31
votes
Accepted
How do Christians rebut Matt Dillahunty's objection that the resurrection of Jesus is untestable, unfalsifiable and thus unreasonable to believe?
Dillahunty's argument is self-refuting.
He commits the error inherent to all forms of verificationism. A simple, jargon-free description of verificationist principles would be: "you shouldn't ...
- 10.4k
14
votes
Believing that Christianity is "probably" true vs. being fully convinced that Christianity is definitely true?
Preliminaries
Having no philosophy / theology degree, but as an amateur aspiring to be a Christian epistemologist, I will share in this answer a way for a rational person who, after intellectually ...
- 20.6k
10
votes
Is there a name for the belief that some individuals would always freely reject salvation no matter the world in which they are created?
Thanks to Isaac Middlemiss and Luke Hill's inputs, I can answer my own question. There are at least two relevant terms:
Transworld damnation:
The proposal of transworld damnation is not the doctrine ...
- 693
7
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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?
I'd suppose that the same arguments regarding existence might be made about Confucious, Plato, Melchizedek, Nero, and other historical figures. But what are counter arguments?
You might look for ...
- 12.3k
7
votes
Did Philo influence the contents of the New Testament?
The following information about Philo of Alexandria has saved me a lot of spade-work. These quotes show the comparative significance of this man with regard to early Christian doctrines.
"Jewish ...
- 23.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Must Catholics believe in Christ's historicity?
Yes, Catholics must believe in the historicity of Christ.
Is there some philosophical doctrine in Catholicism which does not require to believe in the historicity of Christ
No. This is the heresy ...
- 36.4k
6
votes
How do Christians rebut Matt Dillahunty's objection that the resurrection of Jesus is untestable, unfalsifiable and thus unreasonable to believe?
Apart from the point about the argument being self-refuting from another answer, this argument proves too much. By the author's logic, the claim that George Washington used to be President of the ...
6
votes
Does the bible give guidance on how one can achieve happiness?
Christianity teaches truths, habits of heart and action that can promote happiness. However, unlike some systems of thought, the pursuit of happiness within Christianity is a paradox.
Jesus said in ...
- 10.6k
6
votes
Believing that Christianity is "probably" true vs. being fully convinced that Christianity is definitely true?
There remains a type of epistemic distance, in the evidence for the Christian faith, that is sufficient but not exhaustive. That distance is there for a reason. It's to avoid coercion.
The evidence ...
- 3,257
6
votes
Is there a biblical basis for naturalism?
No. The bible describes supernatural works of God (creation, various miracles, the resurrection) as exactly that: supernatural. You might try to argue that God accomplished these things through ...
- 1,474
6
votes
Accepted
Is there a name for the belief that some individuals would always freely reject salvation no matter the world in which they are created?
On a quick Google, the idea that those who die unsaved would not have believed no matter what else could have happened is called Transworld damnation. You're not wrong that it is directly related to ...
- 1,474
5
votes
Accepted
Was William of Ockham the first sedevacantist?
It's frustrating when an asker of a question then goes on to provide what he or she considers to be the correct answer. Perhaps that is why nobody has bothered to give an answer until now (2 years and ...
- 23.2k
5
votes
Accepted
What prominent Christian thinkers (if any) held to polygenism and if so how did these thinkers view original sin?
Yes. In his book, The Problem of Pain, popular Christian author C.S. Lewis discusses Adam's sin in the context of Scientific understanding of his time, which included Darwinism. He presents an ...
- 8,035
5
votes
Accepted
How it is possible to be one God in three persons (Jesus, Holy Ghost, and God the Father)?
God is not a person. God is a Being.
Within the One Being of God subsist the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Together, these three make up the One Being of God.
When Jesus ...
- 27.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Is there a name for a category of Christians who lack a doctrinal position in the debate about God's nature?
Christians have been around for 2000 years. We would think surely there is already a label out there that answers your question?
Short answer: Deist is the closest, with Thomas Jefferson as a famous ...
