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| My friend being inspired to write his book |
For example, I challenged Christian to apply their beliefs about Jesus to a scenario set in modern times with Help! What Should I Do? In this scenario I said someone had told me about someone he's heard about who was now dead but could do miracles and claimed I would live forever if I believed in him. I asked why should not believe him? I've not had a sensible reply in nearly 18 months at the time of writing and yet this is exactly the scenario Christians accept without question in order to maintain their belief in the biblical Jesus.
I also asked Christians, Jews and Muslims which of the stories in their favourite holy book they would believe without more evidence if a passing stranger told them was happening right now a mile or two down the road, in Why Believe The Holy Books?. None have them have been able to think of any, and yet they believe what a stranger told them in their favourite holy book. Why the double standard?
So let's see if Muslims can fare any better with this one:
Scenario: A man I know is writing a book. Every few weeks he adds another section; sometimes a verse or two, sometimes an entire chapter. He claims the book is being dictated to him by a messenger who just appears and claims to have been sent on a special mission by a god. Apparently this god thinks humans have gone wrong and need to be put back on the right track by being given special instructions on how to conduct every aspect of their lives.The question is, how can I tell if he's lying? And should I take that risk or should I do what his book says?
Those who don't do exactly what this book says and don't believe everything in it, will suffer horrendous punishment of the most unimaginably kind, but those who obey it absolutely, and never question or doubt it, will live forever in perfect peace and happiness. He says people who don't accept his book are being mislead by an evil spirit and should be forcibly converted or killed. Only people who believe his book should be allowed to govern the country or have any power and authority.
He's put all these things in the book which he says must be true because a god said so. He's even put that in the book as proof that it's true.
What questions can I ask this man that would show if he's lying or not?
Why would those questions not have shown that Mohammad was lying about the book he wrote if you had asked him the same questions?
Or does belief in the Qur'an require the same intellectually dishonest double standards as Christian belief in Jesus does?
You assume that the person would present no further proof. Thus, begs the question.
ReplyDeleteYou must provide basis for your equivocation.
No. You must answer the question unless you're trying to demonstrate that you're embarrassed by the answer.
DeleteThe burden of proof resides in the said person, unless it is fulfiled there exists no reason to assume the said person is truthful. Thus, there would no rationality in beleiving the said person under these conditions.
DeleteAs for the first question, it is impossible to prove that the person is lying. Lying is providing untrue statements in order to decieve. However, perhaps the person himself might be convinced that God provided that book for rational or irrational, sane or insane reasons.
The single question I would ask of that person is delightning his begging of the question: What is the proof that God said so?
I shall assume there are equal cirminstances.
The answer to that question does not prove that he is lying for previously stated reasons. However, it have the potential to logically prove that he is either true or untrue, provided he or someone else provides proof that the holy scripture is the word of God said so.
You did not provide justifications for equalizing that scenario with Mohammad. Are you saying that Mohammed did not provide proofs, thus begs the question as the person in the scenario?
So if someone had asked that question of Mohammad, what proof would he have offered?
DeleteYou 'forgot' to say.
I'm not saying anything, by the way. I'm simply asking questions. Will you be answering them soon?
We have two books which claim to represent the only true word of God. If we decide one is true then the other must be false. We can't rely on the truth of either claim so we must investigate their truth by looking for contradictions in each. The Bible was written by different people who contradict each other and must be treated with suspicion because of that. The Qur'an is supposed to have been written by one person yet despite this is still full of contradictions.
ReplyDeleteCould it be that both are false? This would seem the logical conclusion. The writer you propose must face the same challenge and if he does only as well as the Bible or Qur'an I'll give him a one star review for his work of fiction when it's published on Amazon.