The Most Crazy Arguments Ever Heard
So, tell me internet, what have been some of the most insane, mad, illogical, incoherent arguments you have ever heard for the existence of god? I thought it would be entertaining (and I do need a good laugh) to look at some of the most insane arguments that are still being bounced around today, despite being thoroughly debunked. Hold onto your heads, it’s going to get mental.
Most Circular Argument Ever:
“The Bible is the word of god because the Bible says so because the bible is infallible because the Bible is the word of god…“
Circular Reasoning is circular
This is terrible reasoning, circular reasoning is just insane and in this context, it is unbelievable that so many people don’t realise they are doing it. The Bible is highly unreliable, there is some historical events it got right, but others it got wrong, plus considering the number of translation errors and errors generated by the process of copying (which we know happened because of all the scraps of Bibles we can find in the world), the failed prophecies (despite how vague and general they were) and a distinct lack of other sources which correlate with what the Bible says.
Massive scientific inaccuracies (e.g. Earth being described as flat with a dome over the top), a lack of understanding of the world outside the authors own area in the middle east, inconsistencies (tons, Google for them) and contradictions between books and even in the same book (There’s a contradiction in the first few paragraphs of Genesis even).
Plus the number of alterations and edits added in at later dates (e.g. Jesus being resurrected was added in later, the writing style distinctly changes) and the fact that books were voted in and out by a show of hands means that even if the original authors were inspired by god, the Bible in it’s current form is going to be no where near what it was originally intended to be!
The Bible is not a perfect book, the Qur’an is supposedly a perfect book, yet you can apply the same reasoning and find similar failings in it too. This concept of perfection baffles me, just the process of copying alone introduced plenty of errors.
This is just one of the most common and insane arguments I’ve ever had to deal with. Screw teaching science, or the controversy. Critical Thinking is what we need, until you can learn how to argue, you can’t really do too much with what you have learned on a particular issue. I’m shocked that in this country, most schools ideas of teaching critical thinking is to wait until sixth form and then only do one small class of the brightest students teaching half an A-level on the subject. Critical thinking and understanding proper argumentative technique is what we need.
rikkitick said,
June 6, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I agree with your contention that we need to learn to think critically. Thinking and reason, however, will only take us so far. At some point there must be a “leap of faith.”
Rokusho said,
June 7, 2009 at 8:42 am
As long as people realise that at some point they must make some leap of faith. Plus they understand that in doing so, they can’t expect everyone else to accept and follow what they say is true, I’m fine with that. It’s those who try to claim that no only is it logical, but obvious there is a god and that god is their god.
Combine this with everyone understanding the idea of secularism and how arguments from faith on certain issues, like gay rights, just don’t work without some additional evidence beyond their faith then there wouldn’t be much for the new atheist movement to worry about. In fact, such a movement would probably have never really existed.