In thinking back over the course of my own investigations, I have noted that several criteria have proven useful again and again. As a person investigates issues of faith and compares different explanations, these principles of vetting can help clear away the clutter that is so happily foisted by various authors. I have dubbed the following five criteria:
- The Goose and the Gander
- The Burden of Proof
- Scaled Support
- The Weakest Link
- Alternate Cases
In my own investigations, I have found that the most robust cases raised by the mightiest Christian apologists cannot survive the winnowing.
The Goose and the Gander
Principle:
If a rationale can be used to support more than one religion, that line of argument cannot be considered definitive. What is good for goose and the gander cannot adjudicate between them.
Example:
Eyewitness testimony from believers living at the time of Jesus does count as type of evidence. However, it is not unique or definitive evidence. Other religions make similar claims on similar grounds by people who similarly believed. [Read more…]
Jericho Brisance 