Apologetics

[Scrawly]

After skimming through some posts on proving God's existence and loosely following AP's discussion with Gary, I found that it might be beneficial to post a testimony of an ex-apologist I read a while ago. I'm certainly not entirely on board with progressive Christianity, but I find some insights from their camp valuable.

I think going on a quest to prove the existence of God is generally a foolish errand. I don't think any argument in favor of Christianity or theism is sufficient to compel belief - even through honest, rigorous examination - the data, to me, simply falls significantly short of providing rational certainty. Now that's not to say I don't think evidence should ever be shored up in certain contexts, indeed we can present what is there, and we should support those who dig up that evidence, yet I think there needs to be a fundamental realization that this data is not going to prove either the existence of God generally or Christianity in particular with 100% certainty.

Enjoy some insights from the 3-part series:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peteren...n-part-1-of-3/

[One Bad Pig]

Sufficient evidence to compel belief isn't out there (if there is free will, that would compromise it; if determinism is true, nobody can be compelled anyway).

That doesn't mean we should stop trying to supply proofs, unless you're a determinist; not everyone requires 100% certainty.

[KingsGambit]

They are still useful for providing the questioning believer a basis to continue with the faith they have grown up with, and indeed, I think that is the primary role that apologetics provide.

[seanD]

They are still useful for providing the questioning believer a basis to continue with the faith they have grown up with, and indeed, I think that is the primary role that apologetics provide.

Especially when there are anti-Christian apologetics directly against it, and particularly in an age where those anti-Christian apologetics are easy to access. And also, in light of the fact much of the anti-Christian rhetoric is based on misconstrued facts or outright fallacies, I believe it's the duty of Christians to correct those errors regardless of the expected outcome of doing so.

[hedrick]

Apologetics isn't just about trying to prove things. It's also about dealing with rational objections and difficulties. I think that's important. Many people seem to be put off Christianity by specific objections, such as the existence of evil or the morality of hell. I think we should have some response to those concerns.