FLAWED LOGIC: RECOGNIZE AND CORRECT FLAWED LOGIC WHEN USED BY OTHERS

SCRIPTURE: IS. 1:18- COME NOW, LET US REASON TOGETHER.

IDENTIFY AND AVOID USING FLAWED LOGIC WHEN DISCUSSING GOD’S WORD:

1. ANTIQUITY OR TRADITION (IT’S ALWAYS BEEN DONE THAT WAY.) SUNDAY, FIRST DAY, REPLACED SATURDAY, 7TH DAY BY HUMANS HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. SABBATH INSTITUTED AT CREATION BY GOD.
   
2. ATTACKING THE CHARACTER OF THE OPPONENT, NOT THE IDEA. (HE IS A FASCIST.)
   
   
3. ARGUMENT OF IGNORANCE (ASSUMING SOMETHING IS TRUE BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN FALSE). (GLOBAL WARMING IS TRUE BECAUSE NO ONE HAS CONCLUSIVELY PROVEN IT TO BE FALSE.)
   
   
4. ARGUMENT TO THE POINT OF DISGUST BY REPETITION. (REPETITION ALONE DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACTS OF THE MATTER.) EXAMPLE: THIS WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT CAME ABOUT BY CHANCE; EVOLUTION.
   
   
5. APPEAL TO NUMBERS ( 70% OF AMERICANS SUPPORT HOMOSEXUALITY.) NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE APPROVE OF HOMOSEXUALITY, THIS DOESN’T CHANGE GOD’S CONDEMNATION OF IT.
   
   
6. CIRCULAR REASONING, ARGUMENT ALSO CALLED BEGGING THE QUESTION. (“X” IS TRUE BECAUSE “X” IS TRUE.) BUICKS ARE GOOD CARS (PERSONAL OPINION) BECAUSE I LIKE THEM (PERSONAL OPINION.)
   
   
7. COMPLEX QUESTION. (HAVE YOU STOPPED BEATING YOUR WIFE?) (ASSUMES YOU BEAT YOUR WIFE.) THIS TECHNIQUE IS ACCEPTABLE ONLY IF THERE IS CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT THE PERSON HAS, AT SOME TIME, BEATEN HIS WIFE.
   
   
8. THEREFORE; BECAUSE OF THIS FALLACY. (MISTAKING CORRELATION FOR CAUSE). (JANE WALKED INTO THE ROOM, AND IMMEDIATELY SHE FAINTED. ALTHOUGH THE TWO EVENTS OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME, ONE DOES NOT NECESSARILY CAUSE THE OTHER.)
   
   
9. SWEEPING GENERALIZATION (MAKING A GENERAL STATEMENT AND EXPECTING IT TO APPLY TO ALL CASES.) WOMEN ARE NOT AS STRONG AS MEN; THEREFORE, JANE CANNOT LIFT AS MUCH WEIGHT AS TOM.
   
   
10. THE NATURAL WAY IS GOOD. (SOMETHING IS RIGHT BECAUSE IT TAKES PLACE IN NATURE.) AGING AND DEATH ARE NATURAL IN THIS WORLD, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE THEM GOOD.)
    
    
11. IT DOES NOT FOLLOW. ASSUMING THAT ONE THING IS THE CAUSE OF A SECOND THING. (I JUST PUT GAS IN MY CAR, AND THE MOTOR STARTED MISSING SOON THEREAFTER; THEREFORE, THE GAS WAS BAD.)
    
    
12. RED HERRING- INTRODUCING IRRELEVANT FACTS. A DIVERSIONARY TACTIC. (A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHOSE ECONOMIC POLICIES HAVE PRODUCED WEAK RESULTS, ATTACKS HIS OPPONENT’S TIME ON THE GOLF COURSE.)
    
    
13. STRAW MAN FALLACY. (ONE ATTACKS ANOTHER’S POSITION BY USING AN EXAGGERATED AND/OR ERRONEOUS ILLUSTRATION OF THAT POSITION.) SABBATH KEEPERS WILL DO NO WORK ON THE SABBATH; THEREFORE, THEY WON’T CARE FOR THE SICK ON THE 7TH DAY.
    
    
14. DISTORTION OF POSITION OR INFORMATION. (ALTHOUGH YOU MADE ONE STATEMENT, YOUR OPPONENT DISTORTS YOUR STATEMENT BY ADDING OR OMITTING WORDS THAT YOU DID NOT USE. EXAMPLE: YOU SAY, “THE BIBLE HAS MANY TEXTS THAT TEACH THE GODLY WORK OF ANGELS.” YOUR OPPONENT SAYS THAT YOU SAID: “THERE ARE MANY BIBLE TEXTS THAT ADMONISH ONE TO WORSHIP ANGELS.”)
    
    
15. OUT OF CONTEXT. ( TAKING A PASSAGE OUT OF CONTEXT AND TRYING TO MAKE THE WRITER SAY SOMETHING THAT HE DID NOT SAY.) EXAMPLE: “THERE IS NO GOD.” ACTUALLY, DAVID SAYS, “THE FOOL SAYS THERE IS NO GOD.”
    
    
16. ASSUMING AUTHORITY. (TAKING AUTHORITY THAT ONE HAS NOT BEEN GRANTED). EXAMPLE: GEN. 1, GOD BLESSED AND HALLOWED THE 7TH DAY AS SABBATH (REST). A HUMAN ASSUMES TO HAVE AUTHORITY OVER GOD AND CONCLUDES: “THE DAY YOU KEEP MAKES NO DIFFERENCE, SO LONG AS YOU KEEP ONE DAY.”
    
    
17. ASSUMING EDITING AUTHORITY. (PICK AND CHOOSE THOSE PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE THAT THEY ACCEPT OR REJECT.) SOME ACCEPT JOHN ON CREATION, BUT REJECT GENESIS ON CREATION; SOME ACCEPT THE APOSTLE PETER AND REJECT THE APOSTLE PAUL.)
    
    
18. PROJECTING SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION. (PROJECTING SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION TO GENERAL POPULATION.) APOSTLE PAUL GAVE COUNSEL TO SPECIFIC CHURCH CONCERNING BOISTEROUS WOMEN; THEY WERE NOT TO SPEAK IN CHURCH. THIS INSTRUCTION NOT TO BE PROJECTED TO GENERAL CHRISTIAN POPULATION.
    

CONCLUSION: WHEN DISCUSSING SCRIPTURE WITH OTHERS, SOME OF WHOM ARE NOT SEEKING TRUTH, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEIR LACK OF LOGIC AND REASONING, AND DRAW THEM BACK TO THE TRUTHS OF GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE, THROUGH BIBLICAL EVIDENCE, REASON, LOGIC, AND THE CONVICTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Fillmer Hevener, Ed. D., Pastor
Guthrie Memorial Chapel
224 Mohele Road
Farmville, Va. 23901.U.S.A.
(434) 392-6255
fhevener@oilart.com