Questions tagged [apologetics]
Defenses of religious positions using reason. This tag should only be used with respect to disagreements with religions other than Christianity.
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What is an overview of perspectives on whether the existence of the Christian God can be established solely through the use of reason and evidence?
Note: I'm interested in the Christian perspective on the question Can God's existence be established through reason and publicly accessible evidence? that I recently asked on Philosophy Stack Exchange....
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What extrabiblical arguments do Christians employ (i.e., utilize in apologetics) to defend the existence of spirits or souls?
According to the 2020 PhilPapers Survey results, when asked about their stance on Consciousness: identity theory, eliminativism, functionalism, dualism, or panpsychism?, only 20.98% leaned towards or ...
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What are Christian responses to Graham Oppy's argument for atheism from naturalism?
Short version
I'm specifically referring to Graham Oppy's paper An Argument for Atheism from Naturalism:
Abstract This paper outlines an argument for atheism from naturalism that I have developed in ...
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Apologetics vs. Evangelism?
When engaging with non-believers, including atheists, agnostics, apatheists, pagans, and others, two distinct approaches come to light:
The first is the Apologetics approach, involving the ...
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When is it rationally justified for a Christian to say that an anomalous event that has taken place is a miracle?
I've been engaged in a thought-provoking chat discussion with an atheist on the philosophy site. In our conversation, I've been advocating for the idea that there is evidence supporting the existence ...
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What are rebuttals to the argument that Christians only worship God to give their lives meaning?
Many people argue that we only created God and religion to give our lives meaning, and that is why we worship God and other gods. However, we have to take into consideration that humans tend to ...
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Spaulding Theory: How do Latter-day Saints respond to the claim that the Book of Mormon is based on "Manuscript Found" by Solomon Spaulding?
This topic has come up occasionally in other posts, but I found no question on the site asking about this specifically.
In 1834, ED Howe published Mormonism Unvailed [sic], claiming based upon the ...
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What specific strategies exist in apologetics to effectively engage and persuade individuals who adhere to pagan beliefs?
Note: This question has been inspired by the related question Convince a Heathen Theologian with 25 years of Experience
I'm intrigued by the prospect of tailoring apologetics strategies specifically ...
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If a person thinks there is no afterlife, why should he choose to be righteous?
I have seen people resort to arguments such as "if there is no afterlife, why be good (or religious)?". Counterarguments to living in sin during this life include final judgment and the ...
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Which prophecies does Justin Martyr claim predict Jesus' Advent? Please identify them
In his First Apology Justin Martyr writes:
We find it also predicted that certain persons should be sent by Him into every nation to publish these things, and that rather among the Gentiles [than ...
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In modern emerging Evangelicalism, how does less focus on General Revelation imply a more Experience-oriented religion?
According to experienced Christians, "If anything, a focus on General Revelation should correlate with more experience focus, as people relish in the signs of God." It is so true that when ...
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What are Christian apologetics refutations of the objections posited by the site: Why Won't God Heal Amputees?
The site: Why Won't God Heal Amputees?
Relevant quotes:
Is God real, or is he imaginary?
Is God real, or is he imaginary? It is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself.
If God is ...
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How are Romans 1:19-20 and Psalm 139:7-10 reconciled with the growing prevalence of the argument from divine hiddenness among atheists?
Romans 1:18-25 ESV
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about ...
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Is there any extra-biblical evidence that shows the apostles were martyred?
Church tradition tells us that most of the 12 apostles were martyred, with the apostle John being the only one considered to die an old death.
Is there any extra-biblical evidence that shows the ...
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How can a case be made against reducing the Christian experience to the Placebo effect? [closed]
The responses and reactions elicited by the question Is Christianity testable? on Philosophy Stack Exchange have been quite insightful. In particular, I would like to bring the reader's attention to ...
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What is the biblical basis for John Lennox's claim that Christianity is testable?
In a debate between John Lennox and Peter Atkins on the topic "Can science explain everything?", at minute 44:47 John Lennox claims:
Lennox: "And the major reason why I believe that ...
