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Title: What Is “Presuppositional” Apologetics?
Source:
Answers In Genesis
URL Source: http://www.answersingenesis.org/art ... 4/presuppositional-apologetics
Published: Feb 9, 2010
Author: David Wright
Post Date: 2010-02-09 18:16:36 by A K A Stone
Keywords: None
Views: 4013
Comments: 15
When explaining their beliefs, Christians often feel they must first prove the Bible or prove the existence of God. This approach reveals that they do not yet understand the Bible’s approach, known as presuppositional apologetics. Presuppositions are simply beliefs that everyone has that affect how they think, view the world, interpret evidence, and read the Bible. Apologetics is a reasoned defense of beliefs. So presuppositional apologetics is a reasoned defense of Christian beliefs based on recognizing our presuppositions. For instance, my presupposition is that God exists and He has given us His Word (the Bible) that is absolute truth. So I use the Bible as the basis for how to think, interpret evidence, explain the world around me, and read the Bible. An atheist’s presupposition will most likely be that there is no God and that truth is relative. An atheist believes that man decides truth, and so he thinks, interprets evidence, and views the world and Bible accordingly. If we start off believing the Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 18:30; Proverbs 30:5), then we use it as our axiom. An axiom (often used in logic) is a proposition that is not susceptible to proof or disproof; its truth is assumed. The Bible takes this stance, assuming God’s existence to be true and not something to be proven (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Revelation 1:8). The battle is not over evidence but over philosophical starting points: presuppositions. As Christians, we should never put away our axiom—the Bible—when discussing truth with others. This would be like a soldier going into battle without any armor or weapons. Asking a Christian to abandon the Bible for the sake of discussion is like asking an atheist to prove there is no God by using only the Bible. You would be asking the atheist to give up his axiom. The prophets and the apostles never tried to prove God’s existence. They started by assuming God’s existence, and they always reasoned from Scripture (Acts 17:2, 17; 18:4, 19). By using the Word of God, we are actually pitting the unbeliever against God and not our own fallible thinking.
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#1. To: A K A Stone (#0)
In philosophy, when the presupposition is not based upon observation but of faith, using the basis of the faith as proof of its existence is called "Circular reasoning" and thus fallacious...
Lets not confuse the stockmarket with the economy, okay? Badeye posted on 2003-08-28 14:37:45 ET Reply Trace
Kind of like the atheist who pre supposes there is no God. Except that there is revelation in the Bible of Gods word. Something you can test and see if it is worthwhile knowledge.
An atheist usually does not presuppose the lack of a Deity. IN point of fact, most of us are socialized into "believing" in childhood.
Lets not confuse the stockmarket with the economy, okay? Badeye posted on 2003-08-28 14:37:45 ET Reply Trace
Your parents must be disappointed.
One parent is dead and the day before he died he called me to tell me how proud he was of me. I talk to my mom, who is in a nursing home because her Parkinsons requires 24/7 care, every day. She's never made me feel as if she is. IF your relationships with those close to you are contingent upon you believing in fairy tales it's time to re-examine those relationships.
Lets not confuse the stockmarket with the economy, okay? Badeye posted on 2003-08-28 14:37:45 ET Reply Trace
I said that in jest. Anyways your presupposition that there is no God is not a wise move. Any parent who believes in the God of the Bible. I mean truly believes wouldn't want their kids to become non believers. Out of love. I never said they would dislike you. Just disappointed to your destination in the afterlife.
That there is no God is not a presupposition of mine. I really don't care if there is one. I gave up caring about 9:05AM 9/11/01...if there is one, it's not one I care to know...
Whatever... Badeye posted on anyday anytime Reply Trace
Why did that trigger it? Doesn't seem to make sense. I mean there have been earthquakes that have killed hundreds of thousands prior to 911. Couldn't you have blamed that on God too?
I'm not going to blame something that I am pretty sure does not exist...
Whatever... Badeye posted on anyday anytime Reply Trace
What I don't understand is why God's word is so incredibly difficult to understand. Since the assumption is that God can do anything, why couldn't he make himself clear? Instead we end up with hundreds or thousands of different sects all proclaiming to be the only ones who are following God's way. If I were God, I would have burned my word permanently into the side of a mountain in such a way that all could understand it with no translation necessary. After all, God can do anything, so this would have been child's play to him.
Please God, let Alabama beat Kentucky on Kentucky's home court tonight. This is an experiment. And don't tell my neighbors...they're all Kentucky fans.
What we need to settle this is a three way match between the believers in God, Jesus, and Allah.
No matter how much we debate or discuss... the existence of God Almighty can never be denied! If we exist... if human beings exist so do God Almighty... the creator of all things cosmic! Why? Every human being primarily is a soul atman on its cosmic journey of 8.4 million manifestations (an earthly life cycle of 96.4 million years)! Every soul atman manifests the human form to work out its karma... remove dross impurities within! It is only when God Almighty explodes self with a big bang... the whole cosmos gets created! The simple definition of God Almighty is... the cluster of all purified souls atmans in the cosmos at a given moment of time! The sacred Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism is absolutely clear on this point!
What reveals itself to me ceases to be mysterious for me alone: if I unveil it to anyone else, he hears mere words which betray the living sense.
So why do you bother soiling this site with your vacuous and inane commentary? ... yukon haha lots of laughing out loud
HEY LLAMA!!! HOW ABOUT A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE EFFORT?!?
Whatever... Badeye posted on anyday anytime Reply Trace
#2. To: war (#1)
#3. To: A K A Stone (#2)
#4. To: war (#3)
#5. To: A K A Stone (#4)
(Edited)
#6. To: war (#5)
#7. To: A K A Stone (#6)
(Edited)
#8. To: war (#7)
#9. To: A K A Stone (#8)
#10. To: A K A Stone (#2)
Except that there is revelation in the Bible of Gods word.
#11. To: Skip Intro (#10)
After all, God can do anything, so this would have been child's play to him.
#12. To: Fred Mertz (#11)
This is an experiment.
#13. To: A K A Stone (#0)
#14. To: A K A Stone (#2)
Except that there is revelation in the Bible of Gods word.
#15. To: Skip Intro (#12)
(Edited)
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