Rationalism
Definition
Rationalism describes any philosophy that claims that beliefs and opinions should always be logical, deductive conclusions rather than being based on experience, observations, religious teachings, or divine revelation.
Keywords: Rationalism, Philosophy, Logical, Reasoning, Deductive, Experience, Observations, Religious, Revelation, Contradictory.
Veracity
Rationalistic claims are false .
Proof
All self-refuting or contradictory claims are deductively false.
Premise 1: Only deductive conclusions should be believed.
Premise 2: Premise 1, being the foundation or starting point of the philosophy, is not itself a deductive conclusion.
Conclusion: Therefore, premise 1, also known as "rationalism", should not be believed.
Rationalistic claims, when adhered to, require the rejection of rationalistic claims. To accept them is to reject them, making rationalism inherently contradictory and deductively false.
Gilbert Guttlebocker, Defender of Dragons
Riveting, yet absurd; romantic, yet innocent; Gilbert Guttlebocker, Defender of Dragons is a little Roald Dahl, a little Harry Potter, and a little Chronicles of Narnia, all rolled into one. Timothy McCabe collaborates with the great Benedict Ballyhoot to bring you the novel of the century!
In Printed Form
Along with numerous other authors including Don Landis, Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson, Timothy McCabe contributes analyses of various world religions and cults in this volume from Master Books.
Other Writings
"Assuming I accept your arguments that there is a God, it is still a huge leap for me to therefore cut off my son's foreskin, avoid clothes of mixed fibers, and give 10% of my earnings to Pat Robertson."
Christianity does not advocate cutting off your son's foreskin, avoiding clothes of mixed fibers, or giving 10% of your earnings to Pat Robertson. So it seems as though there is nothing in your way to becoming a Christian! Since you haven't actually asked a question, I'm going to have to do a little guesswork to try to figure out how to properly address this comment. PAT ROBERTSON I'll start with the easiest one first -- the Bible never even mentions Pat Robertson.
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"I'd like to hear an explanation to any of these questions without referencing the bible. For those of us that don't believe I the inerrancy of that Bronze-aged text, it would be refreshing."
You want an authoritative Christian answer that doesn't appeal to Christianity's authority? Interesting idea. Let me think on it for a little bit... Hmmm... No. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Joshua 1:8, 23:6; 1 Kings 2:3; Psalm 1:2; Proverbs 7:1; Matthew 4:4-10; Mark 12:24; Luke 1:3, 10:26, 11:28, 16:29, 24:27; John 21:24; Acts 17:11, 18:28; 1 Corinthians 2:13, 14:37; Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 1:3, 22:19)
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"Did Jesus preach non-violence? He says in Mat 5:39 Whoever smites thee on thy right cheek offer him the other. But in Luke 22:36 he says He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. How then can Heb 1:8-12 says he is unchanging?"
Addressing the last part of your question first, the text is below: Hebrews 1:8-12 (from Psalm 102:25-27) - NASB But of the Son He says, "YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. "YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.
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