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How do Christians rebut Matt Dillahunty's objection that the resurrection of Jesus is untestable, unfalsifiable and thus unreasonable to believe?
On April 8, 2021, during a debate between Matt Dillahunty and Catholic Apologist Trent Horn titled Is belief in the Resurrection reasonable? Trent Horn Vs Matt Dillahunty Debate, hosted by Pints With ...
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What are scholarly books for and against the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus?
In order to have a well-rounded understanding of the arguments for and against a historical resurrection of Jesus, what would be a comprehensive list of must-read scholarly books defending its ...
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How to refute the argument that is is possible to be saved without Jesus and do apologetics for it
I've recently thought of an argument that might undermine Christianity but I'm not sure if I simply reinvented a super old argument that already has a refutation or it's a novel one (probably not), ...
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How do proponents of the Fine Tuning argument for God, refute the puddle comparison?
The fine tuning argument essentially states that there is so much about the universe that is "fine tuned" for life - eg things like the gravitational constant would cause the universe to ...
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What is the biblical counter-argument to the expression "the Universe provides"?
I have been given an assignment to address the view held by some people that "the Universe provides." My first thought was to investigate the New Age movement and beliefs but, although I ...
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What are the "gospels" in the Gospels?
As far as I know there are 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
I am an ex-Christian (currently atheist) who had a debate with a Muslim about a few discrepancies between the Qur'an and the Bible. ...
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Are there philosophical explanations for why God would allow animals to suffer due to non-human causes?
I just finished watching CosmicSkeptic's video titled Christianity's Biggest Problem, in which Alex O'Connor, the owner of the channel, presents the problem of animal suffering as the biggest ...
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HOW does the existence of the Universe make those who do not worship God to be "without excuse"?
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them,...
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Refutation of Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed at All (David Fitzgerald)
David Fitzgerald published a book called Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed at All in 2010. Are there any published refutations or rebuttals to this work?
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Are there any denominations that give official advice on how to win atheists for Christ who are very strong in philosophy, logic and skepticism?
This is intended to be a question of general applicability, but in all honesty, I'm asking inspired by concrete YouTube channels that promote atheism and skepticism, most notably, CosmicSkeptic and ...
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Is the Christian Religion based on "Faith in Faith" or does it have a foundation of "Acceptance of Facts"?
Many Christians who attend church, when confronted by inquirers outside the church, who wonder why they believe in Christianity, simply respond by saying, I just accept it by faith. Or they might say, ...
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On Bible Verses Defined by the Catholic Church
The following link seems to provide some good insight into Bible verses whose meanings have been definitively declared by the Catholic Church.
https://www.catholicfidelity.com/apologetics-topics/bible/...
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What could account for this 1990 radical change in belief about the German school of Higher Criticism (that began around 1860)?
This development in German universities in the 1800s is not to be confused with today’s “Critical Theory” (just in case anyone reading the 1990 quote below thinks they are akin.) This question deals ...
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Is there a possible compatibility between immutability and God's mercy?
Objection:
If God exists, He is immutable.
If God exists, he is merciful.
An immutable being cannot be affected by any event (since God is not subject to change).
A merciful being must be affected ...
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If we will have free will and be sinless in Heaven at the same time, then why did God not create a world with sinless free creatures to begin with?
This question is scoped to those who believe that:
We have libertarian free wills
We will retain our free will in Heaven
We will be sinless in Heaven
Question: If Heaven demonstrates that it is ...
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The Historicity of David, Pilate, and the Philistines
I've looked at the discoveries of things like the Tel Dan Inscription or the Pilate Stone which testify to the existence of David and Pilate. I read that before such archeological discoveries, the ...
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If God is perfect, do we live in the best of all possible worlds?
God is supposed to be perfect. If the world is the work of a perfect god, it should be, as Leibniz argued, the best possible world.
But it is not very difficult to imagine a better world than this.
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Has any Christian philosopher ever argued that naturalism can be shown to be false?
