Ask the Christian

[lucent]

It isn't a tautology. Do you what tautology means? If you want to say that it is always irrational to believe in someting without sufficient evidence, then it must be true for all circumstances. I have demonstrated it isn't true for all circumstances, therefore the claim is self-refuting and itself irrational.

Rationality, as it pertains to belief, is by definition is required to be based in fact (i.e. evidentiary).

Words mean things. Very specific things, in fact - not what we wish them to be.

I agree, words have specific meanings. So let's find out what rationality actually means:

Rationality

1. the state or quality of being rational.
2. the possession of reason.
3. agreeableness to reason; reasonableness.
4. the exercise of reason.
5. a reasonable view, practice, etc.

It looks like rationality relates to belief through the exercise of reason. What does it mean to reason?

Reason (verb)

verb (used with object)
11. to think through logically, as a problem (often followed by out ).
12. to conclude or infer.
13. to convince, persuade, etc., by reasoning.
14. to support with reasons.

I don't seem to see anything about empirical evidence there. I do see something about logic and inference though.

I'll give you an example of a reasonable belief.

Tomorrow, I believe the sun will rise. Because of the long history of the sun rising, coupled with what all that we understand about the sun, my belief here is reasonable. Is there any evidence that it is true? Since science cannot predict the future, but only hopes the Universe will act in the same way that it has in the past, there is no actual empirical evidence to prove that this will happen. Yet it is rational because it is reasonably concluded by a logical inference from the available information. I don't need sufficient proof to be justified in this belief.