Atheists and Misrepresentation
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
Some time ago, I wrote an article about the proper use of debates, which drew heavily on what I had learned from Dr. James R. White. At this writing, he has done 169 formal debates. One thing he emphasizes is that to do this, both sides have to know what the other represents so they can discuss things properly.
There is a section of The Dividing Line that I would like you to see. Dr. White is telling how he represents the other side correctly (at the moment, he was talking to a Mohammedan). That is an excellent set-up for the next segment where he is (if I understood this correctly) going to debate an atheist. This atheist wrote a post where he makes fifteen assertions that parts of the Bible had material that were inserted deceptively.
What he is doing (and what the Mohammedan was doing earlier) is focusing on textual variances. Christian scholars know about these things, and they are usually in footnotes of Bibles (such as, "...older manuscripts omit..." or similar). Claiming sneakiness from ancient Christians without evidence is not only illogical, it also makes him the liar. (I know of tinhorns who do the same thing: assert that someone is deceptive without offering evidence, then claiming that they "proved" someone is lying by irrationally invoking the fallacy of repeated assertion.) The atheist that White is discussing would do well to read "250 Alleged Bible Contradictions Answered" at the Domain for Truth.
Seeing this sort of thing helps Christians and especially creationists be on guard against harassment and misrepresentation by atheists and evolutionists. Also, we have to be mindful of our own approaches, avoiding "Gotcha!" tricks and so forth. We are not in this to glorify ourselves through our rhetorical skills, but to spread the truth and to glorify God.
The part I would like you to watch begins at the 25 minutes 49 seconds mark. I'm only asking a few minutes from you, from the Mohammedan and into the discussion about the atheist. You may want to watch Dr. White address each of the fifteen items, but I am not asking for that much.
ADDENDUM: Sometimes atheists pretend to be Christians, but you can tell from their misuse of the Bible and by their attitudes that they are unbelievers in sheep's clothing.
Some time ago, I wrote an article about the proper use of debates, which drew heavily on what I had learned from Dr. James R. White. At this writing, he has done 169 formal debates. One thing he emphasizes is that to do this, both sides have to know what the other represents so they can discuss things properly.
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| Screenshot from The Dividing Line, September 3, 2019 (linked below) |
What he is doing (and what the Mohammedan was doing earlier) is focusing on textual variances. Christian scholars know about these things, and they are usually in footnotes of Bibles (such as, "...older manuscripts omit..." or similar). Claiming sneakiness from ancient Christians without evidence is not only illogical, it also makes him the liar. (I know of tinhorns who do the same thing: assert that someone is deceptive without offering evidence, then claiming that they "proved" someone is lying by irrationally invoking the fallacy of repeated assertion.) The atheist that White is discussing would do well to read "250 Alleged Bible Contradictions Answered" at the Domain for Truth.
Seeing this sort of thing helps Christians and especially creationists be on guard against harassment and misrepresentation by atheists and evolutionists. Also, we have to be mindful of our own approaches, avoiding "Gotcha!" tricks and so forth. We are not in this to glorify ourselves through our rhetorical skills, but to spread the truth and to glorify God.
The part I would like you to watch begins at the 25 minutes 49 seconds mark. I'm only asking a few minutes from you, from the Mohammedan and into the discussion about the atheist. You may want to watch Dr. White address each of the fifteen items, but I am not asking for that much.
ADDENDUM: Sometimes atheists pretend to be Christians, but you can tell from their misuse of the Bible and by their attitudes that they are unbelievers in sheep's clothing.
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