- 20.6k
5
votes
Is the Hypostatic Union a contradiction?
Is it contradictory to claim that Christ was both fully man and fully God at the same time?
No, because Jesus being God could operate under both natures at the same time.
The easiest way to understand ...
- 20.6k
5
votes
Accepted
Have any prominent Christian Intelligent Design proponents discussed the issue of a potential infinite regress of intelligent designers?
This is not an area of focus in scholarly publications on Intelligent Design.
Scoping Intelligent Design
Intelligent Design is not a viewpoint restricted to Christians. It can include Jews, Muslims, ...
- 10.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Have any Christian thinkers expressed the idea that the Trinity can be proven independently from Scripture?
Anselm of Canterbury attempts to do exactly this in his Monologion, an 11th century work that attempts to logically deduce God's existence and attributes without the use of Scripture.
Overview in ...
4
votes
What defence can be made for Christian anthropocentrism?
The answer, in short, is that recognizing the centrality of man is far from outdated and cannot be branded as mere “anthropocentrism.” Man is qualitatively different from and, in fact, superior to all ...
- 13.2k
4
votes
Accepted
What is (or where can I find) a summary of David J Bartholomew's views on God and Chance?
David Bartholomew's view is that God uses chance.
The idea that God may have actually used chance, and still be using chance, may help to dispel the negative role it often plays in current theology. ...
- 8,543
4
votes
Is it necessary to read Aristotle's books in order to understand St. Thomas Aquinas's «Summa Theologica»?
Although St. Thomas Aquinas is said to have "reconciled" Aristotle with Christian theology, he rejects much of Aristotle (e.g., he rejects that Aristotle thought the world is eternal).(Interestingly, ...
- 36.4k
4
votes
Under what basis does the Catholic Church consider animals, in particular great apes, not to be persons?
Humans have the gift of free will given directly by God [CCC 1730], as well as a soul [CCC 1703]. Only humans have an immortal soul.
Many higher mammals have the traits you speak of: wolves, most ...
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4
votes
How it is possible to be one God in three persons (Jesus, Holy Ghost, and God the Father)?
Contrary to the way some may view this question, it is not a "truth" question but a "how" one. "How is it possible," you ask, given that the tiny selection of isolated verses you quote appear at first ...
- 23.2k
4
votes
Accepted
What is a formal ontological definition of the nature of God according to the doctrine of the Trinity?
Use of "Ontological"
Are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ontologically independent
entities, each one being particulars of universal divine attributes?
The word "ontological&...
4
votes
Would it be correct to say that we could associate Christianity with terms like "way of life", "lifestyle", "philosophy" etc.?
Would it be correct to say that we could associate Christianity with terms like “way of life”, “lifestyle”, “philosophy” etc.?
The short answer is yes.
However the variations in definitions will ...
- 61.6k
4
votes
Would it be correct to say that we could associate Christianity with terms like "way of life", "lifestyle", "philosophy" etc.?
No. I think this is one of the great errors promoted by public education, that all the "religions" are the same sort of things and basically interchangeable: they all have a founder, a holy ...
- 702
4
votes
How do Latter-day Saints respond to William Lane Craig's philosophical objections to the Mormon view of creation?
My response comes in two parts:
Creation ex-nihilo (in a separate answer for readability)
Theosis & the Nature of God (this answer)
(Sorry, no money-back guarantee for those anticipating a 3-...
- 10.4k
4
votes
How do Christians rebut Matt Dillahunty's objection that the resurrection of Jesus is untestable, unfalsifiable and thus unreasonable to believe?
Centuries ago people argued about whether the parallel line postulate (parallel lines never meet) could be proved using the other axioms of geometry. It was finally proven that you cannot. If you ...
- 10.6k
4
votes
According to Christians who believe that God is a utilitarian, why is homosexuality suboptimal?
We learn from Genesis that God wanted humanity to have "dominion over the earth" (ch1 v26), and for that end it was necessary for humanity to "increase and multiply" (v28). In ...
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