A drunk who found a rabbit's foot the day he quit drinking might credit the lucky charm for getting him to 20 years of sobriety. That's how confirmation bias works.
Quote:I can guarantee that such a survey hasn't been performed, as I know educated theologians who have never been surveyed on it.
Non sequitur.
Quote:It would be impossible to identify and survey all such people. When someone says Scholars agree that... on a Biblical issue it's generally bullshit. They have no idea what the level of agreement is. They're usually referring to a general sense that they get from articles they've seen in journals. Journals aren't necessarily representative of the general population. They're likely to tend to the provocative in what they publish. Maybe most scholars agree with the conventional wisdom, but such pieces aren't going to sell magazines.
You may be right here. I am assuming you follow the work of theologians more than I do. But I don't see why theology wouldn't be any different than philosophy, physics, science, psychology, or any other academic discipline where consensuses develop. I'm not talking about unanimous agreement (and I think we're on the same page here), but things are generally agreed upon in many areas. What about the dating of the Gospels? Several independent sources that I have researched myself have corroborated one another. There might not be unanimous agreement as to the dates, but there is continuity and a general consensus. But, again, theology ain't my wheelhouse.
Quote:Even if you did conduct a survey of all scholars and found a majority position, that wouldn't make the position true.
Agreed.
