Comments on: XFiles Friday: Liar, Lunatic or Liberal http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/2009/08/28/xfiles-friday-liar-lunatic-or-liberal/ The theology of Reality Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:49:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: valdemar http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/2009/08/28/xfiles-friday-liar-lunatic-or-liberal/comment-page-1/#comment-12937 valdemar Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:51:29 +0000 http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/?p=1086#comment-12937 Given that Jesus believed in demonic possession (if he existed) he was not exactly possessed of cosmic wisdom. If he existed at all - I assume that one remains largely a matter of personal opinion? Given that Jesus believed in demonic possession (if he existed) he was not exactly possessed of cosmic wisdom. If he existed at all – I assume that one remains largely a matter of personal opinion?

]]> By: Hunt http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/2009/08/28/xfiles-friday-liar-lunatic-or-liberal/comment-page-1/#comment-12894 Hunt Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:37:29 +0000 http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/?p=1086#comment-12894 Make that "favored," but if you must pick a flavored option, make it strawberry! Make that “favored,” but if you must pick a flavored option, make it strawberry!

]]> By: Hunt http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/2009/08/28/xfiles-friday-liar-lunatic-or-liberal/comment-page-1/#comment-12893 Hunt Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:32:59 +0000 http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/?p=1086#comment-12893 Great post. I'll reiterate something I think you wrote about in another post somewhere regarding "trilemmas" and dilemmas. The average person, hearing the trilemma recited will assign uniform probabilities to each choice, therefore giving each one roughly 33%. Since the unflavored options have usually already been given a bad spin, this is an extremely effective tool of deceptive persuasion. But I could as easily say that either aliens have visited earth or they have not. As absurd as it seems, a lot of people will assign a 50/50 split to this proposition. But as you say, none of this is required to negate any psychological sway the "trilemma" may have. It's just a false trichotomy. My personal opinion is that Jesus, if he was indeed historical , was probably a better than average bloke who got caught up in a situation that spun out of control. More than likely he didn’t fully understand the political environment he inhabited. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s happened more than few times since. There’s every reason to believe that Jim Jones also had virtuous qualities, but he lost control in a different, but no less disastrous, way. Jones probably represented the “lunatic” end of the spectrum a bit more than Jesus, but he wasn’t completely evil. Those who seek to depart from the status quo, as often as not, tend to end badly. Great post. I’ll reiterate something I think you wrote about in another post somewhere regarding “trilemmas” and dilemmas. The average person, hearing the trilemma recited will assign uniform probabilities to each choice, therefore giving each one roughly 33%. Since the unflavored options have usually already been given a bad spin, this is an extremely effective tool of deceptive persuasion. But I could as easily say that either aliens have visited earth or they have not. As absurd as it seems, a lot of people will assign a 50/50 split to this proposition.

But as you say, none of this is required to negate any psychological sway the “trilemma” may have. It’s just a false trichotomy.

My personal opinion is that Jesus, if he was indeed historical , was probably a better than average bloke who got caught up in a situation that spun out of control. More than likely he didn’t fully understand the political environment he inhabited. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s happened more than few times since. There’s every reason to believe that Jim Jones also had virtuous qualities, but he lost control in a different, but no less disastrous, way. Jones probably represented the “lunatic” end of the spectrum a bit more than Jesus, but he wasn’t completely evil. Those who seek to depart from the status quo, as often as not, tend to end badly.

]]> By: Ric http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/2009/08/28/xfiles-friday-liar-lunatic-or-liberal/comment-page-1/#comment-12883 Ric Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:14:15 +0000 http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/?p=1086#comment-12883 Lewis' logic is so bad it honestly makes me laugh. Good piece. Your second-to-last paragraph is quotable. Lewis’ logic is so bad it honestly makes me laugh. Good piece. Your second-to-last paragraph is quotable.

]]> By: atimetorend http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/2009/08/28/xfiles-friday-liar-lunatic-or-liberal/comment-page-1/#comment-12877 atimetorend Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:38:31 +0000 http://blog.evangelicalrealism.com/?p=1086#comment-12877 Excellent breakdown of the trilemma, both the logic and the consequences at stake. It is so important to determine the presuppositions in the apologetics before trying to pick them apart. I am trying to figure out if I take offense at Lewis' apologetics because they sound like fundamentalist exhortations to believe at times, or if that is something I am reading into them because of my own conservative Christian past. I am tending to think the former. Geisler is easier for me to reject out of hand, both because of his presuppositions and the silliness of their arguments. Excellent breakdown of the trilemma, both the logic and the consequences at stake. It is so important to determine the presuppositions in the apologetics before trying to pick them apart. I am trying to figure out if I take offense at Lewis’ apologetics because they sound like fundamentalist exhortations to believe at times, or if that is something I am reading into them because of my own conservative Christian past. I am tending to think the former. Geisler is easier for me to reject out of hand, both because of his presuppositions and the silliness of their arguments.

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