Friday, November 18, 2011

Let's take a look at gordo's...

..."abductive inference to best explanation".

According to gordo the wannabe a lordo:

The NT’s central claim is that he good news of Jesus is authenticated through his death, burial and resurrection with 500+ eyewitnesses and the poured out transforming power of the Spirit in the light of the promised s of the gospel, as is classically described in 1 Cor 15:1 – 11, in light of precise predictive prophecies, in the OT, esp those of Isaiah 53, c. 700+ BC. [And, only God can so control history as to prohesy like that.]

12 –> So, the root challenge for those who would object is to address the focal issue of 1 Cor 15:1 – 11, in light of what Gary Habermas and others have identified as the cluster of core facts that are generally accepted by both conservative and the majority of skeptical scholars, e.g.:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.

2. He was buried.

3. His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope.

4. The tomb was empty (the most contested).

5. The disciples had experiences which they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus (the most important proof).

6. The disciples were transformed from doubters to bold proclaimers.

7. The resurrection was the central message.

8. They preached the message of Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem.

9. The Church was born and grew.

10. Orthodox Jews who believed in Christ made Sunday their primary day of worship.

11. James was converted to the faith when he saw the resurrected Jesus (James was a family skeptic).

12. Paul was converted to the faith (Paul was an outsider skeptic).

13 –> On abductive inference to best explanation [the standard way of making sense out of empirical facts in logic and of seeing what is the warranted credible truth about the past etc], the historic, C1 NT contention that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, rose form death as triumphant Lord, with 500+ witnesses easily explains the above. BY CONTRAST NO SKEPTICAL THEORY IS CAPABLE OF EXPLAINING THE CLUSTER OF FACTS, OR EVEN KEY SUBSETS OF THEM.

So, on inference to best explanation, we are entitled to conclude — no mind who may be inclined to indulge in selective hyperskeptical dismissals of one form or another [cf more in the just above linked] — that the core gospel is well warranted, and that he apostles and prophets are indeed authenticated spokesmen of God.

But if one is committed to a different worldview, and especially if one has accepted certain errors as the truth, when one hears the real truth, it will seem like nonsense and foolishness. In short, there is none so blind as he who will not see.

That is why prayer to help us open our hearts and minds so that we will be open to corrective truth, and it is why taking time to examine the reasoning — logic — and evidence — facts — on a matter carefully in light of the principles of comparative difficulties analysis of alternative [world]views, is also so important.

G’day

Dictionary (aka gordon e mullings/kairosfocus)

http://bajan.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/hermeneutics-and-exegesis/#comments

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Do I really need to comment on this? :)