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
"Are you absolutely sure that the Bible is not a work of Satan, the Father of Lies, appearing under the guise of an angel of light to deceive you? (2 Cor 11:14)"
This is a great example of a nonsensical question. 2 Corinthians 11:14 claims that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light". John 8:44 states that Satan "is a liar and the father of lies". The question presupposes that 2 Corinthians 11:14 and John 8:4 are in fact true. It then goes on to suggest that if in fact these verses are true, mightn't they also be false? The answer is quite obviously, no.
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"Your previous answer states that you agree that homosexual people should be executed. This conflicts with the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". Justify this please."
Actually, my answer was that those who disobey God deserve to be executed, including myself. So, rephrasing your question slightly, how is it then that anyone "should" be executed when no one is allowed to kill? The short answer is that the prohibition against killing humans is a general rule or principle that holds for all humans and all animals (Genesis 9:5-6) unless God specifically commands otherwise.
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"Is the Bible true?"
Every worldview, when reduced to its most basic fundamentals, requires self-attestation, or, in other words, a "circular argument". Such arguments are necessary for every worldview. For example, a rationalist (someone who accepts reason as the supreme authority) can only attempt to justify his reliance on reason by... using reason. Christianity, likewise, has a supreme authority, and that authority is God. He has given us His Word and told us to use it as our basis for understanding.
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