From Wikipedia:
In philosophy, naturalism is the idea or belief that only natural laws and forces (as opposed to supernatural ones) operate in the universe.[1]
Naturalism is not so much a special ...
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Based on post-2000 scholarly research, how do Christians defend that it was Jesus himself who prophesied the first Jewish-Roman war?
It's a common assertion by liberal Bible scholars that rather than Jesus himself who prophesied the destruction of the temple in AD 70 along with the ensuing wars and sufferings, it was the Gospel ...
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Did the religion of Christianity arise in AD70?
It has been suggested that the religion of Christianity arose as a result of the destruction of the Jewish temple and the Jewish priesthood by the Romans in the year 70. This date marks the inception ...
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Does the cosmological argument ignore the Spirituality of God?
In studying Christianity it is inevitable that one comes to the point where the existence of God is compared to the existence of the Universe. This is loosely embraced in the Cosmological argument.
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The Biblical God and the Kalam Cosmological Argument
The Kalam Cosmological Argument comprises of the following three premises:
Whatever begins to exist must have a cause.
The universe began to exist.
Therefore the universe has a cause.
If we assume ...
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How can one counter-argue this argument against the existence of God?
Argument:
If God is the Creator, He cannot be perfect. For either God created the world desiring it or not desiring it. If he did not wish it, it implies that he does not have total control over his ...
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What is the Transcendental Argument proof of God's existence?
I am aware of the several Metaphysical Arguments for the proof of God's existence (Cosmological, Teleological, Anthropological, etc.). And am familiar with the Logical Syllogisms showing the lethal ...
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Why does God punish us for our will?
This is a huge question. Do let me know if its immensity makes it off-topic for this site. I will start out my question with a quote from Schopenhauer:
A man can do what he wills, but not will what ...
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The resurrection & Deut 13 - If a prophet says "Let us worship another god" - Do NOT follow him, even if he gives a sign/miracle
It seems that Christian apologetics very much rests on the historical veracity of the resurrection. That is, if we can verify the resurrection, than we have an objective rationale to believe in the ...
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How do Christians justify lack of God's intervention during events where neonates get killed?
I simply can't reason about it.
When let's say 1 month old child gets killed and dies in horrible pain, there was nothing for him to learn from this "lesson". He also had no possibility to ...
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What would be a theologically sound and measured response to Joan Osbourne's "One of us"?
That song was a big song in the 90s. What would be a orthodox response to the views in that song be? God was indeed one of us for a while. God does indeed have a name and yes he is called that "...
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Did the Passover Crucifixion Involve a Double Sabbath?
In Regards to S.E. Answer: The Consummate Refutation of Christianity—if the Last Supper was a Passover Feast.
Since any day of the week that Passover falls on is considered a Sabbath, doesn't it make ...
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Does Christianity "Match" Reality? [closed]
I don't know if this is a "good" question for Christianity Stack Exchange, but it's weighing heavily on my mind, and this seems as good a place as any. So here goes.
I grew up as a Christian ...
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Are there other Christian authors besides WLC who believe that all Christians have access to a direct, self-authenticating experience of God?
My question is motivated by the following excerpt from William Lane Craig's Reasonable Faith article The Witness of the Holy Spirit:
Plantinga's model involves crucially what is usually called the ...
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Believing that Christianity is "probably" true vs. being fully convinced that Christianity is definitely true?
Most apologetic arguments for theism/Christianity are probabilistic (i.e. they are abductive in nature, rely on premises that are not necessarily true, etc.), meaning that a rational person who is ...
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How do non-LDS Christians respond to the stylometry argument for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon?
Multiple sources have put forward this argument.
For example, the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies article Stylometric Analyses of the Book of Mormon: A Short History (link) affirms:
Abstract
The ...
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According to Latter-day Saints, what are the strongest apologetic arguments for the divine inspiration of the Book of Mormon?
Inspired by my previous question on the divine inspiration of the Bible, I would like to ask a similar question on the Book of Mormon:
According to Latter-day Saints, what are the strongest apologetic ...