Logic is the art and science of reasoning well. Here are some traps to watch our for in your search for what is real. These may come up in a discussion, in your reading, or in your culture.
- Appeal to Popularity. An argument based on what a large number of people think or believe. “Everybody knows…”
- Appeal to Authority. An argument based on what a majority of experts in a particular field advocate or deny. “Most scientists agree…”
- Personal Attack. This fallacy ignores the argument and criticizes the author or source. “You aren’t exactly a university professor.” “You were born entirely in sins and yet you are teaching us?” John 9:34
- False Cause or Red Herring or False Dilemma. The reason for one’s position is not related or connected to the issue. “We don’t believe in God, we believe in science.”
- Hasty Generalization. A conclusion base on a few examples or experiences. “We don’t talk about God. It only leads to arguments.”
- Begging the Question. An argument (whether stated or unstated) that assumes its conclusion in a premise without proving it. “Jesus cannot be the only way to God because that would mean most of the world would be lost, and God is love.”
- Faulty Analogy. Comparing two things that are not similar. “Believing Jesus rose from the dead is like believing in Santa Claus.”
- Genetic Fallacy. To invalidate a position by criticizing the way a person came to hold that position. “If you had been born in Saudi Arabia you would be just as convinced that Islam is true.” (This statement could also be considered a false cause or personal attack.)
- Equivocation. When a word or phrase is ambiguous or used in more than one meaning. Darwinists use two different definitions of evolution. In one case it means modification over time in the heritable characteristics of a population or gene pool. The second definition is that all living organisms descended from one ultimate ancestor, or Common Descent. The first can be observed or demonstrated, the second is a theory, part of an agenda or belief system called Naturalism. Many words have different meaning depending on your background, including: science, Christian, hope, miracle, and faith.
- Persuasive Definition. “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” For example some people consider faith to mean belief despite the lack of evidence. Faith is better defined as trust or confidence in a source of information.
Do you have good reasons to believe?
Perhaps you already believe in God, but you have some doubts. Maybe you met someone who thinks it is naive to believe in God. It is healthy to remind ourselves why we hold on to certain beliefs. “The Christian faith is the only belief system that truly reflects the nature …